Ramble
Quest - Dutch Closure.
I spend a rainy but pleasant day in S'Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch). The St. John's Cathedral and North Brabant Museum are both outstanding. In one of the smaller art museums, displaying the works of a particular Dutch family, the friendly elderly docents follow me through the galleries pointing at the pictures as I look at them. This is a nice town but I need to swing back to Amsterdam.
I'm trying to meet up with Tony, his mother Josie and her friend Mimi, but it is not at all certain if my timing will coincide with theirs. Luck is very much with me though as I catch up with them before they leave town. Tony has a new boat, one that I scouted out for him in Steendam, that he shares with his neighbors. We go for a exciting night boat ride on the canals. Tony bravely navigates us under an even lower "cheese-cutter" bridge than the one in Gothenburg, and he and I are tempted to go further into more reckless sailing under a many-columned bridge before we wisely determine it to be a dead-end. Swinging back around, we make our way into the red light district, which is much better to see by boat than by land, even though a drunk tosses a bottle at us. Trying to avoid some rain, we duck under a bridge and Tony's mother almost goes overboard. I'm certain this boat is destined for many more adventures in the future.
We all head to Groningen and Steendam, which is great for me because I get to see Rob and Alie before I leave. They have finished constructing a path from their house to their pier and everything looks fabulous there. We go boating on their lake and get to eat some excellent Chinese food at a restaurant owned by a friend.
We take a scenic route back to Amsterdam, stopping for some fine views and a short visit to the touristy yet scenic Zaanse Schans village. Then we just have time for a short night out with John and Els before Tony, Mimi, and Josie take off for Belgium and I take off for Chicago.
I can hardly believe how well the final days of this leg in my journey went. I was more than half expecting Tony to be out of town already and to spend my last few days alone in Harlem or Den Haag, and it was infinitely more special to spend them with friends.
What a great trip so far! At this point I'm thinking I may be done. I'm certainly a bit worn out and need a break. The idea of getting a job somewhere is actually starting to sound appealing to me. So, with absolutely no idea of what I'm going to be doing next, I head to Chicago.