Well yes indeed, I am in fact back in the Pacific Northwest. After leaving London yesterday morning around 950 am (thanks for the help Mosh, you know you're the best) flying to Frankfurt (horrible airport by the way) and crossing 9 time zones, I landed in Seattle at 1715 local time. The sun was shining and it was perfect weather. Oh and I was finally able to see my dog ;]
I had hoped to be writing this in London, but time did not allow and it is my belief that my mind would have been too overcome with the sadness of departure and separation. Nevertheless here I am. Back in my parents home, thinking back to Europe, missing all of my friends and wishing I could still be there.
The 4th of July was something else. I fell asleep around 2230 local time to the sound of celebration and fireworks exploding overhead and didn't wake up until just after 5 am PST. Not so bad. The best way to deal with jetlag is to try and power through it. Stay awake as long as possible and try and force your mind to adapt as quickly as possible. Surreal to be back? Certainly is. Sunday I was in London, the previous Sunday I was in Amsterdam, and the previous Sunday I was in Germany. How quickly things should change. It is difficult for me to consider life here at this time. I've no idea which way to go. The security agent who searched my bag last night asked me that very question: "So what now?" And I replied with the same answer I've been giving everyone: "I've got no idea." The options are really endless. Some people are pushing for me to go to school and finish a degree. Maybe I get a temporary job somewhere, make some money, try and sell some of my photos and go from there. But where to live? That's the big question. I've been offered a spot in a rented home in Lynnwood. I could stay with my parents until I find a place of my own. But there are pro's and con's of both options and I really don't know what I'd like to do yet. Do I try and stay put for a year? Look into enrollment back in school? Do I study business or try and proceed down the biology track again? Do I seek out work in a brewery or a pub? These are the questions I've got to answer. And what also of travel? I know it's still inside me, the need and desire to keep going, keep seeing new things. But this last trip has left me fatigued and I may not be able to return to the majority of Western Europe for quite some time. So then do I look elsewhere? Somewhere new? Some place to stretch my mind even further? Good questions I suppose, and like with everything else, I've no idea.
And now back to travel. The last word on this nearly 6 month long journey. How to sum it all up? It really is impossible I think. You can't sum up something like this in two paragraphs. But it was an experience I'm not likely to forget. I think about all the people who helped me along the way; they are countless really. As I'm sitting here I've got this feeling in my gut and I'm wondering where exactly I should be. I am back in the USA, surrounded by fellow Americans. For the past 6 months it was the other way around. Now I am no longer a stranger amongst strangers. Travel is an amazing thing. In the scheme of the journey your mind is warped. Will it bend back now that I am here? I suppose at the end, only one question remains: in which direction do I take my next step?
To everyone who followed this journey along the way, thanks so much. And to everyone who made this journey a possibility I cannot thank you enough. Thanks for tuning in. Ciao.
Zach
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Checking out of Schengen
Well, today was verdict day and I had been dreading it for quite sometime. It was the day I would check out of the Schengen states, and it did not go so well. I claimed ignorance, but the Dutch authorities followed SOP and submitted my overstay to the authorities. I will either get slapped with a fine, banned for a period of time (potentially from 1 to 3 years) or incur no penalty at all. In two weeks I'll have to call the proper authorities in Holland and find out what my punishment will be. I also have some kind of insignia hand drawn inside my passport recognizable by future authorities (like in the UK) that let's them know I overstayed my visa. My hope is that the UK authorities will be lenient because I have my flight booked for just one week from today. I am also hoping they won't scrutinize things too much as I already have a visa that extends through mid-July and I know it is still valid. So I keep my fingers crossed for a smooth entry. Otherwise there is no telling what kinds of extremely bad and stressful things may transpire. Oh and I also didn't know this crossing takes 6 hours, at least they've got wi-fi onboard. Anyhow, we arrive to Harwich around 20:00 and within the hour I should know whether or not I get to proceed into England to meet Mosh near South Wimbledon. Wish me luck. Toodles.
