After two days on smokey and crowded trains we woke up on Wednesday with headaches and sniffles, and we felt the need for the kind of rest that pre-empted the idea of a day trip to Amsterdam.

One thing we can explore on a rest day is European media. We flipped on the tv to discover that a lot of Dutch tv is in English with Dutch subtitles. Most other countries (larger countries with bigger populations) dub the native language onto English-language programs.

In Haarlem, we’re treated to a few BBC channels, which is a nice diversion from CNN (all war, all the time).

As sleazy as American networks can be, they’re complete prudes when it comes to nudity. In the later evening we’d see plenty of exposed flesh on European broadcast tv, but unfortunately it’s in the same titillating context that would fit right in on a network like Fox.

On the radio, most of the music is total crap, a breed of techno-pop put out by singers who sound like they still have their thumbs in their mouths. We rarely went out of our way to listen to radio, but we would frequently hear one playing in the background. It seemed that everywhere we went, we heard the same music.

We also learned that the banter and blather of morning DJs is the same everywhere, and they sound the same in every language.

After a bit of rest we decided to make this a day to walk around and look at Haarlem. After all, this is a pretty nice town in its own right. Rozie discovered that Haarlem is a good town for shopping, and she had some pent-up demand.

We spent almost two hours in one store alone, one that was filled with dresses made of her favorite materials in all shades of purple. Obbie was very patient, though he regretted not having had a chance to buy a newspaper before we went in there.