Back after a long layoff – inspired by a trip that is starting in Rotterdam, NL.  

I’m gonna try to do daily updates (even if they’re just quickies) as I pass through parts of Holland and Belgium en route to Paris. 

I flew the home team airline Thursday night.  Newark to Amsterdam on a triple-7.  I sat in the middle cabin, a middling experience that was comparatively (as it should be I guess) better than the back of the plane – and not as good as the front.  I sat next to a guy who watched several Friends episodes on the in-flight entertainment system, laughing out loud throughout before he went into snooze mode.  

About an hour before landing, I was served an eggcellent breakfast.  The egg – served hot -somehow survived what must have been a long journey – plus bacon, potatoes, a cup of hollandaise sauce and a bowl of yogurt with berries, granola and honey.   

The train station at Schiphol is just steps from baggage claim.  It’s a transit concept we could only dream of in the states.  A blazing fast non-stop past flower hothouses and rural canal-dotted landscapes to Rotterdam’s central station took a half-hour.  The fare was 16.3 Euros.

I’m staying at an Ibis property four tram stops away from the train station.  The hotel allowed me to check in early for a 25 euro fee.  I’m here for days 2 and 3 of the three-day Left of the Dial Festival, featuring a bunch of Euro bands playing at clubs across the city.     

Beyond the two nights here in Rotterdam, the only thing I have settled is a trip to Breda to see the great Philly band Remember Sports on Sunday night.  I’m not yet sure where the rest of the voyage will take me.  All I know for sure is that I’ll be in Paris by the 27th to see Pavement.  

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