Amsterdam - My Sad Souvenir

While traveling, some people collect t-shirts, others trinkets, and still others spend hours searching out that most special item that with a glance will remind them of their journey to lands afar every time they look at it.

I collect certain items but I don't keep them on display. Instead, they're shoved into the far recesses of my bottom bathroom cabinet and rarely if ever looked at or admired again. Care to hazard a guess as to what I collect?

My straightening iron from Amsterdam. Click to enlarge image.If you guessed curling irons, hair dryers, and straightening rods, give yourself a prize. Yes, I've amassed quite a collection of hair appliances from around the world... a hair dryer from Italy when the one I took from home shorted out in the first two minutes of use; a curling iron from England; and now, a straightening iron from Amsterdam joins the mix.

I don't enjoy spending my money on these things. I just have to. This trip, for example, we packed adaptors but I forgot to pack my straightening iron. Day 2 with curly, frizzy, unkempt hair was not a pleasant experience for either Blair or myself. We've planned this vacation for months and the last thing I want to do is skip around town looking like a "before" pic from "how not to wear your hair." Petty? Yes. But I don't care. I was NOT a happy camper. We made it to the Rijks Museum before I cracked, then hauled ass around town, looking for a drugstore that sold hair products.

That presented more of a challenge then you might think. We passed a couple of hair salons and I stopped in to see if they sold the rods and even though they spoke English, they looked at me like I was from outer space. "Not helpful," I muttered to Blair as I exited the last one.  We finally darted into a small drugstore and just as we were about to give up and leave, Blair spotted a small shelf that had 3 hotrods on it. Thank you, Jesus.

We went back to the hotel so I could use my new toy and I spent the day--and the remainder of the trip--in a much better mood.

All I need now are some curlers from Spain and perhaps a crimping rod from Asia, and my collection will be complete. Envy me.