You Crazy.

I have finally become a fully fledged European after experiencing my first ever Eurovision Song Contest - everyone was outraged to discover that I had never bothered to watch it before! Eva was kind enough to host our little party as we progressed through the four stages of Eurovision emotional development:

1. scepticism 
2. bewilderment, 
3. hilarity, 
4. and ending in fiercely competitive spirits. 

Quite the journey.

It was quite an experience; learning the hard way that only Ireland bothers to humour the United Kingdom with half-decent points, but also revelling in pride and joy as the Netherlands climbed up to second position on the points table! Causally hijacking on the Dutch pride. =D

Eva's "Eurovision Selfie"

The following night Jess and I enjoyed an impromptu Bridget Jones evening: snuggled up on our respective sides of the bed, eating vanilla & chocolate chip muffins, and sipping on hot chocolate. Cosy night of bliss!

On Monday morning I was forced back to the mundane reality of uni work and classes, only to discover this sight at the entrance to university grounds...

Apparently the Dalai Lama has been kicking about the Netherlands this week, and I believe he was speaking at a seminar, presumably on university grounds (but don't quote me on that one)!

The following afternoon one of my old school friends rocked into my favourite city, and home-from-home: Rotterdam. It was slightly surreal; initially I was going through the motions of preparing for Rachel's arrival without fully realising that it was actually happening. But, of course, it did and we had a great couple of days together. That evening we kept things simple: getting her checked in and settled, devouring a yummy dinner at Vapiano then rounding the evening off with a long-overdue gossip session and holiday plans!

It was decided that Wednesday would be Rotterdam day. At first glance the weather appeared to be relatively stable so we rented Rachel a bike then took a cycle down by the river for her to see the iconic Erasmus bridge. Then, all of a sudden, at the point furtherest away from our next destination, the heavens opened. The rain and wind picked up; soaking us within a matter of seconds. Then the thunder and lightening started. It was terrifyingly loud, making the pair of us scream in fright as I pictured us getting swept into the river, bikes and all. It was frighteningly close and we were both hysterical by the end of the journey: laughing and screeching our way to the museum. Great start to the holiday! 

Eventually we calmed down a little and took shelter in the Maritime Museum. It was suitable for a short stint to hide from the rain, but nothing over spectacular. Afterwards we each indulged in a portion of New Deli soup for lunch at Hotel Bazar - one of my favourite locations! Rachel seemed suitably impressed with the menu and outlandish décor too. Following a hearty lunch, the weather had cleared enough for our cycling tour of the city to commence. I took her to see just about every square inch of the city, and by the end our bums and thighs were in absolute agony. It was so much fun, and great exercise - no regrets! =D

Later, after a little bit of retail therapy, we went our separate ways to get ready for Pauliina's birthday celebrations! It was a really fun, girlie evening of pretty cocktails and cupcakes, and the rare opportunity to see most of the girls at once! Lovely.

The next day we were up early to visit Utrecht - a first for us both! It was fun to discover somewhere new together, and nice taking a break from playing tour guide for once! We began our day trip with a guided tour of Dom Tower, climbing the 465 steps to the highest balcony of the beautiful church. Towering over the city, we got a spectacular view of Utrecht, even catching a glimpse of Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the far distance. It was amazing! To top it off we even had the opportunity to listen to and watch some of the bells playing before reaching the very top. It was quite a hike, and the stairs got incredibly narrow (and a little uneven) towards the top. But the stunning views made it completely worthwhile! Honestly, I think the biggest challenge was walking back down without talking a tumble! Was certainly relieved to reach the bottom...phew!

Following a questionable lunch, the remained of the afternoon was spent strolling round the city with little, or no, direction. The weather was beautiful, so we were quite happy to save our euros and simply soak up the atmosphere, finding plenty of picturesque scenes!

Making our way back to Rotterdam relatively early, we treated ourselves to a pizza hut before strolling back to my place. We had the most perfect timing: stumbling across a bewildering event near Blaak. Neither of us had any idea what was going on, but it was absolutely hilarious. Basically, a bunch of crazy Dutch people attempted to cycle along a narrow platform and ring the bell at the end without toppling into the water. Only in the Netherlands...

It was a pretty sweet way to end what had been a bizarre, and exhausting, holiday. After poorly timed fire drills, thunder storms, double bookings and cancelled trains to the airport, I think Rachel may need another wee break just to recover. But we had an absolute blast and she was a fabulous guest!

Finally Friday arrived and I forced myself to visit the gym, doing 4 kilometres on the treadmill and then a further 3.5 on the cross country trainer. A rather successful visit and my first proper gym session in months - need to get back at it! 

Knackered!