Santorini to Amsterdam (to ghent)

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I hope you are thinking "My God! That is a long way!" because you would be correct. it is a long way.

The day before last, I had written a great (at least I´d like to think) entry. But my time ran out and so it didn´t save like I thought it had. It was good. An actual blog. Or at least something of substance. Or maybe I just thought the writing was better, more like I´d like it to be...oh well.

I´m in Ghent, Belguim - about a 20 minute train ride from where I started this silly trip close to three months ago - waiting, hoping, praying that the plan to stay with a friend of a friend pans out sucessfully.

This morning, I was in Amsterdam. what a great city. AND it really is beautiful. Everyone says that, but I guess i always thought they were saying it was beautiful as a result of some tripped out night on the town. Jules and I had fun and aside from the two rudest europeans I´ve encountered yet and one horrifically insulting roommate, I think the states could learn a lot from the Netherlands.

getting TO Amsterdam and housing once there, however...one word: Ugh. 8 hour boat ride from santorini, overnight in Athens. Aside from the Acropolis, it really is pretty shity. Then evening plane to Berlin. Decide right before flight to scrap original plan to spend few days in Berlin and head STRAIGHT to amsterdam...but not wanting to pay for an overnight reservation, we figure out a series of regional trains, but have to spend 5 potentially very cold hours in the very open very very cold Berlin Hauptbanhof until our train left at 4:38 AM. Never in my life have I been more thankful for a 24 hour McDonalds. Santorini to Amsterd

I even had a McChicken meal.

I broke a 4 year McDonalds fast.

eh. whatever.


And actually, the weather hasn´t been too bad. Cold but nice. Makes me miss home a bit.

Oh and Christmas season is in full swing with the st. nickolas day of Dec 5th close at hand. But it´s nice and pretty and maybe it´s because I don´t have to participate (although i did sing along with some flaming 40 something stantas and elfs skating on ice and lip singing to very cheesy pop dance christmas music. There was fake snow and I think they only had one song that they sang over and over again.

Oh and I died my hair. Just lightened it. With a box, but it was quite an adventure trying to read the instructions. turned out quite nicely.

Love, al


Happy thanksgiving. I ate falafel and these little dutch popover pancakes...can´t remember the name but delicious beyond a doubt.

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