Amsterdam

On Sunday I took the train up to Amsterdam. The train made a stop in Gouda, which I expected to smell cheesier than it actually did. In fact, they seem to pronounce it ho-da, with that h being guttural and what not. The train also stopped in Breukelen, the eponym of the finest borough, and from which the name was anglicized.

Spent the afternoon with my dear friend Katharina from Vienna, who is doing her doctorate in Amsterdam, and her boyfriend Paul, also from Vienna, who is a professor of finance in The Netherlands. They have a very beautiful apartment and Katharina prepared a terrific couscous dish.

As for The Hague, as a summary, I'd say that it certainly is quaint and what not and I am certainly enjoying the cheap Camembert cheese, yogurt, and other milky products.