Dutchies Are Awesome

No really, Dutchies are the coolest people in the world.

Everything is so hip and funky and cool, like Ikea! And I love Ikea. I went to the Netherlands with my host family this weekend (they are so nicefdsfjsfjds I can't believe they actually brought me along), and it was so cool. There are so many cows and horses everywhere!

We did a house swap, so we got to stay in this interior decorator's house. It was not THAT impressive, but still cool none the less.House swaps are fun because you get to snoop though and try to guess what the residents are like. They had a bedroom with lots of naked women on the wall, and the focus was always on their boobs or butt. It was essentially black and white porn in frames. And she had this one room where she had collections and collections of cross stitch and squirrels. And cross stitched squirrels (lower lefthand corner). WHY?!

She had a stuffed squirrel too, but I didn't take a picture of that.But instead, check out the little figurine squirrels! ...WHY?!

I left the light on at night when I went to bed, you know, just in case a giant stuffed squirrel comes out and eats me.

The town is adorable. It was on the river side, and Dutch people are SO PRETTY. It might be the blonde hair, the cool style, the high cheek bones... they're just so pretty.

The kids watching a man's parrot dance to a street organ. The street organ reads music off of a continuous page with holes in it to mark what keys to play, and it even had drums and cymbals that were marked in too!

Then we went to the Royal Palace of the Netherlands!The Dutch style is very understated, organized, and symmetrical.


Here's Kiki on the path in the woodlands around the palace. So cute with her little striped leggings!

And they had peacocks wandering around (I almost said campus) palace. My hosties and the peacock are both wary of each other.

And there was a HUGE garden in the back.

I want to get married to myself in a garden! Not like that one, but I love having green everywhere.

We went out for Dutch pancakes afterwards, which are large thin pancakes generally topped with some combination of cheese, ham, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions, and you top all of THAT off with MAPLE SYRUP! I was unsure of how I'd feel about that mix of sweet and savory, but it is so good. Who knew that cheese and maple syrup would be so good together? Oh and also a heart attack on a plate, but oh well

And I also got another pair of cool European shoes for 10 euro. HEH

Fun Facts About Europe:
- The drivers who are turning onto the road have right of way.
- Birkenstocks are like the Dutchies' Converses. Everyone wears them!
- Dutch children are called "cheese heads" because their hair is so blonde (basically white) and it looks like cheese. HAHA
- Everything is super kid-friendly, so almost all restaurants have a kids play section.
- Cyclists have right-of-way over EVERYONE (then pedestrians, then cars). In a lot of places in the Netherlands, it's easier to bike than to drive. I love that! There are bikers everywhere.