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Amsterdam to Copenhagen

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 8 am train with unpredictable levels of energy means waking up at 6:30. I felt like Hell. Packed up and made my way to Amsterdam Centraal. There was a bakery in the station where I grabbed a cup of tea and some pecan pastry with a name I could not come close to pronouncing. This was my opportunity to enjoy a stroopwafel. I popped the lid off of my cup and rested the sugary disc on top. By the time the tea was done steeping, the dough had rehydrated and the filling in the middle had become warm and gooey. It was almost enough to make me glad I was awake. Today is about 12 hours of travel across three trains. Not the sort of thing we see in the US and not at all what I’ve been accustomed to. I guess you could have to do a move like that if you were going from a suburb of Virginia to a suburb of Boston but still, it’s an oddball. In the states, a 12 hour train ride means your butt it parked in a cushy long distance seat. You can expect a leg rest, an outlet, and a lounge. Of the thre...
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Amsterdam

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 A short night’s sleep, jet lag, and dehydration. I didn’t feel the need to actually fall asleep until about 8 am, coincidentally roughly when I was hoping to start waking up for the Rijksmuseum. I’m a fan of Dutch masters and there’s no better place to see them than right here. I chose to not fall asleep standing at the museum and took a nap, or something that resembled one. Breakfast was in order. I went to a cafe in the northern part of the city, near a canal where else? Baguette, butter, jam, tea and a hard boiled egg. To my delight the egg came in one of those silly little egg cups that you just don’t see in the US. They gave me a cracking tool so I cooks quietly open up my breakfast. It sort of looks like a slide hammer with an egg shaped face. Very silly and unnecessary. I want one. Breakfast restored my strength but I was out of time for Rijks. A museum was in order so I went to the houseboat museum. Back in the day the city had a substantial population of people living on ...
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Boston to Amsterdam day two

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 As the night blurred into the morning I was beginning to regret my good deed for the day, trading my aisle seat for a middle by the lavatories and galley so a husband and wife could sit together. There’s something about being woken up by flushing noises over and over that just gets on me. After a short eternity we landed and I breezed my way through immigration. After a month of travel and constantly being on the road, I’ve just managed to leave my country. The train from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal was a simple enough 10 minute run. There I was, Amsterdam, canals, overcast skies. There’s something about the head high of sleep deprivation and jet lag that just makes everything so wonderful. I walked to my hostel, not easy with that mental state and needing to not get hit by trams and bicycles. I was so excited to put my head down and equally disappointed when I found that my room would not be ready for about 6 more hours. The bag went into storage and I hit the road in searc...
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Boston to Amsterdam day one

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 My last day in the US I woke up, Evan made Pumpkin bread and Abbie is getting ready for work. I have a 10 AM train into the city that I can’t miss. Too much to do. Too many people to see.  Haverhill rolls away and I meet my friend Laurel for my first lunch of the day. Laurel is a friend from California, living in Brooklyn, who happens to be in Boston for Halloween. We catch up at a Brazilian cafe and I’ve encountered Brazilian style hot chocolate for the first time. As far as I can tell this substance is primarily cream with a Nutella sprinkles rum. Absurd and delicious. It’s scalding me as I can’t help but drink it. Laurel has been kind enough to fit me in through her lunch schedule but I had to leave early. Another friend is doing the same thing.  Stomachache in a glass Off to second lunch with Emma. We went to Elementary school together and she has been living in Boston for the last few years. There’s a lot to cover and not enough time but we made the most of it. This...
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Boston

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 I woke up in Haverhill, freezing. Cold weather is not my speciality and morning cold snaps I find particularly disheartening. In my last place I had a smart thermostat that would switch on the heater before I woke up. Nothing like waking up and feeling oh so cozy. Unfortunately that was not the case today and I began a morning bedrot, checking the weather in each northern place I was to visit. As it turns out, Copenhagen is downright balmy compared to New England. I’ll be fine. Installed Evan was kind enough to prepare breakfast and the three of us drove to Newburyport. As the name suggests, ages ago this was a shipbuilding and port town. As the name does not suggest, it is now an extraordinarily expensive river living and tourism town. Sailor taverns and whoring are out. Cashmere and bookstores are in. The antique markets did survive. It’s a beautiful place with deep history. We walked the river and checked out all the shops nearby. Tea Break Evan dropped Abbie back at the house ...
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New York to Boston

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 My last Amtrak leg. I woke up, said goodbye to Matt and Avery and made my way to NY Penn. Moinyhann has taken the experience of waiting for your train tolerable. Anyone who has waited for Amtrak in New York before it was built understands the misery. The joys of fluorescent lighting and feeling like you’ve been shoved in MSG’s basement. I boarded and took the nap I needed after getting home at 4 am last night (happy Halloween). The ride was uneventful. Connecticut has some of the best views to be found on the NEC, marshes and meadows overlooking the Long Island Sound. The downside is that this otherwise utilitarian line takes forever to get through the state. You do 125 in Trenton and Providence and 25 in Mystic. It hurts. I’m spending my time overviewing my bookings and looking for other things to nail down, there’s a lot to handle. Other hotels and flights to book. On and on. Never stops. I talked for a bit with my seatmate and he was confused by my traveling. Not everything is ...
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New York Day 2

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 The mission today was The Met. I’ve done very little tourism since Cumberland, frankly I spend a good bit of time in these places and they’re all generally familiar to me. However, I had a day to kill and I cannot remember having gone to this particular museum. Maybe I went ages ago and forgot, maybe it never happened. Also, this is one of my last opportunities for a while to look at American art. It sounds a little silly but realistically, there’s no reason for me to go looking at French paintings in the US when I’ll be in Paris in two weeks. Wrapping up my USA to do list. My day started with redeeming a free burrito I had at Taco Bell. Hey, free is free. This landed me at Hoboken terminal and I needed to get into the city. The sensible option would be to PATH in but I’ve spent a lot of time underground and I’m not in a rush. A perfect excuse to take the ferry. New York has an extensive ferry system and I’ve never had a reason to use it. Just my luck, the boat to Brookfield Place...
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