European Wrap up

I know, I know...bad blogger! And that's true, if a blogger is someone who writes daily or at least more often than I do. But I'm inclined to write only when I think I have something worthwhile to put out. And even that is sketchy when I look back at previous posts. I jotted down a few notes months ago, things to incorporate into a wrap-up of our 4-year period of living in Amsterdam and a shift to getting back into the groove of living back in the US. My delay in posting anything new stems mostly from that last part of the previous sentence. Working in the arts is a struggle even during times when the health of the economy is robust. It's simply a joy (read a heaping cup of sarcasm into that, please) trying to establish yourself during a snail's pace uphill climb from where this economy was in 2007! There were several who seemed simply frightened by the prospect of moving to and living in another country back in 2007. Seriously...there were! We were excited! Some anxiety? Sure. But overall, I don't think it's whacky to say we were probably along the lines of settlers of the old west, looking forward to the adventure and unknown experiences that were in store. Sure, there were no natives irritated that we were on their land, and we had no fear of being scalped (unless you count the time or two I found way too many black curls on the floor after sweet but chatty girl cut my hair at Tip Top on Roelof Hartstraat). There were no dangers to speak of - at least no more than we would find in America. More than a few expressed an inability to ever do "anything like that". There was no desire to ever pass over the American border. To each, their own...but I just can't reconcile that perspective. Just 100 years ago we had considerable limitations to see other parts of the world that we could only read about. Now, I whine at the thought of an 18-hour flight to India when a century ago it would've been weeks. Modern technology has gifted us with the ability to have breakfast at home and dinner in Paris! I envy those that come later, who someday get to gaze at the distant blue dot that is Earth from a colony within our solar system. I have been moved to considerable depths by my first view of the Grand and Bryce Canyons, the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, animals on the African plains, and so many others. I imagine I would be overwhelmed to see Earth from a distant vantage point or even low-Earth orbit. Perhaps...someday. Back to leaving the US for several years. Doing so, you have to expect differences and changes from the ways once experienced. I suppose that can be said from moving to another city, even. Change as we all know, is inevitable. I am sure I have covered some of the differences already in past posts. Some that were once acute to me are now forgotten or the impact lessened, like the 3-cheek air kiss greeting. I was hesitant at first with that, and then embraced it after a little while, and then the last year or so of living there I pulled back again. It's a lot more effort than "What's up?” a fist bump, hand shake, or even hug. For quite some time I made effort to get lip to cheek contact, because I didn't see the point of this "air kiss" convention. It seemed "phony" to me - Hollywood phony. But most of Europe does it. Two or Three air kisses as the cheeks touch - left, right, left, or, right, left, right, or leave one of those off for the French or others who stop the insanity at two. If I was a woman I don't think I would want some whiskered dude all up on my smooth, flawless complexion of a cheek. But that's the "American" in me. On beaches we observed topless women greet other women and men with full body hugs. We exchanged these "How could they?!" looks with one another! Incredulous! Was not unusual for an attractive young woman to come into the sauna or steam room without a stitch on while I was in there...and then START TALKING TO ME! The human body is definitely NOT a hang-up on the European continent. Attitudes about such things are much less uptight there. During a basketball game, I was kissed on the cheek by a defender jokingly trying to throw me off my game. After I took him to school (you know I had to represent!), it was laughed off by everyone. Do that over here and the teeth behind those lips you just used will be finding a new home on the ground. I recall Radhika warning me on our first trip to India that guys hold hands there, as a sign of friendship, so don't apply my American definition to that practice. In Japan, a woman told me to hold a guys hand there connotates a sexual relationship! Going back further I remember Mr. Williams, my high school band director telling the females not to use the hand sign for "OK" while on a trip to the Bahamas, as that indicates you are open for business. It seems I could sit here all day at this point and type my fingers to nubs as these differences come flooding back to the front of my brain. Poor service at restaurants, and the inability to be served water at many restaurants. The "honor system" being prevalent in many applications throughout Europe. One and two cent pieces phased out practically overnight and becoming worthless. Opening doors and picking up dropped items for women and the women being surprised by my behavior. Hell, one time it was an older women who fell as she exited a movie theater, and folks were