A GRANDE HALF CAFF, DUTCH TREAT ...

It was a rousing game of "Fun with Fatima" this morning at the Starbucks in Amsterdam as I arrived on the scene just in time to put the local Baristas, including Fatima, to the test.  There are only two Starbucks locations in the Netherlands, both at the airport in Amsterdam, so whenever I'm here, I make it a point to order my usual Grande Half Caff.  Invariably, the Baristas are stumped.  "A Half Caff is what Starbucks in the U.S. calls a simple drip coffee with half caffeinated, half decaffeinated coffee," I explained to a Confused Fatima.  "What?," she asked, "You want something mixed?"  In the end, the Baristas are always happy to make what I want but it's fascinating to watch them scramble to figure it out.  After I finished my Half Caff, I trekked over to one of my favorite cities, Utrecht, where I'm staying.  Utrecht dates back to 50 BC and you can see the history -- from the Roman times onwards -- reflected in its architecture.  The city is dominated by "the dom," a 368-foot church tower constructed in the 1300s, surrounded by a series of canals, shops and restaurants.  This morning a Marching Band stood near its base playing what sounded like a Dutch rendition of "You're a Grand, Old Flag."  Anyway, I'm here in the Netherlands for a series of meetings in Amsterdam and Eindhoven.  Utrecht is between the two and makes the perfect "jumping off point ..."