First day in Amsterdam

The flight into Amsterdam was uneventful but for some reason I didn’t sleep well. I know what helps for me is to close my eyes when we are about to take off and the cabin pressure changes. If I fall asleep then it sets in motion a very good flight of sleep (even if I am awakened I can usually go back to sleep). What doesn’t work well for me is staying awake to wait for the first meal service. I may not be hungry but I am afraid that if I am asleep they will skip me and I will starve. It is irrational but it is my reality.

So my first day in Amsterdam wasn’t a full day. I checked into my airbnb (see houseboat below) and went out for something to eat.

My Airbnb house boat

The first place I tried to eat wasn’t open yet for dinner so I settled for Waterkant and the nice view of the water.

I tried walking around a bit after eating but I was tired. I did see some pretty canal streets in the Jordaan before I went off to bed for the evening.

A little bit of fancy

I upgraded my credit card to one of those high end travel cards to get a deal on exchange fees among other things. It isn’t cheap but included in the fee is priority pass. I got to try it out today.

Not sure if if I am really getting my money’s worth but it is a nice place to relax pre flight.

My bag is stuffed

I am in the home stretch in planning for my trip. I am leaving soon. I am leaving so soon that I am embarrassingly not really ready to leave yet. I guess all backpackers say that but it is true.

I mostly finalized my packing list this week and attempted my first packing. It was as expected. I have some major reductions to do. I still have so many things to fit in my already overstuffed bag and this is even after I eliminated a pair of pants, pair of shorts, and an undershirt.

All this stuff still needs to fit in here.

I could have gone easier on myself and bought a newer, better, and bigger backpack as I originally planned. However my Kelty that I bought in 2004 is of extremely good quality and I could not justify the upgrade.

So here I am, trying to decide if I can live off of 3 pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of pants for months on end. Thank goodness I have a number of shirts I can still toss.

The big pile of drugs I am bringing? They are staying for now.

Wish me luck.

Plan Plan Plan

My planning companion

My life is kind of boring lately (if you don’t count all the frustration I have had with my medical insurance lately -> maybe more on that later).

But I am not complaining about the boring because it is going to get real busy quickly and I need to put all this work in now to have an enjoyable time during my scheduled sabbatical.

Sabbatical you ask? Yes I kind of left my job of 18 years. Instead of going back to work right away I decided to take some time off and deplete my savings. How long I will be gone is up in the air at this point. All I know is I am starting in Europe and making my way around the world as long as I can.

For now it is all business – making sure cobra is lined up for emergencies (been a nightmare), get in physical shape in order to handle the stress of traveling (lots of gym time), and to plan my travels (coffee in the morning with kitty). I don’t want to plan every moment in advance but at least for the first month or so I want to ensure clean and safe places to sleep every night. Once I get my groove I may wing it a bit more.

My life is kind of scary and unknown at this point but I really don’t see any other path for me so I have to take it.

I’ll try to blog as I can but most of my posts will be after the fact for obvious reasons. If you are a friend who would like to reach out to me real time then drop me an email. See you later!