Amsterdam so far...

 

Amsterdam, so far:

• being greeted by rain, and a Syrian refugee asking for help, at the airport upon our arrival into the country.
• dodging hordes of bicycles while trying to cross the street with our 5 massive suitcases + hand luggage.
• getting up to our apartment and basking in its sheer adorableness.  
• holy jetlag, Batman.
• being invited up for tea at the neighbor's flat, and feeling thankful that they're so welcoming and casual. 
• freaking out at the boys because they keep spilling water on the nice wooden dining table (we've already added a few nice new water stains). 
• bicycles, bicycles, everywhere.
• feeling like an asshole American every time I speak English to store clerks or anyone else I need to ask for help, and for being so clueless about Dutch.
• thanking Google Translate multiple times a day.
• realizing no one seems to care about speaking to you in English.
• trying the infamous frites and pannenkoek and your kids rejecting them bc they're different from US fries and pancakes (they'll come around, I'm sure). 
• also trying poffertjes and experiencing love at first bite. 
• spending 30 minutes googling words like "spoelen" and "sterkdroog" to try to figure out how to work the washer and dryer. 
• facetiming with our best friends back home, marveling at how it's nearly bedtime here but morning there.
• walking past the brick buildings with their cute windows and flowerboxes, and the canals lined with leaning trees and sweet little boats.
• stumbling upon some of the coolest playgrounds ever. 
• being very pleasantly surprised that our closest grocery store is not only open till 9pm most nights, but it's even open on Sundays!
• really, really liking this little neighborhood we're in.