Yogadad Unmoored

After the pre-flight Tuesday frenzy and jet lagged Wednesday, today started to feel like a real vacation day. I was asleep by 9:30 last night. That last beer at De zotte , a very nice bar with a great selection of Belgian beers, the bar around the corner really did me in. By the time, I got back it was all I could do to brush my teeth and pull the covers back before falling asleep. Except for a brief wake-up around 2:00, I slept through until nearly 10:00. That would be nearly 12 hours of sleep. Wow. But it started me feeling human again. After a shower, coffee, and breakfast, it was about time to start the day. First order of business was getting stocked up on essentials: coffee, cheese, chocolate, beer, and wine. I also picked up some other stuff like shampoo, pasta, tomato sauce, and fresh fruit. Just in case I needed to fill in any gaps of beer, wine, and chocolate. Fortunately I made it to the nearby Albert Heijn and back before the rain started. Albert Heijn is a miniature K

The clock says it's been almost 24 hours since I wrote my first post but it sure doesn't feel that way. Rather yesterday seemed over into today and now it's all run together into one very, very long day. And it's still dragging on. I understand jet lag will do that to a person. Flights to and from Toronto were all good. We got to Schiphol Airport a bit early this morning but ended up waiting the gate to open up, follwed by a mechanical issue that delayed the cabin door opening so the upshot was we deplaned at just about the time we were supposed to arrive. Then the inevitable queuing for customs, waiting for luggage to arrive, and figuring out how to get the right bus (see previous post about patience) meant that I didn't get to the VRBO apartment until about 12:30, a good two hours after landing. It is unfortunate that flying is so unpleasant but once it's over, things get better fast. Mercifully. I spent the rest of the afternoon getting my bearings in m

When you're on an overnight flight, it's hard to know when the day begins and when it ends. Did it begin when you wake up or when you get to the airport? Does it end when the flight lands at your final destination or do we go by clock time? I'm pondering. But it probably doesn't matter. Exhaustion is the order of the day, regardless of when you think it begins or ends. Sitting in the gate area waiting for the first leg of my flight to Amsterdam, I think about a couple universal airport experiences. First, patience. Flying seems designed to test the patience of everyone flying away, no matter where they're going or which cabin they're in. Checking in required standing in line for about 20 minutes until staff from the airline showed up at the desk. Then the line moved with some alacrity. Next up: security. I've been fortunate to have "TSA Pre" show up on my boarding passes the last few times I've flown. Still it's a wait to get through th