… still learning how to make that way.
When I spit these Bars
Come F*** with these Stars
Up in luxury cars….
Cruising on the train from Amsterdam to Hamburg. A little later than expected. I guess no matter how many times you do this (5 and counting in Europe, plus all those others in Australia) even the best laid plans of mice and men go awry.
I’m a veteran. I can pack for 5 months in less than an hour. I can pack an entire life, and 5 years of things into two bags… I thought I had it figured it out.
Let’s backtrack. I was flying into Amsterdam Thursday night departing from Detroit at 955PM, on my favorite airlines, my frequent flyer program, the one and only DELTA. I show up about 3 hours early (learned some lessons along the way – like in 2007 when I showed up just 2 hours before my flight to Brussels at the DC airport and went through the wrong line (Domestic) in the wrong Airlines (US AIRWAYS instead of UNITED) had me sprinting to my gate and barely making it as the door was closing, my luggage – yeah that showed up a week later in Belgium. So of course I didn’t fly enough this year and lost my Medallion Delta Sky Miles status which means that even though I had 2 bags under 70lbs from Amsterdam to Detroit in August, now on basically the same flight back, 6 months later, I can only have up to 50lbs and one of the bags is charged. A small hitch, or so I thought.
Bumpy plane rides happen. It’s only a 7.5 hour journey, so I took a sleeping pill 30 min prior to take off to ensure about 6.5 to 7 hours of rest, so I could go on the Europe time and start getting my body adjusted to be ready to pitch in less than 3 days. About 30 min into the flight, even though I told the Air Hostess not to wake me for food, in a foggy-like state she still brought something, which I don’t remember eating but when she came by to pick up the food tray (waking me in about 20 min) there appeared to be some sort of bread and rice consumed, which I might still be sick from 36 hours later. From that point on I might have slept a total of 20 more minutes in the next 6 hours. I even tried another whole sleeping pill, and 2.5 hours into the flight, took another half. So that’s 2.5 sleeping pills in about 3 hours. The people behind me were clearly not interested in sleeping or getting on Europe time. They had the lights on, moved about the cabin, and chatted the entire trip. I looked for an empty seat to sprawl out on. Oh traveling. Sometimes…
So Joey picks me up at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam around 1230 in the afternoon. I’m thinking we’ll get some lunch, see my old teammates and good friends from Almere, maybe have dinner with this beautiful girl I’ve had a crush on for 2 years and then head off to Hamburg at 859 AM via Amsterdam Central. Met up with one of my best mates, Ben Merritt, my SS last year in Perth Australia, who I hooked up with the Almere job this year, and his girlfriend Caitlin. Sten, our ace pitcher and my great friend for the past two years at Almere, came along as well. But coordinating all these people, we didn’t eat until about 4. I guess that was my breakfast. Dutch hamburger and fries at my favorite restaurant at the Spui (see photo above)
Then this is where things get messy. I originally thought I should get a hotel by central station so I could be close to the station to get up in the morning with all my stuff…
Sten, however, kindly offered me to stay at his place the night. Half in a daze, jet lagged, unslept, I just said “yeah sure”… So Joey takes me, Ben, Caitlin, and another Almere guy Daan over to Sten’s place, which was a fair bit aways from Central Station, it’s alright, I thought, I’ll just get a cab in the morning, not a big worry. Well, we arrived to Sten’s place and it was the steepest flight of stairs I had ever seen. 4 flights up, he had this small apartment. We logged 2 – 55lb bulky bags up this thing. I’m a pro athlete but after a flight and not sleeping, I was panting like a dead tired dog on a hot august day. Tongue out and everything. That was the point where I strongly considered going to a hotel right then and there, but the ouwes (old men from Amsterdam) overrode my jet lagged confused state. Joey had to take the full car back to Almere anyways, so I agreed to stay at Sten’s. Fast forward about 12 hours. Its 5 AM, Sten is snoring like a slowly erupting volcano, and I honestly thought he was going to choke on his nose. I haven’t slept a wink, didn’t really eat dinner or lunch. And I don’t think having some wine was a good idea when I had the 2.5 sleeping pills a few hours earlier (although it seemed like days). As you guessed I could have called a taxi right there, woken Sten up, went to the train station and just waited for my train (for a ticket I purchased 3 weeks ago for 36 euros). Instead, I finally felll asleep around 6. Woke up around 1130 in a semi-panic. Ended up leaving one of my big bags at Sten’s, and jumped in a taxi to central station. A new ticket (90 euros) some albert heijn Kaiser Broodjes and Aquarias Orange drink, I’m about 200 euros lighter from one day… on my way to Hamburg finally.
Amsterdam.
Sten.
Traveling.
They’ll get you everytime.
First game in less than 24 hours. Can’t wait.
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