Did you hear? I went to Amsterdam last week. Forgive me for being a little overexcited about this — I don’t travel much, unless it’s to visit family, and the rare trip to visit friends in other states tends to stick within the contiguous US. Last time I traveled outside the States was in spring 2002. And yes, this includes going to Canada (which, perhaps even more shockingly, I haven’t done since I was a kid). (Jesus, what’s wrong with me?)
I had Internet access and phone service while I was there, and there were a number of times I thought about posting something to Twitter or Tumblr, like I would Stateside, but the roaming charges would’ve killed me. So instead I wrote things down. Analog tweets, if you will. Here they are.
Travel/Day One
I have made friends with my rowmates on this plane (previously mentioned as “The McBitchersons” because they shot me a nasty look when I got to our row and — gasp — made them get up so I could climb into my window seat, and also because they sat there griping about everything on the plane, and each other, and all sorts of thing, right up until we started to taxi to the runway), by offering my pen to the woman who couldn’t find hers. She said, “This is really nice of you.” I said, “Remember this in hour 5 when I have to get to the bathroom.”
There are way too many people sneezing on this plane. [Sidenote: I did wind up getting sick while I was there. I'm still not entirely over it. Dutch germs, they are hardy.]
Plane arrived over an hour early. I’m going to get to Sera’s before she even wakes up. Oops.
Am now on train from Schiphol to Amsterdam, sharing a car with a blond backpacking couple. Gee, think they’re Dutch?
I love Sera’s directions from the train station (a 15-minute walk), especially when she writes “My elderly cousin found us no problem.” This assuredly means I will get lost. [I didn't, though I did misinterpret one direction and had to backtrack.]
Napped until 12:45 PM. Dudes, I woke up in Amsterdam. Cool.
Am on an island 2 blocks long and one block wide. It is charming.
My view
It’s Errand Saturday, so we’re at the local organic market, getting fruit and cheese.
Now we’re at the drugstore. There’s a vibrator aisle here. Tempted to take a picture but that would be weird, right? (But seriously: I’m at like the Dutch version of Walgreens and there is an aisle full of vibrators here. What a country.)
Sera and Mike are telling me about the owner of a bar that serves tasting samplers of jenever, who knew before Mike said anything that he was from Kentucky. They walked into the bar and the owner started humming “My Old Kentucky Home.” I would very much like to meet this Psychic Gin Lady.
And speaking of jenever, I am about to take my very first sip of it. We’re at a cute outdoor cafe not too far from Anne Frank Huis.
[OK, I think it's funny that I stopped writing after this, as though that one sip of jenever started me off on a path of iniquity and vice. Because that didn't happen until the next day.]
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