Zach
Zach
Nothing more to say
Nothing more to say really at all. I'm leaving Amsterdam tomorrow morning. It is at best bittersweet. I'll really miss this place. I've grown to love it. I know it well. I know the streets and alleys. I know where all the Albert Heijns are. I know and love this big city that's really not all that big. It really does have the perfect mix. If only it had some mountains ;] I'll be leaving tomorrow for England, but will already be plotting my return. Thanks to all the people who made Amsterdam a possibility...most namely: Annie and Petra. And thanks to all the friends I've made along the way: Dives, Travis, and Sander (and the whole Beer Temple Crew). Good luck to everyone. I'll see you when I get back ;]
Zach
Zach
Sunday, June 26, 2011
The Rain In Amsterdam
After some beers at The Beer Temple I'm ready for walking through the canals. And I head out. And I notice the falling mist; the miniature ripples spread out across the surface of the water. The long tendrils of bright orange light reaching for something unknown down the ends of dark streets and the angled shadows of street posts in the night. I find the night folding in on itself and I want to stand still and listen to everything happening around me: the light rain falling, the distant echo of voices, the clicking of high heels on cobbles, the metallic grinding of the gears of a passing bicycle.
After a brisk walk I'm at the footbridge at the end of Herengracht and I walk across, momentarily enjoying the lights on the canal below. Eventually I'm walking up the spiral staircase to my friends flat. Even later still, I'm listening to Jack Johnson as I lay in the dark listening to rain on the roof. "All the day's rewards waiting at the doors of sleep........"
06 26 11 0234
After a brisk walk I'm at the footbridge at the end of Herengracht and I walk across, momentarily enjoying the lights on the canal below. Eventually I'm walking up the spiral staircase to my friends flat. Even later still, I'm listening to Jack Johnson as I lay in the dark listening to rain on the roof. "All the day's rewards waiting at the doors of sleep........"
06 26 11 0234
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Well
Here in A'dam still. And I'm back with another photoless post. This past week has sucked up much of my brain's energy. It is definitely good to be back in Amsterdam. It feels good cruising through the streets and canals on Old Bill. The mental battle always raging inside is the debate between whether or not to suck it all up and keep pushing for another month. My Ma and good friend Adria have both suggested I try and stick it out and this morning after breakfast I thought I'd broken through the clouds and glimpsed the greener grass on the other side. For a moment in fact I actually did and after showering I was deciding I may just push for it and live out the remaining month here in Europe. But, my mind really is stubborn and cannot forget the previous couple of days when I'd already decided to head to London and call it quits early. This morning while trying to sleep in the dorm two drunk girls came in around 4 am and did nothing but yap their mouths off. They didn't stop yapping for 2 hours. And while getting soaked in the Amsterdam rain walking to the next hostel I decided that I really am done. I lived here in Amdam for 2 months and now I'm back and falling in and out of hostels. I have a place for the next two nights (thank god) but then Sat and Sun are still unspoken for. As it is I'll have to switch dormitories at this current hostel after tonight. And while these things really are trivial, I don't want to stay in hostels while visiting Amsterdam. It somehow suggests I am just passing through, that this is the first time I am here and I am just another traveling tourist. Dorms and hostels are for the young. For the kids traveling for the first time who don't want to see anything else other than the big cities. They want to go to Red Light District and smoke in coffeeshops. And rent bikes and go on Amsterdam Dungeon Tours. At the very least hostels scream: I am temporary! And that's the exact opposite of what I currently want.
