come disconnect the dots with me

Poppet,

I arrived in Amsterdam very early on Sunday morning, 6:45 AM! The flight was relatively quick, only 6 and a half hours. I fell asleep watching the old Batman movie (terrible!), but laughed out loud really awkwardly when Dwight called Michael a socialist for wanting to go to IHOP on The Office (funny!). By the time we were over the Netherlands I was bright and ready for a new day in a new country even though I only got about an hour of sleep.

It's a watery place.
From the sky Amsterdam is gorgeous. All of the canals intersect each other, streets, and green plots in an outward spiral. It sort of looks like a spiderweb. I was reminded of the Postal Service song Recycled Air, while watching the patchwork farms slow fade in to the ocean's arms. To my fortune taking the train from the airport to the center of the city proved to be easy. (Just about everyone speaks English, even the tram announcements). Once there I checked in to the Hostel at Vondelpark and went for a nice little walk around. At 8 AM in the morning the city was asleep. There were a few people out walking dogs, opening shops, and riding bikes in the most serene fashion. The remnants from Saturday nights fun were being picked up by municipal workers in quirky orange uniforms. I had never seen a place littered with so many beer cans in my life! It's no surprise when the days last forever. It's 11:00 PM as I am writing this and it is still light outside!

I spent most of yesterday with a guy from Hong Kong named Desmond. He is an alumni of SUNY Binghamton and in Europe for training. We met in a coffee shop and decided to kick it all day. We were both thrown off by the fact that days never end. All in all we had a grand time walking around the city talking and dipping in and out of coffeeshops and fancy stores. I had no idea Amsterdam was soooo small! We walked around most of the city trying to avoid overcrowded tourist hotspots. Sitting along the canal on side streets provided the best view for people watching while dodging the fray.I don't really know what time we split up, but by then it was dark. I'd wager around 1 or 2 AM. We exchanged contact information and planned on hanging out in New York sometime this Fall.

I wish I could upload pictures of Amsterdam at night. The lights and buildings reflecting in all of the canals look gorgeous. I'll start updating with photos as soon as i'm out of this Hostel.

It's so beautiful,
high lunacy.