It is now approaching the one week mark in my current trip and I find myself in a small cafe in my host town of Haarlem.  Most of the shops have been closed for some time now, even though the night is still relatively early.  This town is very similar to that of a town back home in California called Petaluma.  I am in the second of three nights here in Haarlem.  After walking the streets of Amsterdam most of the day, I returned here at about 4:30, anxious to do get some work done before I head to the U.K. on Wed. morning.  With it being Monday today, it seemed as if  I was at work early, downloading images from my artist for a web site, communicating various messages to people regarding projects under progress or being considered for development.  (projects as in web sites)  I had presented a client with a web site just before I left last week and he had in return emailed me some changes which I waited until tonight to even look at.  Fortunately, they were very small changes and took me no time at all.  It is always nice when it works out that way.  (if you're at all interested, the site is temporarily at www.thomashall.com/hydome  - but if you're reading this some time down the road, the site will be simply www.hydome.com)  I recall a few years ago when I was browsing the aol member's home pages and came across a guy who traveled just as I am doing.  I marveled at his ability to do that at the time, and now, three years later I am doing the same thing.  Hopefully, I may inspire someone to do the same in turn. 

With this being my second to last day in Holland, it give me a chance to reflect on the past week.  With the exception of the tiring trip, all has gone exactly as planned and then some.  The visit to the farm was priceless, as I had never really had such a pro-longed exposure to that way of life, especially in a far off land.  I had intended originally to visit with them for 5 days, but upon arrival, I decided three nights might be more appropriate, and I think they were.  I'll return there again one day, or at least I hope so do so.  My friend Amanda in Scotland has made such a huge difference in my itinerary so far.  Had it not been for her, I would of shown up in Amsterdam on Sunday, with load of luggage, needing to find a place to stay.  If you've traveled, that is not a fun thing at all.  The place she located for me has been perfect for my needs.  I guess the proper word to describe it would be cozy and convienant.  Located right in the main square of the old part of Haarlem, it is minutes from a plethora of restaurants and other places like pubs and coffee houses.  It only cost me 50 dollars a night, and I'm sure that as I did last night, I will get a nice sleep tonight as well.  If you can imagine, the hotel is in an old, tall and narrow building.  It's windows are lined with tulips in nicely built planter boxes.  I must advise you though that when you confirm reservations in some of these places, be sure to ask about elevators or lifts.  My room is reached via two very, very high and steep staircases.  Once there, it almost feels as if you sleeping in one attic, as the pitch of the roof provides the rooms ceiling.  Other than the stairs, the only thing I would complain about is the shower head is badly broken making showers more of a chore than a pleasure, and there is barely enough light in the room.  But as I said, it was perfect for my needs.  The gold-lined tubs and balconies with sweeping panoramic views are sure to come later in my trip, so the occasional "budget" hotel is no problem at all. 

I think in total, my visit to Amsterdam has been quite nice.  One must realize very early when traveling, that you simply can not do it all in a limited amount of time, such as I had here.  I was able to take a canal cruise, walk in the heart of the city where the "locals" live, visit VondelPark, (which Amanda calls "Fondle" park) which is a really nice place to escape the craziness of the city for awhile and mingle with
the local population.  I also had a chance to visit the red light district, which is a sight in itself.  I purposely didn't visit the Anne Frank House, as I have on previous trips.  Talk about moving, I was brought nearly to tears when I visited it before.  one thing I can not comprehend is the atrocities of mankind upon itself with such things as genocide.  Images of concentration camps sicken me to my very core.  In conclusion on Amsterdam, I must say that at all times I felt very safe walking its streets.  The city is run very efficiently, with trams and bikes seeming to be the main modes of transportation.  You really need to be careful at all times in this place.  It is so easy to take a wrong step and end up getting killed.  All the sidewalks are lined with people, and between them and the street are bike "lanes" where people pedal by the slower moving people on one side, and occasionally stopped traffic on the other.  You see their bikes everywhere, parked by trees, buildings, canals.  And 99% percent of them look like the one your mom might of used when you were small. 

Another thing most people who haven't traveled as I might care to know is how much effort it takes to always be on guard when you are on the road.  I am constantly checking for my wallet, camera bag, tripod, and other valuable I might have.  You worry about leaving you luggage alone in room, not knowing just who has access to the same.  Last night I took one bank card and one credit card out of my wallet and stashed them elsewhere, in the event I lose my wallet or get robbed.  I should also tell you that before I left, I called all my credit companies to let them know I will be on the road.  You'd be amazed at how fast they can put a freeze on your card when they seem something out of the norm.  Actually, it's how fast the computers can freeze your card I should say.  In addition to the before mentioned, I also bought a really nice and inexpensive money belt before I left the U.S.  Auke said he had never seen anything like it when I took it off at our one dinner out.  I was treating them and the place didn't accept credit cards.  What large bills I had were on my waistline.  It made quite the site I must say...