The permanent return to Amsterdam
The time has finally come. I returned to Amsterdam for good. At least for a while. With all the bullshit going on in the UK, and not allowing liquids or gels or other things of similar consistency on board, I was afraid it would be hell. I checked two large suitcases, one of clothes and the other of various “stuff”, and planned to carry on my double clarinet case, bass clarinet, and laptop backpack containg a mobile recording studio. The backpack initially caused a slowdown because of all the extra electronics. They had to run things through separately. But in the end, all was good. But for this first leg, DTW-ORD, the agent at the gate said I had to check something. I planned ahead and had a large duffel bag that I put my horns in. I would still prefer to have them with me because of temperatures and pressurization in the holds, not to mention how they might get handled…. But at least I got to see them actually go onto the plane. And at least they weren’t shuffled all about the airport on conveyor belts… And, by doing it this way, I avoided the $100 charge for having a third bag 
The rest of the flights, ORD-DUB-AMS, I had no problems carrying everything on. I was rather surprised, but sure didn’t complain. In Amsterdam, I decided I wasn’t going to try to negotiate the train, and then still have to deal with getting from the train station to my house, so I got a cab. €50! It sure as hell is no Peruvian taxi… I’m so glad I don’t travel with nearly that much stuff regularly.
So now it’s been the process of settling in… It took about 10 minutes to unpack everything… Learning to live sparsely is going to be good for me. Some necessities were needed, though. Either things not available in the US, like European power strips, or things that I decided were just easier to rebuy than pack, like a toothbrush and shampoo. So on to the task of figuring out where to get everyday items in Amsterdam. It’s not so easy in a country that speaks another language, without yellow pages, that doesn’t have huge mega-buy-everything-you’ll-ever-need-here stores. So, now to find an electronics store, a hardware store, a houseware store, etc… I like it. I like not being able to get everything in one place. Having to travel to secure all I need. It seems like a return to an earlier time. A time before Wal-Mart. Luckily, I knew where the Albert Cuyp open air market was, and the surrounding area is a general marketplace… Lots of businesses, so I was able to find nearly everything on my list.
And some formalities were taken care of, like getting a Dutch bank account, and finding out about getting a Dutch cell phone.
I decided to make myself a nice first dinner in Amsterdam. A huge chunk of salmon, cooked in a pan in a sauce of olive oil, soy sauce, basil, a cajun powder, fresh ground pepper, sea salt, some white wine, and a bit of squeezed lemon. Mmmmm… damn that was good. I followed it with a fruit salad, bread, white wine (I love South African Mooi Kaap… €1,89!! And it’s good! How can you go wrong?), and finished with a dessert jointje… and more wine…
Tags: Amsterdam, Europe, Misc, Netherlands, Travel
nerokerr1
Sounds good man! Look forward to hearing more.