Thanksgiving. It was short and sweet but enough to feel refreshed and ready to get back to it at work. Once again, my flight was made very last minute so I was stuck in economy on the flight over the Amsterdam. I had my sleeping “kit” and took a sleeping pill, but as hard as I tried to get comfortable and snooze, I just couldn't get into an REM sleep. 9+ hours on the plane and unable to sleep. Uggh! I even got jealous of the sleeping man next to me, just snoring away. Wow, how pathetic! I know that I have mild insomnia but this was bad. Oh well, it will be a caffeinated day for me.
I finally landed in Amsterdam around 11 am (4am US time) and thought I'd take the train to drop off my luggage at my hotel. But then the ticket machine wouldn't take any of my credit cards (I tried all 3) so I gave up and jumped in a cab. I dropped off my luggage at the Victoria and decided to give the train station another shot. It was my usual route from Amsterdam to Amersfoort on the speed train, which I knew well. Apparently though, I didn’t know it well enough because there was in fact 1 stop before Amersfoort. Everyone was getting off so I figured I should get off too, thinking it was my destination. My gut told me to stay on but I didn’t listen. I ran up 50 yards, saw the train station sign that did NOT read “Amersfoort,” and turned around to watch the doors of the train closing. NOooooooo… Well, looks like I’ll have to jump in another cab. I grabbed a redbull (!) and a taxi and was off to the office. Suddenly, my cost to get to the airport went from 7.10 euro (train) to 100 euro (taxi + train + taxi). Ahhh!
Besides being incredibly exhausted the entire day, it was a pretty normal day at the office. My friends went to Paris over the weekend so it was fun to hear those stories. They were sad to go without me, but they didn’t think we’d have a completely work-free weekend coming up so they jumped when they got the opportunity. I guess I can’t blame ‘em.
After my eyes couldn’t take it anymore, I left work around 6 and headed back to the city. I had a delicious protein bar for dinner and hit the sack around 9am. I woke up this morning, well rested, and *hoping* that it would be a better day. I was wrong.
Before I left the states, I bought a bunch of granola and protein bars since European grocery stores do not carry anything like we have in the U.S. Well when I woke up, my 5-lb zip-lock bag full of granola bars had a hole chewed through it. There were also some wrapper scraps on the floor. Apparently, there was an animal in my room!!! Ew ew ew ew. I am not even in a hostel – I am at the Victoria! Here it is below-
Yet there is a fat rat running around and will probably be back for more. There goes my breakfast for the next 19 days! I got the heebie-jeebies and called a manager. He came up and confirmed that it must have been a mouse. At this point, I had to get to the train station so he assured me that he would pack up and move all my stuff to a different room which would be ready for me when I got back this evening. I then met my colleague and it was a mad dash to the train station. We were literally sprinting (me in heels) across the street and through the station. Which by the way, I can’t remember the last time my heart was beating this furiously. We finally got to the platform with our train… but the doors had closed. And off it went without us. Ahhhhhh! And then my mind resorted back to the whole mouse incident and I got to thinking… do mice like cashmere?? Oh no oh no! They better not or the hotel will be writing me a check! I think I may switch hotels….
At least my week can only go up from here, right..?
1 comment:
eww eww eww eww eww....and eww!
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