So every day after work I tell myself I should update you all, but by the time I get home I think of all the things I want to say and get overwhelmed. This post will be a bit piecemeal (I’m writing it on my lunch break), but it should fill in what I’ve missed.
My bike is slowly getting better. I found the equivilent of WD-40 and went to town on it. It no longer squeaks every time you pedal. I scraped most of the rust off, and have realigned breaks. Some things that were loose have been tightened, other things that were tight have been loosened. The bike design has the chain and gears completely covered, so if it continues to be difficult, I may have to perform some surgery.
I went running. And by running I mean, I ran next to a German intern (Sarah) for ~7-10 minutes before sheepishly telling her I needed to walk. Running is tough. Running on the beach is tough. Instead we went exploring through dunes and through wooded paths. THAT is much more my stuff. “Do we go left or right?” “Lets go up that abandoned path, instead”
I will give you guys an Oslo post soon. It was 2 weeks ago now, and it was a FANTASTIC trip. It deserves its own post, or two. Great weather, great company, great sights. Likewise, Haarlem this past weekend was fun. Instead of going to Bruges for a day-trip (as planned) we did Haarlem (weather related change). Haarlem is a town (city?) between Den Haag and Amsterdam. Once I get the pictures from Mallory, I’ll show you the pretty churches, canals, and a WW2 “Hiding Place” museum. Also, there was an open-air farmers market with some samples. We went through it 3 or 4 times to get all the cheese, crackers, pesto, and hummus we could find.
Work is going great. I’m no longer receiving emails from my bosses (yes, bosses) telling me that whatever I just finished… was wrong. So, I must be getting better, right? Lots of document review… figuring out which exhibits and witnesses will best make the case against our defendant. And then just mapping and organizing all of that. Its a lot of complex and (for lack of better terms) organization and mapping, and it is enthralling to be working on something so immense.
Tomorrow I’m taking a train from Den Haag to Brussels. Mallory and I are then flying (absurdly early) to Riga, Latvia for a few days. Riga has a ridiculous history including being destroyed by both World Wars and then being a former Soviet state. It apparently has a strong Soviet feel to it. (For example: included in our 10 Euro hostel fare is an hour at an AK-47 range). I can promise you pictures and stories to follow.
Sorry for the lack of updates, prior. I’ll do my damnedest to keep you posted. And pictures, lots of pictures.
updates from wherever 