Ciao for now, USofA!

Silently, effortlessly, I shed a tear from each eye as my gigantic, Amsterdam-bound plane lifted off the ground in Chicago. No sooner had I wiped them away and sighed heavily, did the person next to me ask if I was traveling for business or pleasure.

Well...kind of both.

Anyway, as it turns out, this nice fellow and I became fast friends, and after he congratulated me on my first steps on European soil (it sounds corny, and it kind of was, but it was appreciated), we ended up sightseeing and enjoying the crisp, fall-like morning together in the city's center. Sadly, he had to return to Schiphol to catch his flight to Bulgaria, but it was fun while it lasted. To those of you who may be wondering, it was not THAT kind of fun...the one that's legal in coffee shops over here. Oh, no. That came later in the day. Can I say that? :o)

With several hours to kill before my flight to Florence, I walked around literally all day long. I went to the Rembrandt Museum, the Red Light District, Hermitage and took an hour-long cruise throughout A'dam's ridiculous network of canals.

And then it was back to the airport for my 19:15 flight. Or, so I thought.

Due to weather-related issues in Amsterdam, my plane didn't take off until after 22:00. I was less than stoked about this. But, all was well because I met this adorable couple from Vancouver. They were on their way to Florence to meet up with a group of folks to take a bike tour throughout Tuscany and down to Rome. When I told them I was jealous, they said I would have an opportunity to do that any time I wanted. How quickly I forget!

I'll let y'all know how that bike thing turns out. And everything else.