Europe and Africa

By tomorrow, I will have been here for a full week and I am well and truly over my jet lag, except for a tendency not to get tired when I normally go to bed. But I can sleep through the night, which is a welcome relief for 2 hours of insomnia in the wee hours of the morning.

Yesterday we had a birthday party for the twins at a local park with a small club house. It was more of a thank-you hosted by Eowyn and Dave for all the help and gifts they've received over the last year. Obviously, the twins won't remember it, and probably didn't care either way. It was a lot of fun, and about 70 people (kids and adults) showed up. Most of the people they know have kids, it's part of how you meet people in the expat community here, I guess! it makes me think how nicely diverse my group of friends is: some married, some with older kids, some with new kids, some with no kids, some single. It's a good mix.

I haven't done many excursions, being bound to the schedules of 2 one-year-olds and a five-year-old in school. But I try and take the twins for a walk at least once a day, and wander around the neighbourhood and see new parks and walk along the canals. The canals here aren't as large as they are in Amsterdam and are often inserted by roads (with culverts connecting them rather than having bridges over them).

Tomorrow I get up bright and early and head back to Schipol in Amsterdam to fly with Eowyn and Maddie to London for a couple of days! We have a full schedule, including going to a production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" (which I have seen, but it was an amateur production, and this is not), a visit to the British Museum, some markets and a bus tour. Probably a meal in a pub, too! I've never been to London, so I'm really looking forward to it. It will be the oldest city I've ever been to; it was founded by the Romans in AD 43, and lasted until AD 50 when it was burned down by the Iceni (a Celtic tribe). Although 2000 years is pretty recent by the standards of my field, it is still old for a northern European city, and certainly much older than I'm used to. The city of Edmonton, where I was living before NJ celebrated 100 years in 2004.

I will be sure to take pictures, and I will be adding pictures from the Netherlands very soon!

I am also planning a day trip into France with Eowyn before I leave for Kenya and a day trip into Belgium by myself.