Reba Lives: The Adventures of Staying Awake...

Let me begin this post by saying that I am in hour 28 without any sleep. Fun!! Ally and I are combatting jet lag like true champs. Neither of us got much sleep on the ten hour flight. We left Houston at 3:30 in the afternoon on the 14th of June and arrived in Amsterdam at 8:45 in the a.m. on the 15th. There is a seven hour time difference between our home, an ocean away, and our current residence.

When we arrived (all bright eyed and bushy tailed) we easily found our bags and got on the bus for Haarlem. There's something about finding your way to a bus, paying your fare, and getting off at the right stop that makes one feel like a total bad ass!! We did realize while waiting for the bus, however, that we may have seriously underestimated our need for cold weather clothes... It's a balmy 56 degrees in Haarlem right now and HEYO, there must be a Currie in town because it's RAINING!!! Can I get an AMEN!

On the plane Ally and I decided that in order to actively fight jet lag we would stay awake until at least eight o'clock Netherlands time (nine or ten being the ideal goal). This task has proven much harder than we thought it would...especially in the chilly, rainy, sleepy streets of beautiful Haarlem. These are the steps we took in order to keep our eyes from closing:

1. Almost got hit by a truck. Our new catch phrase for Haarlem is officially "Am I in the street!?!?" I honestly can't tell because the street is the exact same brick as the sidewalk...wtf?...

2. People watching. Everyone here is seven feet tall, thin and blonde. It's like watching a gaggle of Ralph Lauren models go about their daily business...waiting tables, riding bicycles, smoking cigarettes, tossing their equally beautiful children skyward and catching them in their strong arms...sickening...truly sickening. Tess Studdum, if you're reading this, you would fit in here without a hitch. Actually, I couldn't stop thinking about you today. It's like you were born to live here.

3. Coffee. We got an espresso drink from a menu entirely in Dutch. Had no idea what we were ordering, but the barista was so (stupidly) attractive that neither of us had the guts to ask what was in the beverage. Whatever it was, it did the trick...for a couple of hours.

4. Diner. When we arrived at our hotel we were given a voucher for the restaurant directly adjacent to us. The serendipitous thing is...the restaurant is called "Cafe Colette". Are you kidding me!?!? How cool is that!? So, we dined in luxury at my namesake restaurant just before coming back to our quaint, cozy hotel room.

The bells in the Grote Kerk across the street just chimed seven o'clock...I'm going to take a much needed shower and head to bed. Sweet dreams!

Peace, Love and Travel,
Reba