The first fondue in the Netherlands has come to pass. A cheesetastic time was had by our party of six at the Bistrot des Alpes just a short distance from corporate headquarters on Rembrandtplein, and with the brisk but perfect weather, it couldn’t have gone any better. After a quick photo session with our uber-ugly Yuletide sweaters – I was the clear winner, by the way – it was a nice, leisurely stroll along lively Utrechtsestraat and onto the rustic interiors of our restaurant that at first seemed to be in the middle of nowhere but apparently wasn’t hard to find as it filled up soon as we came in. With the wood interiors and authentic ski paraphernalia I felt transported indeed to a magical land far away, where northerners reveled in cheese, escargot, foie gras, bread, and wine like there was no tomorrow. The gift giving every 20 minutes was also a nice touch.

It proved to be one of the best team outings I’ve had so far.