looking down at her as if to figure out what to do next, only helping her to her feet after I got her halfway up. But I'm seeing poor social skills cropping up over here more and more, so I don't think we're doing that well on these matters either. And the honor system here I think would be a complete failure, as many would try to get free train, tram, and subway rides along with the other applications where people were expected to behave as they should over there and it seemed most did. Many have asked if I miss it - living in Amsterdam. I do. I don't. You can't beat a Florida winter and Florida sunshine - especially after experiencing the extreme lack of both in Amsterdam. The occasional language difficulty has been removed. The job market is not so restricted being a citizen of the country where I am now living. But living in Amsterdam could be and was at times pure joy. A beautiful city where in this country only perhaps San Francisco could rival. No strip malls, ugly billboards, traffic jams, or cookie-cutter housing. In there place beautiful 400 year old buildings, canals, bicyclists, and cobblestones. Restaurants of incredible variety with few "chains". Friends from every corner of the globe sharing their thoughts, histories, ideas, cultures, and being open to yours. Brussels and Brugge less than 3 hours away, as well as cities in Germany. Paris four hours away and even Venice under nine. Great cheese and a chilled bottle of bubbly on a slow boat on the canal in July - there's simply nothing like it. If I were to live outside the US again, I would prefer to experience another location. But if Amsterdam was offered and the conditions were right, I wouldn't hesitate to return. I'll try to kick myself into gear and work on our return to the US. There are a few ideas to write about floating around in my nogging. Stay tuned.

Helen and John's European Adventure - Conclusion

So we left off arriving at our Paris hotel. It was actually on the outskirts of Paris. We arrived late and first discovered there was no parking available even though I reserved a spot. Luckily there was a spot on the street near the hotel where I had pulled in upon arrival, and we could keep the car there until the morning when a spot would open up in the hotel's underground garage down the street. Then we were given a room on the 5th floor but the elevator was not functioning! So we packed-muled our luggage up the stairs. Wanted to go for a swim in the hotel's indoor heated pool...but no. It was being serviced. I later read online that a guest complained about the pool being out of service 6 months ago! Factor in the long wait at the front desk as two members of staff were helping one customer. Actually one was helping and the other standing there posing. I finally had to interject to get the "model" to start check in procedures. Nothing was open in the area for dinner, so we just relaxed as to be fresh the next morning. I went down to move the car into the garage down the street. Of course the remote control they gave me to open the door didn't work, and there was no place to park the car temporarily as I walked back to the front desk to give them what for. So, the car remained on the sidewalk with the emergency blinkers on and out of the way of the exit from the garage. I was finally able to park the car and we were free to go into the city. The weather was cloudy - even foggy. We took the subway in and the first stop was the Eiffel Tower. There were long lines, so we decided we would go up another day in hopes of the weather being better too. We did a lot of walking and used the subway when logical. We spent quite a bit of time in The Louvre, with the highlight for Helen was seeing the Mona Lisa. I of course got reprimanded by the security guards because I was making pictures of the hordes of suddenly ruder-than-normal people jockeying for position at the rope barrier to get their pictures of the famous work behind security glass and to pose so their mugs are in the picture as well to prove to Aunt Gladys or Uncle Pedro back home that they were there with the smiling beauty. The last time I was there everyone was flashing away, despite the signs saying no photography or flash was allowed. I asked the security person on duty at the time about people ignoring the rules, and she replied "There are so many, what are we to do"? Just like the French to fold like an accordion. But I turn my camera away from the priceless work of art and onto the pack of crazed tourists and I become an enemy of the state! Of course I ask her "Are you serious?! I can't take a picture of the crowd, but they can flash away at the priceless and arguable most famous painting in the world"?! She flashed her best sour-puss look at me and I returned in kind with my "You're an A #1 idiot" expression. Helen directed me away from Broom Hilda and we enjoyed the rest of the museum...or as much as we could manage. It's so huge, I never fail to get "museumed out"! We hit all the major spots during our 3 days in Paris. Bought tickets online for the Eiffel Tower, and almost lost our tickets because you have to be there at the time you reserved. We lucked out because we were late and not entirely sure where to go. Our timing was such that we were up at the top for the last light of the day and then the lights of the evening came on. On the way out of Paris I was able to drive us around