Today, waking up in Amsterdam, it was even colder than it had been the days prior. It was finally quite sunny, but unfortunately I was leaving. I packed up all of my belongings, and headed out. It was very difficult to fit everything I had left in the hotel room into my small backpack. The night before, I had left my larger suitcase with Rob to hold onto for the time that I will be in Africa, and had estimated that all of the items I had left would fit into my small backpack. It was a little tight, so I left with an overstuffed backpack, and bulging pockets on my jeans and my jacket. I made my way to Central Station, and found my train to Zwolle, which is where I was meeting Roelf and Cecile, where my Europe trip had begun. The train ride was beautiful; Holland is such an interesting country, being so flat. And blanketed in snow, it was just beautiful. After the hour train ride, I found Roelf without a problem, and we drove back to his home. It was nice to have come full circle, and I was excited to report to them that my entire Europe trip had gone off without a hitch! They had been a bit worried, as had I. We spent the afternoon eating, and discussing my journey so far, and then set off on a long walk. It was quite cold, but Roelf and Cecile have a son that is my age, and he still had some very warm clothes at the house that fit me perfectly. I felt like an eskimo, but the walk was really beautiful. They live right on the edge of a national forest, so we walked all through there. As I said before, Holland is so flat, so there is no 'hiking', just 'walking'. We did arrive, about halfway through our walk, at a big dutch barn, with a traditional thatched roof, and inside it was full of sheep. Upon return home, I was able to do some laundry, respond to some final emails, and just enjoy a home cooked meal. My counting down of days until Africa has turned into a counting down of hours. It is now Tuesday night, and I had been planning on staying here with Roelf and Cecile for two nights, but I have again changed the plan, and will be returning to Amsterdam tomorrow afternoon. I would love to say that it is because it will be more convenient to get to the airport Thursday morning, but truly, I am very excited to spend a bit more time with Rob. Tomorrow, Cecile and I have a day planned to do some exploring around here in Northern Holland, seeing the local museum, which is only accessible by a thirty minute bicycle ride. Then, in the evening, I will get on a train with my BIG backpack, and return to Amsterdam for my last night in Europe. Thursday morning, I will meet Sarah, her mother, and Pam at the Schiphol Airport in Amsteredam, and we will board our 9 hour flight to TANZANIA!
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