Oh, We're Halfway There

80s rock continues to articulate my every thought!

I am updating from Schiphol Amsterdam Airport where I have 30 glorious minutes of free wifi. My first 8 hour flight went smoothly- let's hope I am as lucky with the second! I have somehow managed to snag window seats for the entire trip, so it can't be too bad. I mean, I wouldn't have said no to another inch or two of leg room, but all in all, flight is pretty amazing.

Louis CK gets it: Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy

"Everybody on every plane should constantly be going 'OH MY GOD! WOW!'"

I am so happy to be traveling again. In just 10 or so hours, I will be seeing one of my most favorite people in the world at Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi.

How I do so very love a grand adventure!

I don't know what my internet access will be like, so I can't make a guarantee of consistent posting. The best I can do is promise to be writing constantly and make the best of whatever bouts of internet I get. Be well!

Hup Holland!

I love love LOVE being in foreign countries during international sporting events! I was in Australia during the 2008 Summer Olympics, and it was a blast. The World Cup might be better.

Dave and I found a bar to watch the US-Slovenia game yesterday afternoon (a bar which turned out to be an Dutch version of a Hooters- but with less clothing), and it was clearly an American crowd. There was great cheering when the boys tied it up, and I am still sore about Onyewu's goal not counting. But it was fun.

But man! Holland fans are nuts!

First of all, the team color is orange, so everywhere I go it looks like the Chudley Cannons are in town. Every bar has orange streamers and flags and huge inflatable soccer balls hanging outside. More than a few bars even have big screen TVs outside in their street seating areas, which attract huge crowds during Holland games.

You know what is even more fun than being in a foreign country during the World Cup? Being in a foreign country during one of their games and watching them win. There was such dancing in the streets! Such joy and jubilation! There were songs and cartwheels! It is easy to be a fan when your in this atmosphere. As they say around here, Hup Holland!

In the port of Amsterdam...

Well friends, we are no longer in North America! We arrived in Amsterdam at 8am (local time) on Friday the 18th (that's 2am Friday EST). As promised, I have been journaling religiously since arriving, so as not to forget a thing. But, as often happens when one journals, I find most of what I've written to be of the most mundane quality. Perhaps when I get back to regularly accessible internets I will type it all up and back-log it to give the public the full picture, but for right now, I think I will give you the stream-lined/bulleted version of Amsterdam (thus far).

Some Observations About Amsterdam

• 1. Bikes.
  I swear to you, I have never seen so many bikes in my entire life! There cannot possibly be as many people in this city as there are bikes. We're talking thousands upon thousands upon thousands, most of them parked where ever there are light posts, fences, etc to chain them to.
• 2. Canals
  They are the most beautiful and my favorite part about the city. They seem to permeate (or perhaps "accent" is a better word) every neighborhood in the city. Every canal is shaded by trees and lined with houseboats. Very lovely.
• 3. Houseboats
  I love them! I want to live in a houseboat on a canal! As a matter of fact, our lodgings here in town are actually on a boat (cue Lonely Island), so that has been really fun. Snug, but fun.
• 4. An analogy:
  Heineken & Amstel : Amsterdam :: Budweiser & Coors : USA
  (I could really go for a porter right now.)
• 5. Red Light District
  Pretty low-key during the day, but as the sun sets (around 10pm), it really heats up. Apparently they recently cut back how many windows girls are allowed to advertise in, so we really didn't see too many. No worries, though; there were still enough sex shops and advertisements for live sex shows to make it feel really seedy.

There is so much more to tell, but we will save that for another time. Be well!