Resuming "normalcy" in Leiden

Today we were back to classes, but our photography professor was stuck in a train station due to a power outage. They rescheduled the class, so we just had time to work on our homework...

At 1ish, Lauren, Emily, Allison and I went to a place called Australian for some waffles and ice cream... yes, we had ice cream for lunch! It was delicious, because the waffles AND the ice cream are homemade every day!

We went to a few small shops, and I found a really cool necklace at an old antique jewelry store. Their stuff wasn't that expensive, and I could probably go back and find tons of cool stuff. The necklace I got is a coin that says "Rotterdam 1937" on it... I really like it because it is casual and just meaningful. Here it is:


We went to the grocery store in the afternoon, and everyone kind of hung out. This evening, I wrote some postcards, but I still haven't gotten to editing and posting my photos from Paris.

I think I need to get some more sleep, because my right eye has been twitching for the past couple of days, and it's super annoying!

A few random thoughts about the Netherlands that I haven't mentioned as of yet:

1. They round up or down at the cash register... Usually to the nearest 5 cent. So if something's .22, they charge .20 or if it's .49 they charge .50.
2. I feel soo safe here! Nobody locks their bikes up, and I feel completely safe walking around.
3. The Dutch are usually really nice about speaking English if you at least ATTEMPT to speak Dutch a little bit... even if you say them terribly wrong.
4. Stores have the weirdest hours. Most open around 10 a.m., but it really depends on the owner and when they decide to get there. Some say they open at 10, but haven't been at 11 or 12. Everything also closes at 6 p.m., so it's very difficult to find food at night!
5. I haven't seen any tulips in the ground...
6. Dutch tap water is just as good as bottled water, but they don't keep it cold. Most restaurants serve water without any ice!!
7. It stays light out REALLY late... like 10:45-11 p.m. It throws my whole schedule off, which is why I think I stay up so late!
8. I was really excited to be back in Leiden after our weekend in Paris. It felt so familiar and friendly... And our friends were so excited to have us back!

That's all for now... tomorrow we're going to Rotterdam (like my necklace!). I'm sure there will be lots more photos!

P.S. - In the 2 weeks I've been here, I've taken 2,154 photos. I'm ridiculous!