Liberty to Liberty, statue from bell...
Traveling...
Three airports, two trains, a single shuttle, L's car, and endless walking to get from the hotel Kap back to the Nunnery:
Traveling in this direction was much simpler; coming less fraught with obstacles than going.
My iPod was fritzy today, so I had no music on the 7ish hour flight back. Luckily, there was an on-demand video system with a few dozen movies to choose from, even though none of them were Solaris.
Josh and I saw Liberty Island and the Statue from above on the flight into Newark, a fitting final monument on this trip which has seen no shortage of liberty.
Independence, fear, and beautiful Dutch women were also in abundance, for sure. Good times, good times.
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Much is made of the high degree of freedom found in the Netherlands which inevitably brings with it the potential for libertinage and unattractive excess. But the only people I saw abusing the (already very permissive) social code were foreigners, the most common unsocialized group being British males between the ages of 20 and 25. (They like to travel in large groups - it appears to help them "think".)
But the Dutch people proper, the indigenous Dutch, come across as modest and kind. They are naturally beautiful and warmly good-natured. There's something elflike about them.
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And I am alive: Josh did not kill me! He has therefore, at least according to Nietzsche, made me stronger. Thank you Josh.
Margaritas and a very pleasant evening of reacclimatization with L. Awake until 01:30 which my body experiences as 07:30.
There have been many successes, many obstacles navigated. This vacation sometimes felt like riding a stubborn horse: you can tell it where you want to go, but it won't much matter. It's largely out of your hands. Tugging reins will be interpreted as suggestion at best, and no promises will be made. You will eventually get to B from A, but not without passing through both G and H first. About all you can do is sit comfortably and keep your eyes open.