the Arc de Triomphe and even stop so Helen could take some pictures. Usually it's bedlam circling that thing, but it was very quiet on our way out of the city. We headed northwest towards Mont Saint Michel, arriving in the early afternoon due to it's close proximity to Paris. Mont Saint Michel is an imposing sight from a distance, and Helen's reaction was more of what I expected in Venice or when seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. We spent a day the rest of that day at the monastery because our hotel was right up the street within a 20 minute walk. We spent about 4 hours there and then drove around the countryside a little the next morning as I showed her different views of it. We then made the hour drive to the American Cemetery at Normandy and spent about 3 to 4 hours there in the visitors center and then walked around the cemetery itself. We were on the road heading back to Amsterdam by 4pm, arriving late in the evening and me nursing the beginnings of a cold. After 16 days on the road, maybe 24 hours behind the wheel and over 5000 kilometers driven, it would be good to remain in the same place for a couple of days. It was a fun experience with my sister, with most things going as planned and a few surprises breaking the pattern. We disagreed here and there, but no blood was shed. We worked well as a team as I drove, and she showed mercy when I made some silly blunders. All-in-all, a very fun experience and one I would recommend to all. It ended too soon! Maybe we'll get a chance to do it again someday somewhere else. The link for the album is at: http://www.photoshop.com/users/johndp/albums/04f4dba41df940f381f02d92092d9c2d?wf=slideshow

Helen and John's European Adventure - Part 3

We are now in Venice. It's quite enjoyable watching people's expressions and reactions as they soak in places for the first time. From my standpoint I thought Helen's was more subdued than what I expected it to be. Especially being female, I equate Venice with women. It's a women's favorite destination more so than a man's. I think they react differently when they imagine the city in their minds. I recall my giddiness as Radhika and I got off the bus and walked over to the big, modern bridge crossing the Grand Canal. Seeing the water traffic and the buildings disappearing into the distance on that sunny, pleasant day was something to just soak in, which we did. And I immediately set up my tripod and started making pictures. I am not a shopper when I travel. Never was much of one, but I did concern myself with something material to bring back other than memories and exposed rolls of film or later CF cards full of images. We haven't been so concerned with buying something tangible to bring home I would say over the past decade. Even with that cutback, there is so much stuff, so many knick-knacks and chachki's at home in Orlando from past trips. And t-shirts? We went through a t-shirt period for quite a while. They had to be black and oversized. A t-shirt or several from each place. And then it became Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts if either of those were in our destination. Of course I wanted to wear these t-shirts...but not too much for fear of fading them or otherwise ruining them. There are some I have yet to put on, while others, after I said to myself "this is ridiculous" and started wearing them are already gone. But man I am glad we put a halt to that! I can't imagine the size of the clutter if reason had not found us. If we see something that really strikes us or we believe someone close to us would really appreciate something, we may still take the plunge and squeeze something into our suitcases to take home. But other than that it is more about the experience and memories, with an occasional memento to strike that memory to burn again. So, Helen of course, after the last paragraph, is doing a healthy amount of shopping. Not only is she in these stores for herself, she's got so-and-so to shop for back home. Some even requested specific items but gave her no money to make the purchase. Really? Uncool. No way I would be dipping into my spending money for someone too thoughtless (or cheap?) to offer enough clams to cover what I'm asking you to take time to get for me. Clueless bastard. So Helen shops and I roam in the area with my gear so we don't get separated. This worked out well. We never had to spend time looking for each other. We did wander away from the umbrella once until one asked the other "Where's the umbrella?" and then hot-footed it back along the path we came until we saw it leaning near a sculpture we stopped to admire. Nervous turned into funny! Helen had the expectation that the gondoliers were manned by the most Italian of Italian men. Uber-Italians. Tall, dark, smooth, handsome men with asses that could deflect a bullet. Man was she disappointed!!! That's all I heard - one day in particular. She would see one in the distance. Get her hopes up and then come crashing down, usually with some colorful language to define the moment. There was one man who had possibilities. I didn't see it, but I think her desperation to find someone to hang her hopes on lowered her standards and qualifications for what was drool worthy. She's trying to be all sneaky in taking pictures of the guy. If you looked up the definition of "guilty expression" her face at that moment would've