Greetings from Utrecht. I'm killing some time here in an internet cafe while waiting to check in to my hotel. Other than the half-inch of snow that fell last night, it's been an uneventful trip. I spent a leisurely afternoon strolling around Amsterdam's flower market yesterday, then had dinner at my fave Indonesian resto, Bojo.

I picked up my rental car at the airport this morning and drove out to my hotel in the tiny village of Harmelen. Since there's absolutely nothing to do there, I drove back to Utrecht and wandered along the Oude Gracht, stopping at the cathedral and the convent museum, where I ogled many a holy relic of bygone days.

I ate a simple lunch of pea soup and bread at a very cool old "brown cafe" called the Ledig Erf. I washed it down with a couple of Trappist dubbelbocks. I could've hung out there all day, but figured I better cool it if I wanted to be able to walk out instead of being carried.

Guess it's time to head out into the boondocks and check in. My students are all staying at the same hotel, so at least I'll have some good company for dinner.

Tot ziens!