Chapter 102: Amster-darn Good Times

nerd blog post #107

Amsterdarn was amazing. Getting there was hectic. We had partied the night before and had failed to wake up to the several alarms that were set. The train we had tickets for was at 610am (early, but the cheapest) and we didn't wake up until 540. The walk is only about 12 minutes, but we were moving out that day. That meant we had about 15 minutes to pack up our apartment, take out the trash, empty the fridge, and haul our 16 (no lie) bags to the train station. Did we make it? Yes. But the whistle had blown and the train doors were locked and we ran to stop the train from leaving. But yes, we made it.

Once in Paris, Cynthia, Bronwyn and I headed to a park where we lay out our blanket and set up camp for the morning. We were meeting Raffi at 2pm to switch clothes and stuff and for Cynthia to pick up the suitcase she'd been storing there. So we parked near his residence and tanned for hours. Then we got our stuff and headed to the bus station. The ride was 8 hours, but flew by.

Seeing Doctor was, as always, so good. And it was great having the team we did. It was kind of strange for me when I thought about it, but it felt natural. Bronwyn and I have been tight for almost 15 years, Doctor and I are university friends (so almost 6 years), and Cynthia is new, but was essential in making the time in Rennes what it was. So these three close friends from three very different chapters of my life were all in the city of sin. And sin we did! I ate about three thousand choco peanuts and refused to wear sunscreen on the beach. What a rebel.

This was my fourth time in Amdam in 2009 and it didn't disappoint. Every time has been different, and this was no exception. Being with girls (minus the Doc), there was less window and more shopping. We spent a lot of time in the markets and in the shops zones. We also went dancing, which was sweet, at a club called Club Smokey (no safety bear in sight) and that may have been my fave evening.

Another highlight was seeing the World Exposition of Photography (that's not the real name, but something like that). It was held in an old and beautiful church in the centre of the red light district and housed hundreds of really cool photos from last year. My faves were the nature ones.

On the last full day there, we took a train to the beach. It's only about half an hour from Amdam and costs little to get there. The beach was full of white sand, hot sun and cute teens. We baked for hours, eating treats and enjoying the weath.

It was a pretty painful goodbye on Monday. I always have a hard time saying goodbye to Doctor. It feels so natural to be hanging with him all of the time, and being torn apart feels like a huge injustice. But it was also sad saying goodbye to Cynthia as I don't know when I'll see her next. It could be years. She was a great roommate, colleague, and especially friend. She made Rennes home and I will miss her quite a bit, especially during the rest of my time in France.

And so, I just had plain old Bronwyn to escort me back to Paris. Bah-ring. Just kidding. Alone, Bronco and I turned the adventure to full blast.

To be continued....

Much love,
Hincks.