After what happened yesterday we were keen to not make a repeat performance and so left the day wide open. It started off well with our hosts gleefully showing my wife the lactose-free milk they had procured for her however she was in no state to make use of it today. “Tomorrow then!” he exclaimed as he cheerfully darted back to the kitchen; there seemed to be nothing that could put a damper on his happiness. My wife however, still reeling from the events of the day before, decided that she’d probably spend the better part of today in bed whilst I’d catch up with our friends who happened be in Amsterdam the same time as us.
I spent the better part of the morning tracking down a set of hair clippers to fix my hair cut from the day previous (as well as to get my beard under control). After visiting 2 different Bokkers (a small department store that dots the streets of Amsterdam) I found myself a set for cheap and took them back to the hotel. My wife, whilst feeling better, decided she’d continue to stay in and I arranged to meet my friends in the city for lunch. I left her the laptop just in case she felt up to watching something.
Lunch was spent reminiscing over our varied travel adventures, enjoying Amsterdam’s laid back ambiance and indulging in a €5 pizza place that made suspiciously good food. The dreary afternoon weather started to get the better of us quickly however and we all retreated back to our various places of residence to escape the new cold breeze. I returned to find my wife in very good spirits, seemingly shaking off the last of whatever had been ailing her for so long. After we spent a good few hours watching various shows on Netflix I asked if she was up for dinner and we settled on a small bar not too far from us.
We were just settling into our dinner when my friend and his girlfriend accosted us; they just happened to be staying nearby and had frequented our chosen place numerous times before. We ended up staying back for far longer than we originally intended, sharing various stories and talking about how much Canberra had changed over the last 3 years (they are expats who are on their way home). It was a nice way to round off the day, especially considering my wife was able to keep her dinner down without a hint of nausea about her.
Tomorrow we’ll make one final attempt to ride bikes around Amsterdam before turning our eyes to our housekeeping duties. We’ve been here almost a week in Amsterdam and we’re starting to run out of fresh clothes to wear. Thankfully it seems like getting that sorted shouldn’t be too much of an issue here but it will still likely mean a good chunk out of our day. Still I’m hopeful can finally get to see the city as the locals do it and maybe have a little time spare for ourselves at the end of it.
