Red Light District

Amsterdam is every adjective in the dictionary.

Women cost 50 euros ($75). I was brave enough to ask the question but not brave enough to ask what services were involved. We've visited the same coffee shop every morning for five days and Dave has become our source of information. (real coffee, not the non-coffee coffee-shop) He speaks five languages and knows everything. A good guy and hard worker, single and 33; he wants one of my daughters. In addition, we talk with another man from Golden who works at Coors. He visits Amsterdam on vacations and knows it well enough to suggest things to do.

This morning at 6:45a there was a tall blonde passed flat-out on the dirty carpet. I was attempting to go down the hall to use the bathroom and his feet were blocking the door. His head was blocking the bathroom door. I woke him up. Had to go...

This is not the place for a single older woman...young guys on drugs and a large gay population. I like the legality of it all though - a more sane and justified approach and acceptance. Legalizing doesn't increase or decrease useage or lifestyle.

Amsterdam: I've never had to dodge traffic anywhere like here. Trams, buses, bikes, cars, rickshaws, motorcycles, and vehicles popping out from underground garages. The bike lanes are great but anything with wheels goes anywhere with pavement or cobblestones. It's a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Literally, one's head has to work like a tennis match to avoid getting killed.

Beautiful city with chaos, noise, and crazy tourists. Canals and flowers add to the ambience but there's little serenity and quiet.

The most meaningful museum visit has been the Anne Frank House. She and Margot died of typhus at Auschwitz. Their father was the only one of eight to survive the camp. He lived until age 91 and died in 1980. How does one live after such devastation? But people did... I marvel at the human spirit.

Aging Hippie in Amsterdam

Don't laugh but this aging hippie cannot stay up late enough (past 8 o'clock) to partake at a local coffee shop. I haven't done this sort of thing since my twenties but it's a goal. Did I really say GOAL? 

I am in Amsterdam. Or as they say here, IAMSTERDAM. A Smart Shop sells drugs and hallucinagens; a Coffee Shop sells dope.

Van Gogh Museum has been a highlight, and believe it or not, the Diamond Museum. We met a woman Diamond Polisher who is in the Guiness Book of World Records for polishing the smallest diamond. She's polished diamonds for 24 years, is head of the department, and enjoys her work. She developed fine-motor skills early, loved to cut with scissors, wrote very tiny as a child. One teacher suggested she hire a tutor to correct the problem. She thought, why change what I'm good at.

Hostel is better in Amsterdam than London; we splurged for a private room with a double bed. No twins available. We scoot the chair out of the bathroom to move into the living area to back into the bedroom. Pivoting in place to get out the door. It's a hoot. Very few people our age travel in such a way. Our peers stay at REAL hotels with stars.

We meet people in amazing ways. A fellow traveler from Golden, CO who works at Coors. We saw him for breakfast and lunch in the city (without planning ahead). We joked for an hour with two guys in their late 20s (American and Dutch) about being their moms. One was waiting on a date, his 4th with a Russian girl. We actually waited until her arrival so we could meet her.

We separate in 3-5 days. Transitions are tough. Traveling together opens up opportunities to meet people. Traveling as an individual forces me to bud wide open in a self-reliant sort of way. Both ways of travel are good. Both challenging in their own ways.

Hostel from Hell in London

Tip: reserve hostels 30-60 days early or you may experience the following, particularly in highly visited cities...

