Vacation April '14

I started vacation off with a bang this time around. I went to Amsterdam again. And just like the last time, I only spent one night there.

Maybe it seems crazy to go for such a short time but it really boils down to doing it on the cheap.

And I have learned, I can have fun doing it on the cheap.

I flew on a Saturday night (luckily getting business class) and arrived on Sunday morning. I had a room courtesy of points earned at work and it was right on the Amstel river.

I decided to just head for my hotel right away...if I wasn't going to be able to check-in early (I wasn't) I could at least leave my backpack there before going back out. (For the record, I'm so proud of myself for having found the hotel ...it wasn't downtown and wasn't right on the street where the tram stopped, on Rembrandtplein.)

I had 2 goals for this trip. To visit the Van Gogh museum and take a canal ride.

The concierge at the hotel provided a map with directions to get to the Van Gogh museum so that's where I headed first.

I took my time and it was a beautiful sunny day with the temperature in the 60's. Along the way, I met some interesting people. First there was the little old lady sitting on the bench near the Archive building. She was originally from AMS but was currently living in Belgium and was just visiting her son who still lived in AMS. Then there was the couple at the Cafe I stopped at for a drink and a bathroom break. He was originally from WI but currently living in Switzerland with his wife (who was Swiss.) And then there was Joe...who actually looked a lot like Van Gogh and walked with me part of the way, showing me where the Van Gogh museum was and telling me where the entrance was. He was American and living in CA with his fiancee. She wasn't along this trip and he was just stopping over before heading to London.

Not only are the Dutch very friendly, but so were these strangers I encountered along the way and it definitely made me feel less lonely to have people to chat with.

I finally made it to the museum and while in line waiting to get in, I chatted with a woman, another American from CA, named Chris (sp?) a 3rd grade teacher who was also just in AMS on a layover with her eventual destination being Uganda. We split up in the museum and I feel bad that I didn't say goodbye to her and wish her safe travels. I didn't spend a lot of time in the museum as the lack of sleep and jet lag was catching up with me.

I made it back to the hotel and was so exhausted that all I could do was nap for a couple of hours.

Physically, this trip took a lot out of me and I realize I need to get my ass back to the gym. I've not been going and I really need to if I hope to be able to travel again in the future and not feel like I'm dying from walking a couple of miles. Also, thinking about it now, AMS is really not a city for those of us who are let's just say out of shape.

After my nap, while tempting to stay in my room, I knew I'd regret that and so out I went again and went in search of finding a canal tour.

There were only 2 canal tours I was looking for ...one operated by Holland International and the other by Blue Boat. I needed it to be one of them because I bought this "I am amsterdam" pass that covered museum entrance fees, a canal tour and tram fares for 48 hours and by god, I was going to get my money's worth out it it.

But first, a little stop at a coffeeshop called Smokeys. I had picked up a little...treat on my way to the museum and while my original plan was to enjoy at 4:20pm on 4/20, well, I was in the museum at that time, so I had to revise my plan for enjoying it. So hello Smokeys. Where I had the best Iced Cappucino and a not so great Tosti (ham and cheese on toast.) 

Afterward, I went out to have a cigarette and hung out at this square at Rembrandtplein where there was a harpist playing and at one point a guy playing with fire batons.

(This is also where some African man tried to pick me up and wouldn't take no for an answer. He didn't care that I said I was very happy with the love of my life. He kept trying to convince me he would "give me great pleasure" for a night. I was thrilled when he finally he went away...it having turned from a flattering situation to an uncomfortable one and harshing my buzz.)

Well, so I hopped on a tram but by the time I was halfway to where the Blue Boat location was, it ended up being too late for that so I just turned around and took a tram back to the Rembrandtplein square area and ended up at a cafe, Cafe Monico, for some people watching and a couple of tasty drinks, Jillz Red.

I hadn't really eaten all day with the exception of breakfast on the plane that morning and eating only half of the bread of the tosti at Smokeys, so before I headed back to the hotel, I found a pita shop and had a chicken gyro and some frites. Then utterly and thoroughly exhausted but happy I had gone out and about, I went back to the hotel.

I ended up sleeping in way later than I planned the next morning and only had 25 minutes to shower and check-out.

I stopped at a restaurant called Three Sisters and had an English breakfast (of sorts) and then went to Starbucks for coffee. Thank god for Starbucks!

I was still determined to take a canal cruise though and decided to see if I could take the Holland International one (by Centraal Station) and still have time to get back to the airport in time to catch my flight.

Thankfully, it was a rainy day and there were way less crowds and I was able to get on a 2pm tour that would be done by 3pm.

It was an awesome hour but I didn't enjoy it probably quite as much as I could have what with the rain and the worry about getting back to the airport to catch my 5pm flight.

The universe conspired to make it happen though...I managed to catch the right train (and an express train to boot) back to the airport and find my gate, have a seat assigned already (business class again, yay!) and be on board before departure.

In retrospect, I can see myself going again and with the knowledge that I could go for another quick trip and it won't cost me a lot of money. And I will go back again. I'm not done with Amsterdam by a long shot. I want to do the canal tour thing again for sure.

On Sunday night, during my visit to Smokeys, I had the thought that I really do love it there because it's a place where I feel so free in being myself. There's something to be said for being amongst others who enjoy the same thing and there is no need to hide the pleasure in it. Yeah, I'm talking about the freedom to smoke. Oh sure, it's legal in Colorado now, but CO doesn't have the same beauty that Amsterdam does in it's architecture and history. And it doesn't have canal tours.

I got home Monday night and pretty much slept all day on Tuesday.

Going on this quick kind of intense trip definitely reminds me that if I want something bad enough, I will do what it takes to make it happen. And I need to remember that when looking at challenges that come along. I can set my mind on something and get it done. I am smart and can be fearless. I can be successful if I let myself be.

Wednesday and Thursday found me spending time with R, K and baby D. He's getting so big. And when he smiles at me, it just is the best thing ever.  I love spending time with them as I can always just be myself with them.

Today...Friday. Last day of vacation and it's bittersweet. I just stayed in my pj's today. Next week, back to real life. Real life that includes making better food choices and getting back to the gym. Back to taking better care of myself.

Back to thinking ahead about of how I want the movie of my life to play out.

In a way, I feel like I took the whole month of April "off" and tried to ignore my real life...I'm not quite sure how to explain it. But I know it feels like I was just going through the motions for the most part. I kept I company on the drive to VA and afterward, I was ...tired and maybe a little depressed and ended up taking a whole week off to just ...check-out of life for a few days.

Again, I'm not sure if I can really explain exactly why I felt like I had to do that but there it is/was and now here I am...needing to find the joy in life again.

So much to be thankful for. I just need to keep focusing on that again.