Taking it easy

I still felt a little out of sorts after waking up around midday on Saturday. I knew I wanted to take it easy throughout the day, but I also didn’t want to stay sequestered in my room for hours on end. I began by making a quick trip to the grocery store, and picking up some essentials. I couldn’t find the milk I bought last time, and as a result, I’m fairly certain I’ve been eating my Cruesli with half and half for the past couple of days. I decided to buy a couple chicken breasts so I would have something to eat besides cold cuts and soup.

After getting back and putting my groceries away, I cleaned up around the kitchen, washing dishes that had been sitting dirty on the counter for days. It wasn’t much, but I was glad I was at least feeling slightly useful rather than wasting away watching more television on my laptop. I thought about biking over to Westerpark to read, but by then it was getting late and I knew I wouldn’t have much sunlight left. Instead, I decided to walk around the area immediately around Funen in order to try and find a nice cafe to read at.

I finally remembered to take my camera with me, taking a decent shot of Funen on my way out. I think the colored windows come off really nicely from this angle. I first walked the streets to the east of the building, over to Czaar Peterstraat, which I knew housed a cafe or two along its way. The thing about Dutch cafes is that I, from my American perspective, would really consider them pubs. Outside each cafe is a illuminated sign signaling the brand of beer that they serve, and the interiors are uniformly dimly lit and dominated by a large bar. They might serve an espresso drink or two, but they just aren’t the inviting spaces where I’d like to sit and read for an hour or two. I’m sure such a place exists within the city though I fear that it would feel unnecessarily American, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not what I’m looking for while in Amsterdam. I’m going to keep searching.

After striking out on the Czaar Peterstraat, I decided to venture over to the west side of Funen. I walked around areas I had been before, but also wound up at an intersection that I passed two or three times my first day in Amsterdam as I walked from Centraal, carrying all my luggage, unsure exactly where Funen was located. As the sun, began to set, I took a picture of the windmill up the road from Funen. The windmill houses a small, local brewery that people have talked about visiting since our first night here, but haven’t yet explored, to my knowledge. During my walk, I stopped at my first FEBO, a Dutch fast food chain that features automatic vending of some items, like burgers. The food was quick and cheap, and tasted like it. I’m sure my burger had been sitting in the warmer for quite some time, as it didn’t taste very fresh. In any case, it won’t ever be my first choice, but at least it’s there in a pinch. I then began making my way back to Funen, my hunt to find a nice, quiet cafe a bust.

I took another picture of the windmill when I returned to Funen. It’s a handy landmark in a foreign city; no matter where I am, if I can find the windmill, I get get back home. After returning, I hung out with Thomas, Sarah and Christy for a while before going to bed. We were hanging out in Thomas’s room, and at one point, he decided to lie down on his bed. He naturally feel right to sleep (although he will deny it), so after some joking around and toe-wiggling on our part, we decided to leave him to his rest and went to bed ourselves.