It looks like I have yet another opportunity to create an international incident.
The sleepy little coastal town a short distance from Amsterdam -- NOORDWIJK -- where more than 900 fundraisers from around the world have descended, is also hosting the big 8 country NATO Defence Ministers meeting you've been seeing on TV.
It's serious business. It appears that most people didn't get a job at NATO when their career in stand-up didn't work out.
The entire town has been blockaded. There is troop placement everywhere -- including uniformed forces, anti-aircraft tanks and an aircraft carrier off the coast. They've taken over entire hotels.
Maybe I'll run into Conoleezza Rice at breakfast.
Apart from the surreal carnival atmosphere of the NATO conference, I've been enjoying every minute of the Dutch part of this trip and the conference.
I'm at the hotel now, but it's been a long day. 14 hours. With all the sessions and hobnobbing I've been doing, I feel like I've been working harder here than I do back at the office.
But it's good tired. Tired that comes with the added benefit of an excellent cheese selection.
In a nice little coincidence (are there really any coincidences?) discovered that Eleanora -- a fellow writer from Italy, and one of the only two people I know in Milan -- is on the same KLM flight as I am on Friday night. What good fortune.
Good night, Canada.
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ml, if you haven't already, be sure to have one of those yummy dutch salads with baked goat cheese and toasted pine nuts on them. i ate one pretty much every day when i was there for two weeks in june (hence thinking i just ate too much cheese, and having no idea i was actually pregnant!). YUMMMMMMMMM.
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