In Leiden!

Okay, I guess I have to give up on the French for now.  Because NOBODY speaks it here.

It feels like I'm on another planet, actually.  There's something NOT French about this place.  Something fun and slick and old but new at the same time... it feels like Ikea.

Here with Forko and Waffelle and their cats.  Nena had a bit of a run-in with a scooter so she's on house rest for the next several days.  She's also a leopard cat, which are known for their surprising ability to communicate with humans due to their very unique and distinctive meows.  She's been demonstrating them all morning, letting us all know things like, "I'm hungry" and "I want to go outside" and "please let me go outside" and "I REALLY REALLY want to go outside NOW PLEASE."

Yesterday we revved my engines a bit for the trip to Amsterdam today.  And by "revved my engines" I mean "drank a lot in anticipation of drinking more once we get to Amsterdam."  I'm actually a bit grateful for the accrual of the last six weeks' pastry pudge as I think it gave me about 4 or 5 free gulps before the canal started spinning.

And now that it's almost noon, everyone is up with their coffee, bracing themselves for madness in Amsterdam.  Lawd, Lawd, am I ready for the red light district?