Dec 25
Christmas Day
Amsterdam
Last night we walked along the canals. Mild winter night in Northern Europe. Storybook evening really. Lights were reflecting perfectly off the calm waters of the canals. People from around the world had come to this city.
A early morning in London to barely catch the Eurostar bullet train to Amsterdam left us both in the mood to call it an early evening after the magic canal walk.
We stopped in the hotel lobby for a bottle of red wine and some of the best and thinnest potato chips and headed up to watch some Christmas Eve tv
We’ve been seeing posters for the new Mary Poppins movie.
And guess what. They were playing the original.
Great way to call it a day.
The bikes. I do have to mention the bikes. Of course I had heard this was a bike friendly city.
But oh so much more than I imagined. Parents with two kids seats on their bikes. People in semi formal wear on their way to church. And the speed. They ride fast.
It really took a highly elevated sense of awareness.
I’ll talk about the sense of self responsibility in regards to the lack of fencing along the canals later
But for the moment a rare sense of public reflection.
There are feelings that come back to someone at a time like this. Maybe the ghosts of Christmas past. Some perfect. Others providing their own sense of childhood development.
The path to this morning in Amsterdam was not without unanticipated turns. But if anyone of those event had no happened, today and last night would not have been the same or possible.
There were times when a smile did not come as easy. Where contentment was illusory if not outright self delusion
But along the way I got by with the help of my friends and family - past and present.
If I haven’t told you lately, thank you.
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