Arrival in Delft

We made it! Between the time Laura and I left Gainesville on Saturday and arrived in Delft Wednesday, we passed through 5 states, 4 airports, 3 countries, and 2 train stations. The trip contained both boredom (waiting in an insanely long immigration line in Dublin) and adventure (running full speed through the maze known as JFK International Airport, where there are no useful signs of any kind). Upon arrival in Amsterdam, we felt relieved that our trip was nearly complete and unhappy because our bags had not arrived along with us. It should come as no surprise, then, that my first purchase in Europe - food notwithstanding - was a pair of clean underwear. (Do you have any idea how hard it is to find something other than a banana hammock in Europe?)

Well over 24 hours later, our bags have still not been found, but we're doing great anyway. We spent yesterday doing two things: 1) getting acclimated to our surroundings and 2) trying not to fall asleep anytime we sat down. After 12+ hours of sleep, today was slightly more eventful, with visits to HR Services at TU Delft and a brief introduction with 3ME department personnel. They bestowed an English-Dutch dictionary upon Laura and I, which we have already used to determine that "soep" is found in a bowl, not in a bathtub.

Speaking of drinks, we noticed over the past two days that the Dutch particularly enjoy sitting in front of cafes (for hours at a time), drinking tea, beer, or wine (but never eating). So in observance of our temporary European status, we joined them this evening. It was, shall we say, "delightful."