Monday, 27 August 2012
Amsterdam
Monday, 9 pm
I am looking out my 7th floor window on the River Ij as the lights of the city come on. The Mowenpick Hotel is built directly over the Cruise Passenger Terminal and if I wake up early enough on Thursday I will be able to watch as the Eurodam docks below my window.
Amsterdam has finally been developing the riverfront behind Centraal Station--a new concert hall, hotels, office blocks, the new cruise terminal. All this is just a 5-minute walk from the station, or an even quicker ride on the tram that stops across the street (although I recommend a taxi if you have luggage).
The train ride from Berlin was uneventful. I must have done something really bad in a previous life to end up sitting in front of two women whose shrill voices went non-stop the entire 6+ hour trip. Even my noise-reducing headphones could not keep out the unintelligible gibberish.
So I will make this a short entry and give a fuller report on the vibes of Amsterdam tomorrow.
Monday, August 27, 2012
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At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.