24 May 2009

Day 2


Red Light, originally uploaded by Ryan Runs Europe.

Woke up around 9 am and decided to get things going. Did some laundry in the sink, which actually was a bit difficult because I was trying to guess between two soap boxes that each contained words that I thought might be the Dutch word for "white". I ended up finding a third box in the back that was clearly marked for color. Phew. Turns out the word is "wit" by the way...
I headed to the library, which is huge and awesome and near that Nemo building in my photos. I wandered around to ARCAM, the center for architecture in the Netherlands and had a look about. I bought a SIM card with a local number for 15 euro...
I'm currently staying at an apartment which belongs to a friend of Ernst who is staying in NY right now. Anyways, around 3 pm, I decide to head there, grab my laundry which I have hanging out, and run to the Heineken factory. I planned on heading out towards Leiden on Day 3. Instead, when I got there, I sat down on the couch...and woke up four hours later. "I guess I'm going to Leiden on Monday."
So, I went for an evening run around the city. No destination in particular. I ran to and around the Vondelpark, and got in maybe 13 miles or so. Running is definitely the best way to get to know a city.
Around 10, I met Ernst (my host) on the run back to the apartment and we went to a "snack shop" where I tried a Kroket (a "deep fried meat ragout covered in breadcrumbs"), a Dutch specialty.
After Dinner, Ernst headed home on his bike, and I wandered around for a while. I found myself in the Red Light district, in which there is actually a serious amount of red light...and girls in bikinis dancing behind glass panels in little booths under that red light. I guess it would seem pretty crazy had I never been to Pattaya.
I found a place to stay in Leiden through couch surfing...but I've yet to find a place in between. Looks like I might have to rough it and do a 27 miler tomorrow. I think if I cut it in half (early morning/afternoon) I'll be able to handle it. Hopefully I don't end up like Icarus.

4 comments:

  1. this is sweet, keep posting really good blogs as long as you have the means. mileage totals for each day would tickle my(and probs other runners') fancy if you could do so.

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  2. Let us know how you are feeling? I love this blog thingy, it is awesome (or "sick" in the lingo of youth!)....

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  3. Thought you were posting the number on your site as soon as it was available. Would have been handy for me since I didn't get a message back to confirm you got my directions and whatnot.

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