I'm Magical

I love Amsterdam. It's funny how you can tell right away. Maybe it's like a self fulfilling prophesy: I decide that I will or won't like somewhere, and then everything else serves to support my initial decision. . . but I like to think that I have great instincts.

So I left Verscio yesterday morning, and then I took an the overnight bus to Amsterdam, which was a cool experience. Reminiscent of motorhome trips or semester at sea, which are both up there in my "favorite memory" categories. Except in the overnight train, you just get a tiny little bed for you and all your stuff. I was on the top-top bunk (3 high), so I had a little cubby to slide my backpack into. The people below me were so confusing, though. They folded the middle bunk down so it was like a couch, but then they both slept sitting on it. I would have taken a picture for you, but my camera wasn't working. (And yes, it was the lack of a working camera, not the idea of personal privacy, that kept me from taking a picture.) I wanted to be like, "umm, did you know that you paid for a bed? Two, actually. You can sleep laying down, if you want to. They give you blankets and everything." But instead I went to sleep.


And woke up in Amsterdam! I knew I liked it when I was riding in. And then I knew I liked it even more when I got off the train and the seats had travel quotes in different languages. Some of them I recognized ("There's no surer way to know if you like someone than to travel with them." -Mark Twain), others I didn't know, but I liked. I would have taken a picture for you, but my camera wasn't working, remember? Then I took the bus to Kat's house, and when I got off the bus, I had no idea where I was or which was to walk. So I just stood there for a second looking at the map I had drawn in my notebook, and realized that I wasn't on it. Then someone stopped for me. I didn't even have to ask them for help! They just helped me all by themselves. They said, "what are you looking for?" And I told them, and they pointed me in the right direction. I felt like I was in Japan! (People were very helpful to me there as well). 

Then I arrived at Kat's house. (Kat = one of two really, really cool hitchhikers my dad picked up a couple years ago that stayed at our house for a bit.) Her house is awesome. Fun and colorful, with a bookshelf made out of a boat stacked full with travel books, stickers from the different places around the world she's been, cool paintings and masks, a bean bag chair, all around awesomeness. So I did a couple important things - shower, brush teeth, charged camera, etc. When my camera was charged and still not working, I used Kat's computer to look for a camera repair shop (my computer wasn't connecting to the internet). I couldn't find any that were open, so I tried to see if I could fix it on my own. It made a pretty intense grinding sound when I tried to make it focus, so I was skeptical. But then I tried blowing on it, and now it works! Conclusion: I'm magical.


So to test my powers, I tried again connecting to the internet on my own computer, and this time it worked! Lila's magical properties: confirmed. 


Now I'm going to look up cool stuff to do, jump on the bike that Kat left me, and go exploring.


Oh, change of plans. My internet actually isn't working. So I won't be looking stuff up. Skip right to: jump on the bike and go exploring.


Ugh, this is like if you're talking to someone on the phone and then they fall asleep, so then you just end up talking to yourself. And it's a little embarrassing.


Oh! Internet is back! You're awake! I'm not alone!


Shoot, internet down.

I feel like my emotions are being manipulated. Okay, I'm going to go. Maybe I'll have more luck when I get back.

Bye! (bye bye bye <-- That was it echoing in the darkness, because I'm clearly talking to nobody).