Many years have passed since that conversation and this is my sixth trip to Amsterdam. I still find it a bit sleazy and dirty, although this has improved greatly since my first visit, but now I love the place. I love the look of the buildings, particularly along the canals. I love the laid-back atmosphere and sitting outside for drinks. Most of all I love walking or biking around the old central streets.

Amsterdam is a great starting point for a European tour, but the main reason I'm here first is because my good friend Tony lives here, in the best part of Amsterdam, on the Bloemgracht in the Jordan, perfect for visiting and for going out at night. If Tony lived in a boring part of Holland, I would still visit him, but what a nice bonus for him to be here!

After Turkey, I was extremely ill and spiritually drained. I sorely needed and recieved help from family and friends, Tony being the last in line. I think this was one of those situations where I held off being sick for quite awhile, until it was possible for me to recover, and then I went down hard. Words can't describe how grateful I am to the friends and family who helped me during this period.

Once I was physically recovered, Amsterdam helped get me enthusiastic about traveling again. I took my time visiting and revisiting the sites, purchasing a museum card (a good deal if you're in the Netherlands for awhile, but they do lie about all the places that accept it -- many on the list merely give you a discount) so I could pop in and out of places without feeling like I needed to see everything all at once. I went to the recently remodeled historic Tuschinski movie theater. I went for long bike trips out of the center, often heading north into the countryside, lovely with the canals, windmills and farms. I went to Leiden for the first time, a wonderful college town with interesting buildings and some good museums. I got to spend time with Tony and, over good food and lots of Dutch beer, planned some future trips with him.

I was rejuvenated and the prospect of several months in Europe once again became appealing. Never mind that a falling dollar has made Europe even more hideously expensive than it usually is, I'm looking forward to my time here.