told you all you needed to know. Of course I'm laughing and she's trying to suppress a smile, thinking she's got a Harry Potter invisibility cloak and Mr. Close Enough can't detect her. We spend 3 nights in Venice, wandering through the neighborhoods, eating at quaint restaurants, getting my fill of gelato, taking the vaporetto to Murano and Burano (which provides more shopping possibilities) and taking in the sights of one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. We did a nice nighttime cruise from St. Marks back to the parking area on the last evening, which wrapped up the visit nicely. Fond memories... A short drive for quick visits to Florence and Sienna before we reached Rome for another 3 nighter in a city that demands more. There was so much I wanted to show and share, but with 2 1/2 weeks allotted for this road trip leaving a few days for Amsterdam making up her 3 weeks here, it's just not possible. So she's able to take some pictures in Florence and Sienna, get a slight feel for the places, but that is all we had time for. We got to our hotel which was located on the outskirts of Rome with sunlight getting scarce. We chilled out and made plans for the next day, which involved getting a shuttle bus to a subway stop that would take us into the city. The next morning, we met an older couple from the UK at the buffet. Actually, they met us. Friendly and open, they started telling me all about their daughter's wedding on a Greek Isle and how they spent the past few months at their home on some Greek island. I was quickly overwhelmed by all the details I was overloaded with. Helen seemed to have less of a problem with all the banter, which makes sense if you knew our personalities. When they asked where we were going for the day, the red alert and battle stations went off in my head! I was non-committal, because we were playing it a little loose. And I can really drag a group down when I come upon something visually interesting and want to work it from all angles. So, they went their way and we went ours...which was straight to the shuttle bus that takes you to a subway stop that goes into the heart of Rome. They were not on it, so we were free and clear. We get into the city and are making our way to the Spanish Steps, when who does Helen see coming our way? You guessed it!! More blabbing ensued and I just dug deeper into my hole and buried by eyeball into me viewfinder. They walked with us to Trevi Fountain, talking all the way. They even said to let them know if we wanted them to go away at any point. I told them to have no fear, I would. Luckily, they got tired of waiting on me to finish making photos at the fountain so they booked out on their own. I think we saw them one more time at breakfast, where Helen happily shared Facebook information with them, and then they were gone. I swear I knew more about them in the 1st 10 minutes than I know about most people after months of exposure to them! Rome demands time. The Coliseum and the Roman Forum chewed up a full day. We enjoyed Rome before we were on the road again, this time heading north to Switzerland with a side visit in Pisa, a place I hadn't visited yet. That was great and convenient. Parking near the tower couldn't have been easier for us that day which optimized our time arriving and departing. It was a warm and sunny October day while we were there for several hours. I didn't want to arrive at our next destination too late and after dark, but we did stay a little longer because it was so nice. We did get on the road and had no delays as we headed to our overnight near the Italian, Swiss, and French borders. Of course it was night, and the navigation device was not providing street numbers for the place we were looking for. It was a smaller secondary road we turned off onto, but then it was like the device said "I got you this far, now you finish the last 2 minutes". We could either continue in the direction we started - up a dark, narrow paved road, or turn around and get our bearings. Helen liked the turning around option. She had little excitement for that dark, curvy road going up the mountain. So after turning the car around, sitting off to the side and getting out to walk around to see if I could get a clue as to where to go, I decided we should go the way we started as it seemed the direction that held the most promise. Within 30 seconds we came upon the lodge. We parked, checked in, had dinner, and called it a night. I did stay up a little late, as the owner said deer have been coming up on the property around midnight, and I want to try to see if not photograph them. It was sprinkling a mix of rain and snow outside, so staking out was not an option. Two did eventually come by, but a good image of them was impossible to be made under the conditions. I was satisfied to just watch them briefly before they moved on...as we did the next morning. It had snowed overnight a little and there was a thick fog that lifted slowly, providing some good picture making. We did that for a little while in the area and as we drove to Montreux and Lausanne on Lake Geneva. After spending several hours in each city we continued on to Paris, arriving in the evening. Problems with the hotel, but that will be in the next post. The slideshow for this post can be found at: http://www.photoshop.com/users/johndp/albums/b8b5afd08cbc437ea14238f2deb24a7d?wf=slideshow