August 2010 Africa Trip

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Fran and I are sitting in the Delta lounge at JFK, about an hour from boarding our flight to Amsterdam. It's a beautiful day in NY; 94 degrees, bright sunshine, the monitors showing an on time departure and CNN playing on the flat panel screen. I glance at the TV. "The FDA has determined that Avandia has caused heart attacks. If' you've had a heart attack and have taken Avandia, call us. Thousands of people have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation from the manufacturer. We're the experts. Call 1-800-SCUMBAG now. Again, call 1-800-SCUMBAG." Do you think the Netherlands has product liability lawyers? Doubt it. They have nationalized health care and put the P.I. lawyers out of business. We, on the other hand are moving slowly in the direction of a single payer system but haven't begun to address the 1-800-SCUMBAG industry. Maybe Congress should address this before going much further. It would save a couple of bucks. Just a thought.

We will be spending three days in Amsterdam, just the two of us. Then we will be meeting my son, Greg and his fiance, Lizzie, in Nairobi and we will spend 12 days in Kenya and Tanzania. We are disappointed that Brian and his girlfriend, Stephanie will not be coming with us as planned as last minute business issues are keeping him stateside.

Greg and Lizzie are on their way to Paris. Apparently Paris is a more romantic destination than Amsterdam for the newly engaged. They will visit museums, walk along the Seine, and eat at fine restaurants. We will visit the red light district, drink beer and go to coffee shops (not for coffee if you know what I mean). Old age is really setting in. We talked about it. Of the three, Amstel Light seems most interesting.

If anyone has any great ideas for Amsterdam, let us know soon.

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Comments

[Daniel Lewis]

From Dylan: Baba was probably my favorite.  Young, small, usually crowded with great music The Grasshopper is a great place to sit outside and have a beer, or some food and a smoke Smokey's has a great fresh fruit bar Betty Boop, was quiet, has free wifi and a really friendly Japanese owner named Yuki Dan

[Judy and Jay]

Hey you two! Love the blog and will be looking for updates. Don't curb your enthusiasm, David. Tyson, the granddog, says woof-woof. Have a wonderful trip. xo