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I'm in Amsterdam for the week, visiting our colleagues at the Dutch institute for nuclear physics (Nikhef), which is also working on gravitational wave detectors (Virgo).
Kate came for the weekend, and we used AirBNB for the first time--it's exactly like couchsurfing except you pay money. The upside is that you can get a room in a popular city for cheaper than a hotel, and you're not quite as obligated to be sociable. We stayed with a couple and their 10-month-old baby. The woman is a journalist for Dutch radio broadcast internationally, and the guy is a musician; both quite interesting conversationalists.
Today, Nikhef. One of the guys at the lab who we (colleagues+I) met today plays the 'double bass' in a 20-piece jazz band. We went to dinner at a studenty restaurant first and then to the band's show. The amsterdam city center reminds me quite a bit of the French Quarter in new orleans: very touristy, but also hidden gems of authenticity.
Kate came for the weekend, and we used AirBNB for the first time--it's exactly like couchsurfing except you pay money. The upside is that you can get a room in a popular city for cheaper than a hotel, and you're not quite as obligated to be sociable. We stayed with a couple and their 10-month-old baby. The woman is a journalist for Dutch radio broadcast internationally, and the guy is a musician; both quite interesting conversationalists.
Today, Nikhef. One of the guys at the lab who we (colleagues+I) met today plays the 'double bass' in a 20-piece jazz band. We went to dinner at a studenty restaurant first and then to the band's show. The amsterdam city center reminds me quite a bit of the French Quarter in new orleans: very touristy, but also hidden gems of authenticity.
