Amsterdam: The Adventure Begins . . .

I made it.  After a decent flight, I am here and already experiencing the life in the Netherlands, although I didn't sleep a bit on the plane, so if I do the math correctly (oh, wait, I shouldn't even try), I've been awake a long time.  But my excitement is enough to keep me going.

A brief comment about the flight:  I loved that I was surrounded by people who returning to their homes in the Netherlands, so I found myself just listening to their conversations, just trying to make out anything I could.  And my seat mate was a delightful older woman from Holland who spoke very little English, but when we were flying in, she was telling me all about the views from the plane.  Nice.

Once here, Sara and I decided it best that I not take a nap and just take in the area; we ventured to Utrecht, a university city with such charm.   First up, we had lunch at Oudaen, a local restaurant that brews its own beers and sits quietly by one of the many canals, having its own bit of historical significance.   Sara opted for the Bock while I tried the Wheat . . . nice choice.  We split a Carpaccio sandwich on Ciabatta bread, layered with parmesan cheese, capers, pine nuts, onions, and a truffle mayo.  With that we split the "Mature" Cheese and Mustard appetizer.  Yes, I pointed out mature, simply because we both chuckled at the name.  Perfect combination.  We could have stayed just to people-watch, but we opted for an adventure . . .

Now, may I add that, again, I'm going on very little sleep and a bit of a long plane ride.  But what the hell . . . why rest.  We choose to climb a beautiful  Catholic Cathedral in Utrecht, one of the oldest and definitely the highest church tower in the Netherlands.  Magnificent!  It's beauty can't be described here.  I will add pictures in the future . . .  Each step was made of stone, the walls, brick.  The vaulted ceilings were hauntingly beautiful, and on each level we stopped, the guide shared the history behind the artifacts.  I couldn't help by imagine the many lives, the many ghosts, the many stories that were surrounding me at that time, the organs, the belfry, the bells, the gargoyles, etc.  But let me pause here again.  Did I mention that there are 465 steps?  Did I mention that these steps are all in a spiral formation?  Did I mention that two people could not be on a step at the same time, making the staircase and the steps very, very, very small?  Now, picture these spiral steps following along the dust-covered brick walls and being unable to see the next landing point.  (Mom -- picture Nanny's basement but much more frightening . . .)  Oh, did I mention that I'm claustrophobic?)  But I did it.  Every step.  Every fear.  Thankfully I did . . . the view from the top (367 feet high) . . . breathtaking.  (Again, pictures will be coming).  I could see all of Utrecht and beyond: the canals, the people, the roof tops, etc.  (I didn't realize that Sara had a fear of heights, so we both faced our fears.)

So, not too bad for day one . . . and I'm still going to dinner this evening.  What a wonderful life  . . .   I am blessed!