Het Nederlands: Landed and Crashed

After a eight hour flight in from Chicago, on which I got very little sleep, partly due to the Romanian Chemistry Phd sitting next to me so eager to practice English, and partly due to my own excitement, I landed in Schipol at about 9:00. No problems with baggage. I found the train platforms with relative ease and managed to purchase a one-way ticket to Utrecht Centraal in Dutch from a teller very tolerant of Americans stumbling through her language.
A short train ride sitting next to a Chicago based sailboat salesman brought me past some classic Dutch countryside, windmills and all, as well as Ajax football stadium a sight in itself. Once in Utrecht, I came to the realization that Dutch is most definitely the dominant language here, as very few signs gave me the comforting English aid. I managed to give myself a foot tour of central Utrecht with luggage in tow.
When I arrived at hostel Strowis, I was tired and sweaty. I dropped my things in a locker, and took a walk around town, this time without the distraction of 80lbs of luggage. The city is, in the true sense of the word, picturesque. 17th century brick, cobblestone sidewalks, canals running through huge plazas. I took advantage of the lack of rain and explored further, and I found something both useful and interesting. A coffee shop sells only marijuana. A cafe sells alcohol. If you're looking for a cup of joe, an eetcafe is what you need. I can imagine your afternoon will go very differently if you choose unintentionally.
Against most advice I've received, I crashed in my bed for two hours this afternoon, exhausted. I woke up to a guitar singing folk music in the foyer, and the growl of my stomach.
Welcome to Utrecht.