Well, the ship I work on is still sitting tied up to the dock in Rotterdam. It went through shipyard in Germany for about three months before sailing to Rotterdam where it's been sitting now for over two months. It's been up for sale, and I'm told there is a buyer, but it's just a matter of filling out all the paperwork that goes along with buying it from the bank then turning around and selling it to another company. We're all anxious to find out how it unfolds and to get back to work. However, working on a ship that's stays at the dock in a European port has it's advantages.While Bremerhaven, Germany was bitter cold (and rather boring) during the winter, Rotterdam has been a refreshing change. Nicer weather, a more interesting city, and a bicycle to explore on have made my time there seem almost like a little vacation. I decided to push my flight back a couple days to explore Amsterdam on my own, that's probably actually where the vacation feeling came in.
I'd never been to Amsterdam before and was amazed at how beautiful it is. Gorgeous, old brick buildings, canals everwhere, a million city bicycles... I spent most of my three days there just walking around and trying to take it all in. If I ever go back, I'll make sure to rent a bicycle for at least a day, but this time I didn't want to miss anything and wanted to enjoy slowly meandering through a new place.
This past year has been, by my standards, relatively normal. There haven't been any exciting trips or vacations, but a few fun out of town get-aways: a couple ski trips, a friends birthday bicycle ride on one of the islands here. Next week, I'll be going on a short backpacking trip along the coast for a few days with a couple friends. Even though, it looks like it might be crappy weather, I'm still looking forward to it. It's a trail I haven't been on yet and I've got quite a bit of new gear I haven't tried out, also, I don't think we're planning on covering more than 10 miles per day, so, it should be relatively easy.
I don't know how things will work out this summer as far as my work schedule yet, but I'm hoping to make it back east for a visit. I'd love to be able to visit friends and family from DC to Maine over a two week period, but at this point, I'll just have to wait and see how things unfold with work.
