The Dam

Had my first excursion of 2006 this weekend in Amsterdam. Just a little weekend getaway, but a necessary outing in persuit of my 1 country per month travel goal for 2006. Next month takes me back to the US for some training in Chicago and maybe a stop off in New York or Boston (or Denver).

I went to Amsterdam with my buddy Marc, and stayed with some friends that I haven't seen in months. Caneel and Roy are engaged now, and they had an amazing flat in the Jordaan district. I've known Caneel for a while, but got to know Roy at Chuck and Kelly's wedding which we both attended in the summer of 2004. I remember thinking after that trip that I really needed to spend more time with them, but a bit of drama at the end of that year and trying to squeeze in as much time with my old friends before i left in 2005 prevented me from really making that happen. It brings back a common theme in my personal development around how to grow and make new relationships (thus growing myself) without damaging or leaving behind old ones. Regardless, it was great to get to know them better in a world far away from home, and I hope we continue to grow as friends.

As far as Amsterdam is concerned, the thing I noticed most about the city is how un-pretentious people were there. Marc and I discussed the trip on the flight home and while we disagreed about the aesthetic quality of the local talent, we whole-heartedly agreed that the people were the highlight of the city.

My thanks to Chuck and Kelly and Sarah for connecting me with Caneel and Roy. I'm lucky to have you all in my life.