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After calling the rental company to extend our stay one and then two days, we finally tore ourselves away from Amsterdam. We had a fairly long road trip to Berlin and started sharing some random thoughts about our trip so far. Here's our list in no particular order.
*We didn't see pretzels in the stores in Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium or The Netherlands. No pretzels, but potato chips in every meat flavor imaginable and ketchup and pickle flavors, but I think we have those at home too. Since making this observation, we have moved into Germany and have gone on pretzel overload, even buying them twice in the subway.
*There are vending machine shops, called Fabo, that have hot food in the machines. Burgers, pizza, fries, etc. You put in your 1 or 2 euro coins and open the door and take the food that is waiting there, hot and err..fresh.
*In Amsterdam taxes are paid on how wide your house is. Therefore they are all narrow and tall. So narrow in fact that climbing the steps to your apartment feels like climbing a ladder (not easy with that big backpack on my back). Nina climbed once or twice with her hands on the stairs that were at eye level.
*Again with the bikes - if you are a parent in Amsterdam, the SUV version of a bike has a wheelbarrow sized box on the front of the bike that you load the kids in and go!
*We have zigzagged around 7 countries, putting about 6700 km on the Peugeot. During this time we have seen a grand total of 3 roadkill, roadkillings, roadkill items, what is the proper phrasing? This has been bothering me since I really started paying attention in about France. So I got everyone's thoughts. Here's what we came up with 1) there could be fences (I can't see any) 2) there could be more open space for the animals to go to so they don't come near the highways 3) there could be less animals 4) my favorite, suggested by Anthony, the animals here are smarter!
*AG's theory really does have merit. He saw a cat crossing the street in Amsterdam that he swear looked both ways first. And the dogs that we have met so far are so ridiculously well behaved. They are not on leashes in Paris, Barcelona, everywhere and they stay with their owner walking through the city. There was a dog in the B&B this morning at breakfast that sat at the owner's feet and never moved, begged, anything. They are sitting in stores, in restaurants, on the subway, etc. and they are completely chill. Something is bred out of them. I may fly to Europe and get my next shelter dog! Flight $1200, dog $35, behavior priceless!
*Our other funny (to us) conversation is how this trip would have been different if we had two sons, their names were going to be Dominic and Jay, instead of Celeste and Nina. We have decided that "doing hair" as entertainment in the hotel rooms wouldn't fly! And instead of Daddy hanging outside of shops and flower markets waiting for us. It would have been Mom outside of the torture museum and soccer stadiums!
Amy
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Elaine / Mom / Grandma You all know how impressed I was with the dog behavior in Paris. Alice has SOOO much to learn!