The Longest Day (and, possibly, Night)

So those who know me know that I am … well, not the most sociable kinda guy in the world. An introvert, in fact, sometimes something awful.

Which means I am passably okay in meetings, or even in group activities, but when it comes to “Hey, it’s a free afternoon, who wants to do what?” I’m not going to be “imposing” myself on others uninvited, and even beyond that will be torn between holing up in my room and simply heading off on my own.

I did end up inviting someone else who showed interest in doing some souvenir shipping in Leiden. We caught a cab and were dropped off at the end of the “shopping street” — a large avenue that swoops through the town as a pedestrian mall. So far so good.

Except — well, it’s really the shopping mall for the city. Which means much of what is there is practical for the locals, as opposed to noteworthy and interesting for the tourists. What shops there are that are tourist-oriented are … um … kitschy.

I did find something for Katherine, but not easily. And I still have more shopping to do.

All is not lost, of course. I have tomorrow in Amsterdam — if nothing else, I hope the museum stores will have some items of note. And there’s an excellent shopping mall at Schiaphol Airport, which is tied into the duty-free shopping, so there are prospects there, too.

Still, it was kind of disappointing, and we taxied back after only a little more than an hour and a half. My companion wasn’t in the mood to visit the few museums or churches in town, and I didn’t feel like doing anything much else. So I headed up to my room for a bit, slothfully flipped through TV channels, then decided to go down to the lobby to work on the computer (and, say, this post) — since, for those who have forgotten, the wireless doesn’t reach to the outside rooms.

So while down here, I called home, it being around 8:30a. (One of my biggest problems on this trip has been remembering to add vs. subtract the right number of hours on clock, so I almost inadvertently called Margie much earlier …) 

They were off getting haircuts, so I wished them happy haircuts, and good luck to Kitten (who’s competing in a karate tournament this weekend). Bitched and moaned about being lonely (to Margie), etc.

So afterward sat here and typed and so on, and then one of my cohorts wandered by, and we chatted a bit, and I expressed dismay about my limited plans for dinner — the cheesy/creamy buffet at the restaurant, the McDonald’s on the corner, or brave the wilds of Leiden at night on my own. So he mentioned that a group (which I thought had long ago left) was heading into Amsterdam around 6:30p.

So I’ve decided not to be an anti-social hermit and join them on their adventure. Hurrah!