In the land of bicycles!

We made it to Amsterdam this morning after our seven-hour flight from Detroit, and one of my first observations is that there seems to be more bicycles here than people!

We took the train from the airport to our hostel this morning and dropped off our luggage in the storage area so that we could explore the city. The public transportation here, as in most big cities across the world, is amazing.

We arrived in Amsterdam Central a little before 11 a.m., and the first image I saw as we emerged from the train station: a plethora of bikes! Bicycles appear to be the most common form of transportation. We took a guided tour of the city this afternoon (the guide actually went to school at IU) and at one point the guide mentioned that there are 800,000 people living in central Amsterdam but 900,000 bikes. Based off what we saw today, I am confident those numbers are correct.

During our guided tour, we saw museums, famous edifices, the Anne Frank house and the myriad of canals that decorate this lovely city. And we also saw several things you wouldn't see during a stroll through Fort Wayne or Bluffton. This is Amsterdam, after all. 

I found myself dozing off from time to time as we listened to the guide, as jet lag has definitely taken its toll on both of us. When we landed this morning my watch told me it was 9:30 a.m., but my body told me it was 3:30 a.m. Two Cokes helped get me through the day, but a good night's rest is a must.

But this city is amazing and full of people walking (and biking) or just sitting outside in one of the many plazas watching the world pass by. Day 1 has been incredible, and the rest of the European adventure will be the same. 

Time to rest for a bit before we head back to central Amsterdam for dinner. 

Bikes everywhere!

Along the canal

Along the canal

In Detroit!

Made it to Detroit and we depart in about an hour and a half for Amsterdam! The journey is about to begin! We had about an hour delay in Fort Wayne, as the flight was 1,000 pounds too heavy. Four people volunteered to take a later flight after Delta offered them $400 in travel vouchers. The next post will be from Europe!

Leslee and I in Bluffton before we drove to the airport this afternoon. 

Europe bound!

The number two is taking on a special meaning for me again this summer.

It was two years ago when I was fortunate enough to make two trips overseas in one summer — first to Puerto Rico with a group of my students and colleagues and then to Spain to backpack for a month. I returned from Puerto Rico and left for Spain two days later.

This summer is turning out to be similar. 

I returned from Costa Rica early Thursday morning after spending eight days with 25 of my students and two of my colleagues. We hiked through rain forests and around volcanoes; we went ziplining through a cloud forest; and we swam in waterfalls and at beaches. 

Tomorrow — two days after having returned from Costa Rica — I'm off on a new adventure. Friend Chris Ray and I are heading to Europe for four weeks to backpack. We'll visit more than 10 countries and a plethora of cities as we go from place to place on trains with our EuRail pass.

It's been a crazy two days, but my REI backpack — the same one I used to trek across Puerto Rico, Spain and Costa Rica — is finally packed and ready to go, for the most part. I've got a few hours in the morning to finish everything before leaving for the airport around 1:45 p.m.

I caught the travel bug when I was a sophomore in high school when Señora Angie Bailey took my classmates and I on a trip to Barcelona, Spain. That trip opened my eyes to the world. It was then that I fell head over heels in love with Spanish. Nearly 16 years later, I realize that it was the defining moment in my life that set the stage for where I am today — a Spanish teacher and reporter by trade but someone who still longs to see and understand more of the world. 

Tomorrow, that quest will begin again.

We are flying to Detroit first and then on to Amsterdam. We will spend the month making our way from Amsterdam to Lisbon, Portugal. We'll stay in hostels as we backpack from place to place, but we decided early on that we would not make a day-by-day agenda. We have a list of places we want to see but didn't want to be tied to a daily schedule. Instead, we'll be able to spend as much or as little time as we like in the places we visit in the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary  Croatia, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and perhaps more countries. 

One highlight will be trekking along the Cinque Terre — a hike through five small villages along the coast of the Italian Rivera. Another memorable part will be spending a couple of days around Interlaken, Switzerland, surrounded by the Swiss Alps and lake region. We're hoping to do a tandem hand gliding trip through the mountains to see everything from a bird's-eye view.

Chris and I are both planning to blog while we're traveling. My hope is to update this blog every couple of days to keep you up informed about our travels and to post pictures of the places we are visiting. Feel free to follow our journey ... and feel free to send any recommendations you might have. 

Two Hoosiers, two EuRail passes and two backpacks — let the adventure begin!

Finally packed and ready to go!