Bitten!

No, I’m not talking about SJP’s new clothing line (although from what I’ve seen it looks so cute). I’m referring to the mosquitoes in Amsterdam. These bugs are vicious and evidently not only are they really attracting to me but also I have a more severe reaction to their little love taps than most.

For my first 2 months here I really didn’t notice the bugs at all. I spent several nights with my windows (sans screens) wide open enjoying the night breeze off the canal. But come July, these suckers were out for blood.

I have been gang rapped by mosquitoes! Seriously I have awoke to more red bites on my arms, legs, and face - yep face - than I would have even imagined. At one point I think there was a family of mosquitoes that was making a nice home in my pillow. I tried to take a picture of some of these bites but magically they don't appear with the camera - ugh! Desperate to rule out the possibility that it could be something worse than mosquito bites I spent countless hours research insects and insect bites which only made me itch more!

Thinking I could escape these little guys for a weekend, I headed to Berlin. But oh no! They still attacked me – even through jeans and a sweater. I woke up to red bumps the size of quarters that were itching like crazy. I walked into a pharmacy and showed them my arms. Without having to say a word, they led me straight to the insect repellent section of the store. I stocked up on something that would suppress the itching and a spray that would deter from future bites. While I wasn’t snapping pictures or downing beers I was religiously applying my new products.