This means:
- DO leave your apartment at 11:30PM on a Tuesday night to begin the weekly happy hour.
- DO wear somewhat fashionable clothes, to keep up with the Europeans, but DON'T wear anything that you don't want completely saturated with cigarette smoke.
- DO drink beer out of intolerably small glasses and DON'T complain about standing in line at the bar for refills much of the night.
- Not sure about tipping the bartenders, doesn't seem to make a difference either way, but it's a tough habit to break, so I vote DO leave 50 Eurocents or so with every glass.
- DO practice the alternating-leaning-in-to-shout-then-listen game with the other barhoppers and DON'T be afraid to get pretty close when doing this.
- DO watch out for the Europeans waving lit cigarettes all over the place, they might very well nail you in the arm (thankfully, not speaking from experience, just imagination!)
- DO dance: the Europeans aren't any more groovy than we Americans are.
- DON'T expect that staying until 3AM will impress anyone, the place is packed until at least 5 (yes, with school the next day!)
- DO go for a stroll around the canals before you go home-- the fog gently hovers above the water and beneath the curved walking bridges making for an extraordinary sight, with white Christmas lights on the trees than line the canals, and warm light emanating from bars and restaurants, I DON'T think I ever want to come home.
- DO attempt to speak French to the cabdriver who gives you a choice only between French and Dutch. The locals are infinitely patient when you attempt anything other than English.
- DO take the dogs for a walk when getting home at 4AM, and bribe them with peanut butter so they let you sleep in until noon.
- DON'T be afraid to look like you just got out of bed and are hungover when you do finally see the light again at noon, they love this look no matter what time of day (sometimes I think the later the better!)
- DO sleep whenever you can because you never know what the next night will bring.
- DO break old habits to experience new cultures!!
Happily yours, Euro-Abigail
4 comments:
Glad you are having such a GREAT time!
DON'T get too close to drunk people with cigarettes if you are wearing a scarf you actually like...the smoke washes out but the cigarette burn does not! (That one is from experience!)
Well, that adjustment didn't take too long. Seems not long ago you were complaining about the ways of the Dutch. Glad you are finding your way -- even in the middle of the night. Not being a barfly, I have no advice, but this does sound more like the like the Holland I've heard about. Are people awake for classes?
For that matter, are YOU awake for classes?
Is there no end to the pain of motherhood?
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