" Hi, it's Lady Grey, first time snow witness, long time dreamer of snow..."

I have so much to say, so much to say!!!

Many, many exciting things that have been happening but the most important thing...

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!!!!

This new white powdery substance (insert obvious Class A contraband illicit substance reference here) in my life deserves it's own post really, so here it is!

This stuff has changed my life... yes, a drastic statement I know.. but, I will list in order of importance why it's so important to me.

1. My dreams just keep getting fulfilled here, every single day.. I had NEVER seen snow before in my life, and now I am constantly surrounded in it. I used to have dreams about feeling snow, frolicking in snow, holding snow, crunching my feet through snow, and now fortunately, and unfortunately, I do it every day! It's just another way that this town keeps proving to me that you can seriously live in a dream like reality.

2.I haven't felt my feet through 2 layers of socks and a pair of boots, in about 3 days. This is the flipside of living ankle deep in snow.

3. The weather in this town constantly reminds me that no matter how many layers I put on, or however prepared Iconvince myself I am for the weather, I am actually never really prepared for the weather. The first morning of snow on Thursday, it fell so softly and romantically in delicate flakes, and I felt oh so chic in my winter coat, finally being able to justify why I look like an Icelandic sheep as Laura would say. Then last night, I went out with my friend Karl, and it was absolutely PELTING down, in what I can only imagine are blizzard like proportions, in heavy balls... My woolly winter coat was pretty much soaked in snow when I got home, and I realised that I don't have a single water proof item that would be remotely warm enough to wear outside.

4. This town is SO BEAUTIFUL under snow... I think I said this on my facebook status, but I LIVE IN A POSTCARD. I feel so lucky to have travelled a lot more recently, and to have seen different cities and be able to say this statement with some sort of reference in my head, because may i be so brash and bold to say ..." HELLO WORLD - I LIVE IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY ON THIS PLANET!!! "

And just to prove it, please see below:









Keizersgracht, one of the most beautiful and exclusive canals to live on in Amsterdam. It's been compared to the "Upper East Side" of Amsterdam - not that I really know what that truly means, having never been to NY, but I can imagine.

I want to do this one day with my 3 kids!! The thing at the front is called a Bakfiets, and that's how dutch mummies and daddys kart their kids around the city, no joke. It's so cute to see two kids sitting in a Bakfiets nattering away to each other. When it rains, parents put a plastic cover of the top of the kart and it looks like a capsule, and the kids just sit there talking to themselves while their mum or dad just cycles them around!!! Too cute!

Photos courtesy of www.iamsterdam.com

Have yet to cycle in the snow - I think its ridiculous idea, when I have a public transport card. I value my bones in tact way too much.

Ok, so here is a ridiculous story about the trains and the trams and the snow. This morning when I went to go to work, I was waiting for a tram for 25 minutes in the snow. I am currently living on the houseboat ( yes, yes, yes! How exciting, I know, but more on that later!) and it's on a very central canal, and 3 minutes up the street, there is a tram stop, that takes me to Centraal station, and about 4 trams could take me there, to date I have never had to wait more than 2 minutes.

Last night, Karl said as we were waiting for my tram home in a blizzard, "You think it's bad now, wait til the trams don't even run because of some snow related delay." I freaked out, because I realised the look on his face wasn't one of jest. If there are no trams and you can't cycle ( because you are too chicken shit or too sensible) then you are walking everywhere.

Anyway, so I was freaking out a little bit, because my toes were numb and I thought about being late (again) for work, and then finally one came. It was soooo full.

Then I get to Centraal station, and I look at the train announcement board and realise that every 1 in 7 trains is actually running. And Centraal station is looking particularly sparse. But my train happens to be running. Damn.

Then I get to the office, and it is dead. You can hear a pin drop, as I step outside the elevator. And it's 9.15 am, when everyone is usually milling around getting coffee, talking about their weekends etc. I ask my dutch colleague Sarah what is happening and she said that the Dutch government told people to stay home today via the news, because they expected half the trains to be in gridlock or cancelled, and probably not running at all in the evening. Niiiiice. Only problem is I don't watch the dutch news, or listen to the radio, so a sucker like me couldn't have known.

"By government decree, I pronouce tomorrow SNOW DAY... stay home citizens of Amsterdam, and just hang out..."

How can a country in Europe be brought to it's knees because of snow? Because they're not used to it is how... this year will be the first White Christmas ( defined as snow on the 25th of December AND 26th of December) since 1981. This sort of snow fall doesn't happen usually until mid-late January.

One of my bosses didn't make it - working from home, she said.... nice for some - and half my floor wasn't in.

My flatmate's facebook status this morning was slightly hilarious. It was nice to know she thought the same things as me, albeit on the other side of town, however her morning sounded more shit than mine.

"Huh. A 1/2 hr walk to Central Station (no trams running) to discover there were no trains going to Utrecht. And then a 1/2 hour walk home again. I'd never imagined a country could get its public transportation so de-railed by 1.5 inches of snow."

Another one of my coworkers told me this morning that his train was running but it was late because they couldn't find an engineer to run the train. Hah hah hahahhaha. Trains and the Netherlands. Funny. In a country the size of Tasmania, where cities/towns are mere half hour train rides away (really just suburbs), intercity rail travel is definitely an interesting experience.

On another note, apparently 700 people were stranded overnight on makeshift beds at Schipol airport last night. So... I could e spending Christmas Eve/Day at Schipol if my flights are delayed. Fantastic. Sounds great. I think I know why the dutch government pumped so much money into that airport to make it so world class.... pick a bar, any bar... you're here for a long time, not a good time weary travellers....