While Ireland is some place I would love to visit. And once there I would have a place to drop my luggage for a time, I think about the next week and it's just so daunting to me. Flying to Belfast then training it down to Dublin and eventually to Cork is a complex thing. I could fly directly to Cork and avoid the craziness of two more cities, but then I'd have to find accomodation in Cork for 4 nights. And I am acquiring more luggage. And I am also not accustomed to traveling through cities in the high season. It is much more difficult to find accomodation a week ahead of time. These things plus the fact that I haven't been able to do laundry in over 2 weeks is really just something I don't want to deal with. It's something I shouldn't have to deal with. I'm at this point where I don't want to meet other travelers. I'm tired of falling in and out of people's lives. I've these brief glimpses for a couple days or a few weeks and then it's another goodbye, farewell, or see you later I don't want to have to go through. The feeling of permanence is something I long for. And even when I get to Laraugh and drop my bags with Marie and Ger it will only be a matter of time until I have to say goodbye again. I much rather head to London, stay with my good friend Mosh, and not move for awhile.
And a lot of people may think I am crazy to consider giving up the freedom that I've currently, but I really do feel that I am done. I'd like to find a job, earn money instead of always worrying about it. One thing I've forgotten, and that other people have forgotten as well is that my initial goal in coming to Europe was to find a job in Amsterdam, rent a flat, and stay put for 6 months. I never planned to see Europe in the way that I have. And I'm not saying it's a bad thing by any means. You have to go with the flow when traveling. That's the only way to really enjoy it. But I am beyond this kind of travel. I don't want small glimpses.
As everyone knows, I can always come back to Europe. I can come back to Amsterdam. I can travel to Ireland. Even though Adria made a good point about things continuing with this current experience and the memories and times I may spend in Ireland will be unique, if I travel to Ireland in 2 years or 10 years those experiences will also be unique. And so I'm quite certain at this time that the decision is final. I'm tired of being a stranger amongst strangers. I want to fly to Seattle and contemplate the future. And so that's all that's left to do. Get to London and book a flight home and then it's all done. So there we have it folks: the decision has been made to call it quits....
Zach
While Ireland is some place I would love to visit. And once there I would have a place to drop my luggage for a time, I think about the next week and it's just so daunting to me. Flying to Belfast then training it down to Dublin and eventually to Cork is a complex thing. I could fly directly to Cork and avoid the craziness of two more cities, but then I'd have to find accomodation in Cork for 4 nights. And I am acquiring more luggage. And I am also not accustomed to traveling through cities in the high season. It is much more difficult to find accomodation a week ahead of time. These things plus the fact that I haven't been able to do laundry in over 2 weeks is really just something I don't want to deal with. It's something I shouldn't have to deal with. I'm at this point where I don't want to meet other travelers. I'm tired of falling in and out of people's lives. I've these brief glimpses for a couple days or a few weeks and then it's another goodbye, farewell, or see you later I don't want to have to go through. The feeling of permanence is something I long for. And even when I get to Laraugh and drop my bags with Marie and Ger it will only be a matter of time until I have to say goodbye again. I much rather head to London, stay with my good friend Mosh, and not move for awhile.
And a lot of people may think I am crazy to consider giving up the freedom that I've currently, but I really do feel that I am done. I'd like to find a job, earn money instead of always worrying about it. One thing I've forgotten, and that other people have forgotten as well is that my initial goal in coming to Europe was to find a job in Amsterdam, rent a flat, and stay put for 6 months. I never planned to see Europe in the way that I have. And I'm not saying it's a bad thing by any means. You have to go with the flow when traveling. That's the only way to really enjoy it. But I am beyond this kind of travel. I don't want small glimpses.
As everyone knows, I can always come back to Europe. I can come back to Amsterdam. I can travel to Ireland. Even though Adria made a good point about things continuing with this current experience and the memories and times I may spend in Ireland will be unique, if I travel to Ireland in 2 years or 10 years those experiences will also be unique. And so I'm quite certain at this time that the decision is final. I'm tired of being a stranger amongst strangers. I want to fly to Seattle and contemplate the future. And so that's all that's left to do. Get to London and book a flight home and then it's all done. So there we have it folks: the decision has been made to call it quits....