• coed room
• train car stacks of beds (I'm on top level which is 3rd level)
• 6 in a room
• 3.5 foot aisle for walking/standing and storing suitcases and shoes
• coed bathrooms and showers
• toilet paper on floor outside bathroom in hallway
• toilet paper in kitchen for paper towels
• cold no-pressure water, non-potable I think
• breakfast included: do I wish I could post a picture of breakfast! Loaves of white bread standing on end and corn flakes.
• normally, we cook and leave our food in cubbies and the refrigerator. We label the food with our names. In this hostel, something sinister might be added, and if not, the food will definitely be stolen.
• THE BRIGHT SIDE: I have been laughing hysterically over the hostel's unique charm, and the people in our room are actually very nice! (I say this after a guy was sleeping in MY bed at 6 pm; he should have checked out at 10 am. Does that tell you they don't clean or check the rooms?) Two nights ago, he had brought a woman HOME to sleep with him on the 3rd level with five other people in the room. Thankfully, the visitation occurred before our arrival. I'm appreciating my silk sleep sack. One degree of separation plus the sheets. I'm not touching the comforter!
• THE LUCKY SIDE: in the morning of the evening of the day of the hostel from hell, as we were pulling suitcases to the Glasgow train station for the airport, we ran into a movie shoot. Guess who? Halle Berry, up close and personal. She's in a movie with Tom Hanks and Hugh Grant called Cloudy Atlas, set in California in the 50s and 60s. There were BEAUTIFUL period cars with CA plates lining the streets. She's gorgeous, not tall, about my size.
• we have four nights in the hostel from hell.
• I love London!

Riding the School Bus

Never have I seen such friendly smiling people as the Scots. Even the dogs are clean and happy!

We were told that one Scot took a two-week vacation to the land of sun and couldn't wait to get home because all that sun was depressing! Seasonal Affective Disorder in reverse.

Dogs board the buses as easily as people. Dogs allowed on the ferry, even sitting on the seats. It's wonderful! People speak as they board, offer a friendly greeting; the women laugh. If we ask a question, they take time. We've been escorted, even by people who walk at aged turtle pace.

The bus driver exited the bus to help a young mother with the stroller. You can bring your bike, large pram, and luggage on board. The driver isn't required to help but may offer. In the rain and wind, one bus driver stopped to ask a biker if he'd like a ride. They go the extra mile without thinking.

I thought jammer drivers in Glacier National Park were good drivers but Scots beat them to pieces driving full-size buses on narrow curved roads.

The school kids ride the public bus. Phyllis, me, and seven primary school kids; I hadn't been on a schoolbus since 6th grade!

Customer service at its finest...

Penny Whistle Timing

Traveling often means perfect timing. The gift of sychronization, being in the right place at the right time. Serendipity and spontaneity run like notes in a score.

After a three mile hike to Glenashdale Waterfall, we entered Eden Bar in Whiting Bay/Arran/Scotland. The penny whistle flute cascaded through Scottish dance in accompaniment with two violins, two guitars, and a woman with brilliant pink hair and a voice with Scottish ballad purity. Coffee with a shot of Arran Gold...

We  met five good humored Oxford Gents. "So we are highly intelligent as you can plainly see. Feel free to ask us anything you would like to know!"

Sandra, our German friend who is on a chemistry internship in Glasgow, piped up.

What is the difference between Scotch, Whiskey, and Bourbon??? The answer was there is no difference but Scotch whiskey is made in Scotland. At the distillery later today, we will verify the Oxford Gent answer.

At the north end of the Isle of Arran, it is where mist blows horizontal. Sandra and I hiked 10 miles in rain, bog, and muck - along the coastline over boulders and hillocks from Lochranza to Sannox. It was head first into the wind. Jeans were dripping wet and tennis shoes squished squeaky. Because the wind was just warm enough, the hike was doable, offering the ecstasy of weather, wind, and surf...

The next morning I did purchase rubber boots. Plaid boots for twenty pounds! Now I walk in puddles purposely. I am free!

Like Hansel and Gretyl, I have walked through a dark forest filled with the air of foreboding. Brilliant red mushrooms with white polka dots are more than storybook fantasy; they are real. A brown mushroom stood taller and capped wider than my water bottle.

An Iron Age Circle with old stones part way round. The air was different. Heavier, laden with memory... Tall dark trees enveloped the open grassy area. Step around but not in...

White cottages, white surf, white gulls, white clouds, white sheep...
Green ferns, purple heather, pink and purple fuchsia hedgerows...


Fuchsias grow abundantly wild - as well as trimmed into hedgerows. The proliferation of fuchsias is one of my biggest surprises.

I thought hostel travellers would be college age kids. Mostly they are young adults working on advanced degrees. Mid-twenties or more - perhaps because college students have returned to school. A brilliant young man from Seattle with translucent skin, a quiet and intriguing physics geek who is touring Scottish whiskey distilleries for 28 days. A goal and plan...

