Travelog: Amsterdam 2009, Part I

Saturday, September 05, 2009 9:56 PM (Amsterdam time)

As I sit down to write this, I’ve just emerged from a soak in the tub. I don’t know what it is about European hotel baths but they invite me to soak, whereas in American hotels, you wouldn’t catch me dead sitting in one. But the hotel bathroom here at the Grand Amrath is spectacular, and plus, they offer Fizzy Bath Sugar as part of the bath products. I’m not sure exactly what fizzy bath sugar is intended to do; yes, it was fizzy, but I can’t attest as to whether it made me sweeter.

Regardless, I’ve finally found time to capture the memories of this trip, here on the eve of my leaving. Not that I haven’t tried to document more in real-time; one of two criticisms I have of the hotel is that their wireless internet connections are extremely unreliable. The other criticism is that someone opened the booze in my mini bar, drank half of the vodka nip, and left the rest open in the fridge. Including the cap! That was yesterday, and today when I returned from the day’s adventures, it was still there. I’m not worried about any charges (the mini bar is included in the room!), but it’s just disgusting.

And those have honestly been the only negative aspects of my visit here. I’ll take you back to the beginning…

Wednesday, September 02, 2009 7:05 PM (Eastern time)

The plane pulled away from the gate after what seemed like an eternity during boarding. I had my favorite seat – 22J – a window seat right over the wing. I’d read somewhere that over the wing was the safest place to sit. Would it really matter if it came down to it? Probably not, but it’s one of those small tales I let myself believe.

When I’d checked in online earlier in the day, the seat next to me was shown as empty, and I was looking forward to having some room to curl up and sleep, but as chance would have it, someone else either moved or booked last minute and thus the seat was occupied by the time I boarded. It worked out ok – the gentleman, a native of Amsterdam who’d been in the States visiting hospital pharmacies, was neither chatty nor invasive of personal space. I managed to sleep through most of the flight; I’d deliberately abstained from caffeine that day in anticipation of this flight and needing to head straight into work upon landing, and that definitely helped.

Just one of those days...

You've had one. Where everything you think, do, say, decide seems out of sync with the universe.

Today's been that for me.

It started upon waking up this morning, feeling exhausted from a night of tossing and turning and dreams I can no longer recall. Dragging myself out of bed, I had little motivation to face the day, which was packed starting with an 8:30 AM call, and solid back-to-back meetings following. And at the end of the day there was some news at work that shook up all sorts of plans in progress. Not the end of the world, just more chaos to add to the mix. And tomorrow, I have to figure out how to put it all back together.

Someone in an adjacent apartment is crying; sobbing, really. Maybe I'm not the only one having that kind of day...

What I'm Listening To

This week, I put together a compilation of a dozen or so new (or new-to-me) songs, and it came together pretty quickly. Listening to through it again this evening, I stopped to reflect on why each one was appealing and why I likely included it; here are a few thoughts:

1. Valentino, Diane Birch. Its quirky and upbeat arrangement contrasts with its lyrics of longing.
2. You are the Best Thing, Ray LaMontagne. Oh, those opening horns! 'Nuff said.
3. Good Enough, Girlyman. The group's harmonies are always stunning, but a few lines of this song always give me goosebumps: "No one makes the rules you see/ You are in charge of destiny" and later "Here's my existence / Put it on a shelf". Powerful.
4. Little Plastic Castle, Ani Difranco. I can entirely relate to this line..."They say goldfish have no memory / I think their lives are much like mine / And the little plastic castle is a surprise every time." The surprise of constantly (re-)discovering a mundane fixture in one's existence is somehow appealing.
5. Sky, Joshua Radin. One of my newer finds, artist-wise, and I'm really digging him. I'm still processing the overall storyline of this song's lyrics, but this particular couplet appeals to me "This is the way I need to wake / I wake to you." I love the intimacy of this image.

Perhaps I'll dive into the remaining songs later...

All for now.
~A

Spreading Joy

The traffic on Route 3 North this evening was slow enough that I could crack the window open enough for Jake to stick his head out. He stood up on the arm rest, leaned against the still-showing part of the window pane, his ears laid back against his head, his eyes squinty, and his nose going a mile a minute. It was obvious it provided him joy.

And tonight, the joy was contagious. I noticed three separate drivers pass by, look at Jake, and drive by with smiles. I smiled to see them smile, and perhaps that little spark of joy was carried forward in other ways.

First Ride

Today, I took my first good, long ride on my bike for this season. I'd been out a time or two prior, but those rides brief and intended to feel out adjustments.

This ride started and ended at Breakneck Hill Farm, and wound past Hopkinton State Park and included a quick stop at Baypath Humane Society. All told, I logged about 10 miles in the saddle today -- not bad for a first ride! The bike felt pretty good; the one exception being the bars, which began to make my shoulder blades ache in the last two miles or so.

As I've reflected on the experience today, I've realized I missed probably 80% of the scenery through which I was riding. But I have keen memories of working through the mechanics of the bike and my body -- shifting, balancing, spinning, breathing, and pushing through muscle burn. With time, practice, and repetition, I expect that experience to flip-flop.

It helped, too, to have a companion on the ride. J knew the route, and coached me through what was coming next, talked me through how to attack a certain hill, and just plain encouraged me by being there by my side.

I look forward to the next ride and the next adventure. But it might need to be in a few days -- I have some aching muscles that need to recover before I think I can hop back on the bike and enjoy it as much as I did today...

Poem: Rambling

The afternoon is alive
With birds, bees, and spring's first blooms
My companion and I wander
Drunk and delirious in a cool forest dell
The seductive scent of honeysuckle
Triggering morsels of memories
In sudden succession
As quickly as they've come
They flee from thought
And I return to rambling.

--ACP 5/8/09

Sunset from 37,000 feet

I took this en route from Manchester, NH, to Baltimore, MD, to visit a dear friend.

Sunsets are often romanticized, but they sure do disappear quickly. The captain called the passengers' attention to the sunset when it was about 1/2 way down. By the time I got out my iPhone, turned it on, and got to the Camera app, it was at this state -- just barely peeking over the horizon. I experienced the same thing in Mexico last summer, watching the sun set over the ocean.

It's beautiful nonetheless, though fleeting.