Zach
Monday, June 20, 2011
Traveling traveling traveling traveling travelingggggg and more traveling?
I have been doing a lot of moving around lately. Too much in fact. The last two weeks have been exhausting: I've hit Milan, Verona, Munich, Bad Oeynhausen, and now Amsterdam. I'm feeling like I need to sit still for a long while, breathe deep, and regain some of my lost vigor. Arriving here to Amsterdam I come to find my mind a bit fatigued. I remember feeling this way at the end of the 4.5 months in South America. I remember writing about the need to stop the wheels from turning; to grasp the feeling of permanance. I touched it briefly in Italy during the month I spent with the Littlehales, but then it was straight out back into the fire once I left.
The one thing that still amazes me is how things usually work out exactly how they should. There have been a few times when things don't work out, but those are rare indeed. In the last week I've formally arranged two hitchhikes that have taken me from Munich to Hannover and Hannover to Amsterdam, without a cellphone, just putting faith in the other person to stick to their word and be where they need to be at the correct time and place. And it all works out. People don't put enough faith in humanity this day in age (and for good reason mind you) but things usually work out for the best and people usually are good at heart. And this just so happens to be the perfect segway into my next thought...
I've been so fortunate throughout the past 5 months to have encountered, used, abused, befriended and then said goodbye to so many good people. And without them I would not have been able to remain here for 5 months. It's something I think about often. I only hope in time that I can give some of it back. I want to. It's something everyone should do. And it feels good to do that. To give without expecting something in return. I've been shown a great amount of kindness throughout my experiences here. I've interacted with thousands upon thousands of people and I only hope when they think back (if they remember) they think fondly of the times we shared.
I think that is one thing I've learned more about myself on this trip. The last few years I've been learning about how I fit into this world and this trip has revealed even more of this to me. I now have a good understanding of how I fit into the world and how my actions, words, and thoughts affect people. I suppose that's just one part of what I've learned on this trip. All very interesting now isn't it?
Anyhow to update the travels, I actually only snapped 5 non-beer related photos while traveling in Munich and Northern Germany. Quite sad but I didn't feel overly inspired and I was never presented with a clear opportunity to do so. Just means I'll have to go back :D There are a few other stories floating about in regard to my German experience, but I'll save that for later. I'm out for bed. See you soon.
Zach
The one thing that still amazes me is how things usually work out exactly how they should. There have been a few times when things don't work out, but those are rare indeed. In the last week I've formally arranged two hitchhikes that have taken me from Munich to Hannover and Hannover to Amsterdam, without a cellphone, just putting faith in the other person to stick to their word and be where they need to be at the correct time and place. And it all works out. People don't put enough faith in humanity this day in age (and for good reason mind you) but things usually work out for the best and people usually are good at heart. And this just so happens to be the perfect segway into my next thought...
I've been so fortunate throughout the past 5 months to have encountered, used, abused, befriended and then said goodbye to so many good people. And without them I would not have been able to remain here for 5 months. It's something I think about often. I only hope in time that I can give some of it back. I want to. It's something everyone should do. And it feels good to do that. To give without expecting something in return. I've been shown a great amount of kindness throughout my experiences here. I've interacted with thousands upon thousands of people and I only hope when they think back (if they remember) they think fondly of the times we shared.
I think that is one thing I've learned more about myself on this trip. The last few years I've been learning about how I fit into this world and this trip has revealed even more of this to me. I now have a good understanding of how I fit into the world and how my actions, words, and thoughts affect people. I suppose that's just one part of what I've learned on this trip. All very interesting now isn't it?
Anyhow to update the travels, I actually only snapped 5 non-beer related photos while traveling in Munich and Northern Germany. Quite sad but I didn't feel overly inspired and I was never presented with a clear opportunity to do so. Just means I'll have to go back :D There are a few other stories floating about in regard to my German experience, but I'll save that for later. I'm out for bed. See you soon.
Zach
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