The end of the Netherlands...

Sorry for the long silent spell but things have been hectic!

From what I remember of Amsterdam (ha, kidding parents!) it was a smashing good time. I rode the canal boats, got lost (because even w. a map the city is impossible to navigate), saw the Van Gogh museum, and, of course, went on a pub crawl (we'll always have the canals Ross!) which rocked. Then I day-tripped a bunch through Holland to Den Haag, Delft, Rotterdam (biked alongside the windmills) and Maastricht.

The Netherlands were very beautiful, fast paced, and there aren't enough words to describe how much I like Amsterdam (and not just for the Coffee Shops, although I did indulge myself w. space cake). What a country...too bad I can't speak Dutch.

Now I'm in Antwerp (in the Flemish part of Belgium, sigh, my french is no use here) after visiting Brugges and Ghent (the beer and chocolate were well worth it). Tomorrow, after I check out Antwerp, I'm off to Bruxelles for a night and then me'thinks Paris. Followed by a nice break in le Massif Central at Natacha's (where I will likely have a BIG update for you all).

So far I can say that traveling alone like this is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Sometimes I want to take a day off and not be self-sufficient and plan whats next, or where I'll sleep, or go...but thats not really an option. So there are lows, but also many highs: never having to ask permission, always meeting new people, making your own schedule. It's strange because you also go through these really brief and intense backpacker relationships...you meet people but it never lasts (like a timed interaction) but you never think about the ticking clock. I've swapped life stories with people, discussed politics or art and never even got their names because at the time it wasn't that important...what they had to say was more interesting than the little encyclopedia version of who they were. Which is a really unique way to go about making friends.

Trains are also the perfect breaks between hectic city exploring, a good time for reflection of thoughts that I usually can't write down because the regional trains are all too freking shakey!

I promise to post up lots of pictures when I get to Natacha's in a few days, and till then, thanks for tuning in!

PS - Checking my IB grades at an internet cafe in Brugges was so much cooler than looking them up at home. It made even that menial task more enjoyable.