I could say that this only applies to the boys since dachshunds are pretty short by classification. Of course, George has a little extra height since he is half dachshund and multiple other things. However, I also feel short in this country. Maybe not quite dachshund short but definitely vertically challenged. The Dutch generally seem to be pretty tall. My team at work is mostly tall people. As a matter of fact, on a team of tall people, we have one person so tall that others call him “Hightower” after the Police Academy movies. I think he’s 2.06 meter which equals 6 foot 10. What I can’t figure out is if people are so tall, why are the shoes so small? Maybe it is all the time on the bicycles – it shortens your toes or something!

I went into the office today and had to reset everyone’s expectations that I could now speak Dutch. Plus it was necessary for me to confirm that I had not managed to sneak any of the nuns habits away with my language workbooks. I am hyper conscious now of the Dutch I am trying to speak and now I am making even more mistakes and losing track of my sentences. I had a conversation with my manager today in Dutch and I think the word I said most often was “Shit.” But you have to say it like the Dutch do. It is very emphatic. It is always heartening to hear that people look forward to reading your emails because they are so amusingly childlike.

Tomorrow, I am off to Gouda. Like the cheese. It is also the origin of the stroop wafel. It looks like it is more effective for me to drive. Which is somewhat disappointing because I like the trains but it would be 4 transfers and 1 hour and 40 minutes versus 42 minutes by car. I am sure I will have other chances to go to Gouda by train.

Saturday is the house warming cocktail hour. I decided to learn from my Christmas efforts and order the beer online and have it delivered, instead of making six trips to the grocery store and breaking bottles again. Not that my sneakers aren’t overdue for another brewery freshener – eau de pils. I hope everyone is going to have a good time.

Tonight we were able to go out for our last walk without having to bundle up. It was about 46 degrees. The boys were happy not to have to put on their jackets. If this is the last of the winter cold, we got off pretty easily this winter. It is now light until six pm. My mom would be happy that the days are getting longer. A travel catalog came in the mail today, full of adventure travel throughout Europe. I skimmed it briefly and the choices were overwhelming. I can hear my mom leafing through it and calling out all of the places we could go. I am saving it for inspiration for some of the places to spend my five weeks of vacation.