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| Erin's Journal for 9-12-02 to 9-13-02 Today we left for Amsterdam and the beginning of our long journey around the world. Although I had packed days in advance, it seemed there was always something else to remember and both Glenn and I were running around right up until the time my mother kindly drove us to the airport around noon. We arrived with plenty of time before our 3:55pm flight, and as we waited to check in and check our big packs, we were joined by Glenn's brother. He'd made a special trip just to see us off, and it was great to spend about 15 minutes with him before heading on through the surprisingly light security. Once at our gate, there was nothing to do for 2 hours, so we had lunch, read our books, and talked about the unreality of leaving the country for 8 1/2 months! Finally it was time to board. With a straight-through flight, we'd arrive in Amsterdam in only 10 1/2 hours, getting in just before noon Amsterdam time on the 13th. The flight went smoothly - it wasn't full, so we took up a row of 3 seats, read, ate, slept, and watched movies Upon arrival, we were both somewhat tired, but not exhausted due to napping on the plane. We passed through the international arrivals area and claimed our luggage, then went looking for hotel help. We waited in a short line for a long time, and overheard the hospitality staff telling others about the huge international broadcasting conference going on, which had booked out the city! Even the hostels were all booked out, and it was barely noon, so we ended up getting beds at a campground outside of town. These were large tents maintained by the campground staff, with 4 beds each and communal showers nearby A bit apprehensive, we followed instructions to the bus that would take us to the campground. After about 20 minutes, the driver told us we'd reached our stop, and we walked down a long driveway amid trees and over a creek to the check-in booth. The weather was gorgeous! Bright sunshine, blue sky, and mid-70's. Feeling better about staying 'outdoors', we followed a long drive along the river and past many semi-permanent looking encampments of motor homes to the field at the end where about 40 tents were lined up. Ours was right at the front of one of the rows, which placed it near the restrooms (but not right in front of them We met our roommates upon entering the tent. They were two Japanese girls from Osaka, doing the 'European Tour' as so many of us are. We talked for a little while as we sat and rested, then they left. We walked down to the waterfront to some benches and read books to relax, then bought some toilet paper (there was none in the bathrooms) and freshened up. I wasn't feeling up to a long bus ride into town by then (3pm), so we lay down for a short nap and slept till 6pm. Upon waking, we decided it would help us adjust to the current time if we had dinner before sleeping all night. There was a restaurant on the grounds, but it was a dark and smoky bar, basically, so we took a chance and walked all the way back out to the street, around a corner and down a lane with pretty duplex homes bordering a lake. We soon came to a likely prospect for dinner and went in for a nice taste of local cuisine After a very good dinner (and a local bier (beer) for me), we walked back in the dark and went straight to bed! |
| Our campground was at the other side of this lake, behind those trees! |