Euro Throwback

This post should have happened at the end of this summer. I blame the jet lag. I thought about calling this post “The Universe Provides,” because that’s exactly what happened for us to live in Uganda for two months, fly to Zanzibar for a week, and then follow up paradise with a week in Amsterdam & Paris.

I intended to write this post as soon as we got home but that clearly never happened so I’m just going to accept that and move along on my merry way. I felt inspired to write again and wanted to capture our trip in the written word so that many years from now we could look back and get a deeper glimpse than what our pictures on facebook could afford–feel free to take off now if you’re not interested in reading something from 3 months past.

We spent a charming last day in Stonetown followed up by a hellish, Amazing Race type experience (minus the million $) that had me swearing up and down to anyone who would listen that I would never again set a foot in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (our gateway to Zanzibar). Dream up every bad, stress inducing scenario you can think of related to airline/airport travel and put them all together and that’s what we experienced.

But it’s okay. Because we landed in AMSTERDAM! Hallelujah. And then we checked into a 4 star hotel (thank you, Hotwire!) and I took a supremely HOT shower for an hour because it was just necessary.We reveled in seemingly simple things like the fact that there were 4 (!!!) plus power outlets in one single hotel room. Bananas.  We dined at the cafes like Kings on every delight that was not available to us in Uganda and enjoyed the sun until it finally set at 11pm. It was glorious.

The next day we departed the pretty city of canals on the high speed rail for Paris. Rue de Rivoli afforded us a little more culture shock then we had bargained for so we left the splendor of the Louvre and creeped around the Marais and the St. Germain. Notre Dame, Tuileries, Tour Eiffel, cafe, cafe, wine, cafe, more wine, croissant, metro, walk, pass out. Paris je t’aime. Oh, and falafel at L’As du Fallafel. Delicious. Rick Steves- we did just fine without you! Maybe next time we’ll even do a trip like this: http://www.salon.com/2013/11/12/the_craziest_okcupid_date_ever/

Adjusting the mental equipment

The first leg of our journey allowed us a brief stop over in one of our favorite places that we have been to together. We made it to Amsterdam…again!

Win: we successfully flew standby across the Atlantic to arrive in Amsterdam a day early, leaving lots of time to enjoy the canals, the people and the uncharacteristically beautiful weather.

Loss: the airport ATM eating Marjani’s debit card within 13 seconds of arrival. From Marjani: “apparently my bank and I hadn’t communicated as well as I thought we had…”

No tears were shed as we chalked it up to a minor disaster and one that we could easily overcome. There are always bumps along the road of travel and being on the road requires us to tweak the mental equipment a bit to survive.

The mental equipment is the stuff you are born with. It can be updated, fixed, improved, adjusted, overhauled, broken then fixed and refueled at any point. It needs TLC so provide that at every turn. We hope that this trip will help strengthen our mental equipment and challenge it so it’s ready for other opportunities and journeys along the way.

Amsterdam, as referenced in our win column, opened its arms very wide for our short stopover. We amazingly were able to meet up with our dear friend and 1000 Shillings cofounder, Rebecca. We walked the canals, rested up in our wonderful AirBnb digs (shout out to Gijs & Juliette) and stared in awe at the biking infrastructure we so desperately wish was present back home.

Best part is our return trip home takes us right back through this wonderful city and there is no doubt we’ll look to match the perfection of these couple days spent there.