In Eden Pub, we met a 76 year old man who traced his ancestors back 500 years. His people betrayed Mary Queen of Scots, causing her beheading. His clan is the oldest Tartan in the country. As is the norm, he wanted to tell us of his family that lives in the United States, South Dakota; he knew the Badlands. He went through Virginia as well, boarding a ship for Japan. As he left, this delightful man handed Sandra a 20-pound note. This is 30 in US Dollars.

Gifts...

People in Scotland

I miss writing but a computer with accommodating access is not easily secured.

What are the highlights thus far? The people. Extraordinary people.

• we met a man who trained Bear Gryll, the British wilderness survivalist on television. Our friend had the misfortune to witness a fatal biking accident earlier in the day and had given CPR for an hour before the ambulance arrived. Obviously shaken, he needed to talk and we shared wine. He's a school teacher and a wilderness survival tour guide and instructor; he is in Scotland scouting routes. With a smile, he reminded us that Bear Gryll has a crew and sometimes stays in hotels. Both were in Her Majesty's Royal Air Force.
• by the River Tweed at Walter Scott's home and museum outside Melrose, we met a Russian literature professor. An extremely handsome man, his emphasis is Leo Tolstoy. He is department chair at the University of Moscow and here specifically to learn more of the influence and connection of the Scottish poets/writers/philosophers and Leo Tolstoy. Phyllis and he watched as I was attacked by a horse.
• we spent an evening with a spiritual healer from England. He's 72, a former audiologist and been traveling extensively for years. He studies and offers healings. A gentle man open, excited about living, passionate.
• In the hostel with more older people than younger, we see a pile of knitted baby and premie clothes. Two women in our room knit for the charities. These women smile with every cell in their bodies. They eek happy. One of the women is legally blind. She no longer knits the baby clothes but can knit woolen hats. I don't really know who would want one of my hats! But the teenagers in Eastern Europe are so happy to have them!
• Robert the Bruce: I think we met him! A gargantua size man of handsome proportion. White longer-flowing hair, strong jaw. He's an eccentric British oil engineer who has lived in Thailand for 15 years. Everyone has a story and mavericks are running loose in Scotland!
• The women are strong and sturdy - if not strong at departure from their country, they gain strength with each step forward - women traveling alone - young to not young. We spent last evening with an Australian woman who is out of a 19 year marriage, two boys. She left July 25 and will not return home until January. She's never done anything like this before but wanted to learn how to fly... She's a special ed teacher on a paid holiday.
• Edinborough, Melrose, Glasgow, Isle of Arran (9-10 more nights in Scotland)

Edinborough

I went from Arizona heat of Italy to Seattle cool of Scotland. No complaints being a mountain girl of Colorado!

Phyllis and I met at Edinborough airport. My plane was an hour late from London Gatwick but she dutifully waited with a smile.

One of the first things accomplished was to find luggage wheels for her backpack. We were successful but harder than one would think. Backpacking Europe was the 60s and 70s. Now, WHEELS.

It feels 100% safer and more comfortable in Scotland than Italy. It's the comfort of the language and comparable, if not better customer service skills, than the United States. They are so pleased to help, as if we have done them a favor by asking a question. Lovely people. Being my own protagonist, I ask if better is better because it is less challenging. The benefit of company? Sharing wine in a pub in the evening, listening to live music: Johnny Cash and the Beatles.

Yellowstone National Park is our link to many in the world. We sat by two English bloke, Steve and Jimmy, who ended up buying us the second glass of merlot. They are busy building contractors, erecting glass buildings. The economy has weeded out the weak. Steve is a world traveler and high on his list of places to go is Yellowstone. He has watched documentaries and knows a lot about the Park and animals. He's been to the United States many times. I feel rather narrow because people from other countries often know a lot about world history and politics compared to Americans. We narrow our learning.

We are in a room with eight, both on top bunks. Adaptation and flexibility of mind and legs!

There was a FREE walking tour of Edinborough that lasted 3.5 hours. Marvelous information from a Harry Potter looking 22 year old Irish lad. As well, we went to the JK Rowlins cafe where she sipped and zipped through words!