Een ubelievable plaats zal bezoeken

so this evening after i got back to my hotel after a long day of exploring i ventured back out on a recommendation from the front desk. i've seen 3 different women working down there since i first arrived. all have been cute. sorry no pics of them. just pics of the lobby. so because i've been walking all day she recommends a nice little italian restaurant just down the street. perfect. so i head out. on my way around the corner, i see some policeman talking to a cyclist. i cross the street and see a couple more. one is talking to another cyclist. well it looks like these guys had a little sting operation going on. kinda like when we see a handful of cop cars near an intersection in a busy college town. well these guys wern't pulling over drivers for not having seat belts or faliure to yeild, no they were busting these cyclists for not having lights. yea thats what i'm talking about. i remember in madison wisconsin people told me it was the law there (and i'm sure in every city) that you must have headlights on your bike to ride at night. well i got kind of confused with my directions so i asked one of the dutch policman for directions. nice fellow. i found my way. the problem now is that my ham strings and calf muscles are pretty tight from todays exploring. it was a brisk night and it was nice to get into the cozy restaurant. i had some soup and mostocholi. wow even in dutch the italian was good. the waitress was awesome and didn't flinch a bit knowing that i only spoke english. even though you don't have to tip here i slid here a few extra anyways. i think most un cultured americans might have a hard time with how the restaurants work here. they purposly don't bring meals until well after you have ordered. the expereince is for conversation and they don't care about turning 80 tables in one night. its the expereince and time with your dinner partner (which i had none) that they want you to enjoy. i mean my dinner for one lasted about 1 1/2 hours. who cares. chill and enjoy. of course i took in everything around me with great pleasure. two very cute girls sitting accross from me. i think i'm starting to like the taller slender light hair features of the dutch girls.
so i'm hoping that my entry into belgium is as easy as it was here. i mean finding my way to the hotel quickly and easily. should be fine. thanks to my good pal dan c who provided me with exceptional advice on my new camera purchase, he also recommened that rather than buying a DVD to watch in my computer and wearing the battery down faster, i should just download a movie from i tunes. well that worked awesome. for the plane or the train that should pass the time. although riding in the train is exciting enough watching out the window. its bad but i keep comparing this land to italy because thats the only other place i've been in centeral europe. the netherlands has many similarities but certainly is different and is set apart from the others. one thing i have noticed that is similar is how people are so non judmental here. know one cares. you can be yourself. each person is so defining in their own way. it seems like in the states you do one thing to define yourself and set yourself apart and people are so quick to judge and make comments. people here just simply don't care. it sure is nice. yea i should have puchased a one way ticket. i had a waffle today. it wasn't a belgiun waffle of course but it was damn good. i'll have another before i leave i'm sure. so i'm becoming an expert on hearing the differences between languages. i've always liked hearing it i just never put aside the time to learn it. i really want to. i can easily tell french, italian, and dutch/flemish. now i can't tell the difference between dutch and flemish but i know they are very similar. being surrounded by it makes it so easy to pick up words and learn it. i spent 10 days in italy and didn't speak a lick. by the last day i was ordering food and buying train tickets. one thing i try to do is not look like a freak'n tourist. damn you can pick those dumb asses out 3 blocks away. i must be doing something right because i got asked directions twice today. glad i got the look down. i just need to work on the talking part.
another thing i really like about central europe is they way the cities are layed out. tiny little streets with all kinds of shops and cafes and things everywhere. plenty of head shops too. yes you can buy and smoke pot all you want here. its legal. i had an esspresso today in one. but no i didn't smoke i just smelled. it was nice. peoples homes are all intertwined. it seems like when a new business or large complex is looking to open they look to existing built areas to modify or dress up. rather people in the states find huge sprawling chunks of land and build million dollar shopping malls and condo complexes. these streets with shopping are so dense it makes for the most unbelievable atmosphere. and of course adds to the value of the city instead of looking to the farm land on the outskirts. i guess its just our way. like our football. like our meca gas station convenience stores packed with every snack imanginable for the family car ride. no american would fit in these nice easy to park cars. i swear i have not seen one obese person since i've been here. there is one reason the dutch produce some of the best cyclists in the world. they go from crawling to cycling. they skip walking. i watched these people very carfuly today as they rode by me. as they rode by me so pleasently in their very own perfectly paved bike lane with traffic signals and street signs. its cold out. the climate here is the same as in michigan. yes they have cars here. italians have scooters. yes there are scooters here too, but by far 8 out of 10 people here are riding bikes. its really cool. they are pedaling along, navigating through the narrow streets, people, trains and cars. they get good at it. no wonder the likes of old man groenendaal and de knegt come from this region. they probably grew up weaving their way in and out of these obsticals only to prepar themselves for the world of pro cyclo-cross. well i don't even know what day it is. i just know that tomorrow i'm checking out of this hotel and leaving the netherlands and heading south to brussels. a bit sad to be leaving here but i'll be back sunday night.