Sit back for the ride

Well I’m really enjoying myself today. I woke up around 7:30 this morning which actually was late. I was supposed to wake up around 7 and pick up my friend from Austria, named Andria, so that we could go to the market. Well I set my alarm but I forgot to turn it on! So I woke up late and took a quick shower. We were able to get out of the apartments around 8.
The city was absolutely dead on a Saturday morning which I found to be interesting. For being one of the largest ports in the world it was absolutely dead! We were headed to the huge market that’s suppose to be open at 8 in the morning on Saturdays and Tuesdays but from the looks of it everything was going to be closed for a while. The market is called Blaak market, it’s on Blaak straat (street). We walked around for a little bit and found some bikes that were there for around 65 Euros and up. That’s a little more expensive that what I want to pay for a bike but still on the cheap end over here.
We decided we were going to go grab a café before heading down to the Spido yacht tours of the harbors that the university set up for international students. The coffee was pretty good and surprisingly the only thing open!
We finally got down to the water around 9:45 and everyone from the university was there which was nice to see friendly faces again. The yacht had indoor seating around tables and I was one of the first people on so I claimed the table at the front with the view all around. The ride was from 10-2 with lunch and drinks for free! It was amazing. Sitting back and watching the harbor and all the massive boats in town for the World Harbor Days festival while sipping on a glass of wine is simply wonderful. Its interesting how the university over here not only is accepting of drinking alcohol but they actually provide it! I guess it’s a cultural thing, but boy is it really pleasant. The ride around the harbor was really nice and I found out that the lowest point under sea level is 23.5 meters which is about what, 70.5 ft under sea level?! That was just probably about 5 mile from my apartment too. It’s quite impressive that the Dutch were able to dominate the sea and have pump systems that allow them to build at such depths below the sea level right on the coast. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for no big storms or floods!

I wore really warm clothes on the boat because I figured that we would be outside and cold going through the harbor because it’s been cloudy and raining for the past 6 days. Well I was wrong, the sky cleared up and it’s just simply a beautiful day out right now. Has to be around 80 right now and there are a few clouds in the sky. I dropped back by the market and picked up some fruit for really cheap! Now I’m just sitting on my bed sun tanning. My apartment is perfectly situated for the sun to flow right into my huge 6 ft windows that line one side of my room. I opened the blinds and just started tanning in my underwear lying on my bed. It’s so nice and warm. I’m letting the breeze come in through the open windows while the soundtrack of Amelie is playing in the background! This is the life, I love simple pleasures!