Today we had our first Stroopwafel. It’s a thin cinnamon flavored waffle, sliced in half with surgical precision, filled with gooey caramel, stuck back together, and then (for an extra €0.50) half covered in chocolate.

Delicious.

We also learned how to pronounce “Gouda” which sounds something like a cough followed by that thing you ride elephants in. That layer of protective wax is to keep the cheese safe from spittle.

There are feral parrots here, the same Ring Necked Parakeets that you can see in London parks. There seems to be a pair nesting in a hole in the wall of the building opposite our kitchen window.

In other bird news, still no sign of Battle Swans or Canada Geese. However, the evolutionary niche occupied by Canada Geese (crapping in places you want to walk) seems to be occupied by Egyptian Geese.

They look like they are wearing too much eye make up and red stockings, so they may have escaped from Amsterdam’s famous red light district.

There are lots of jackdaws, pigeons, magpies, crows, starlings, gulls, coots…

… mallards, and the occasional grey heron in the parks, but they also have a species of duck which was new to us, a Gadwall.

The distinctive orange streak on the side of the bill is probably from drooling while eating Stroopwafel.

While walking from a park to a street market we passed the wonderful Hobgoblin House.

See that green guy at the top left?

He’s playing catch with a friend.

Taken to its logical conclusion, this could lead to the invention of juggling.

You wouldn’t believe the number of bicycles I had to dodge to take those photos.