What? No ice!

The first time I visited Holland I was bewildered by all of the new sights, sounds, smells, and noises. Not only was I overwhelmed by arriving in a foreign country, but I was suffering from the worst case of jet lag I have ever experienced. My whole body was exhausted and all I wanted to do was collapse on my bed. Instead, we tried to stay awake by riding old bikes on the bumpy cobblestone roads of Amsterdam. I can still hear all of the horns of the angry motorcycle drivers who wanted us to move out of the road. As we rode along the canals in the city, I thought about how romantic it would be to take a gondola ride, until I smelled the rotten sewage in the canals.


After our long bike ride around the city, it was time for dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant I realized how thirsty I was and suddenly craved a tall glass of ice water. The server came to our table and asked with almost perfect English pronunciation "Would you like something to drink?" I asked for water. A few minutes later, he put a short glass in front of me. I looked at the seemingly empty glass. There was no ice. I glanced at my friend's glasses and they didn't have ice either! I felt confused and disappointed. Finally, my shock wore off and I took a sip from the tiny dirty glass. Ugggh...yuck...warm water! I was dumbfounded and still thirsty. I laid my head down on the table, closed my heavy eyes and reflected on all of the new sensations I had experienced during my first day in Amsterdam.