Happy Amsterversary! Day 3

[Gill H]

<<<Day 2

Goedemorgen and welcome to Day Drie, which is Day 3 to you and me. This morning we’ve set the alarm for 8am as we didn’t get a chance to book an early breakfast, so we’ll be eating at 9am. But unfortunately I wake up about 6.30 and immediately I’m wide awake. I realise straight away that something very odd has happened during the night. I can’t move the left side of my face and can’t see properly out of my left eye! Immediately all sorts of panicky thoughts go through my head as to what it could be, so I rush to the bathroom to check the mirror.

Fortunately it doesn’t look like anything major, but it does appear that I had failed to take account of one of the hazards of spending a lot of time near canals. Mosquitoes like to live near canals too. And they absolutely love me! Closer inspection reveals that I have several large mozzie bites on my arms and legs, one on my face which has caused my eye to swell up, and a really nasty one on my back. Since I was wearing a t-shirt and jacket or raincoat most of yesterday, I come to the conclusion that the mozzie must have bitten me during the night, so it must have got in when we opened the window yesterday afternoon. Honestly, I had fewer bites during two weeks in Orlando than I’ve got this morning! Lesson learned – next time pack some good repellent!

I take a while over my shower, hoping the steam will help matters. Once I’m done I take some antihistamine, which fortunately I’ve brought with me anyway – apparently it really helps to bring down the swelling. I also put on some bite cream which helps a bit.

By now Peter has woken up and is a bit worried at my sudden resemblance to Quasimodo, but is reassured that I’m doing all I can to deal with it. So we relax a little over some TV and then go down to breakfast at 9am.

This morning we are not the first downstairs! We’re joined by an American couple, but my attempts to make friendly conversation don’t get far – I think they just don’t do mornings. Gabriel is busy cooking and serving, and he makes Peter egg and bacon again for breakfast, but I decide I will stick to just the cold offerings this morning, which are my favourites anyway. The usual local cheeses, ham and bread are served, along with croissants, fresh juice and lovely coffee. Despite my mozzie bites itching like crazy and the fact that half my face feels like I’ve been to the dentist, I relax and enjoy another lovely breakfast in this friendly place.

This morning we plan to start with the Van Gogh Museum, and we’ve worked out that we can get a tram from Dam Square (‘a tram from Dam’ is already becoming a catchphrase with us). So we head out into the pleasant sunshine for the short walk to Dam Square. It’s a much quieter route this morning. Amsterdam evidently doesn’t get up much before 10, or at least the streets around here don’t! So we have a chance to look in the windows of some of the more unusual shops.

The national monument is much easier to get to now it isn’t surrounded by hundreds of parked bikes, and we get a good look at it. Discovering as we do so, that Mo Farah evidently didn’t invent the mo-bot…

We also spend a few minutes in one of the less tacky tourist shops around Dam Square, and decide we may come back there later for some small souvenirs for our families. But for now, we’ve got a tram to catch. Our map app has told us we want a number 16 tram to Museumplein, and once we ask a friendly local, he shows us where the stop is. Honestly, it is so easy to be a tourist here. We hardly get a chance to use any of the tiny smattering of Dutch words we’ve learned, because everyone speaks perfect English and is only too willing to advise the confused traveller!