Our time at Bois le Comte ended perfectly.
We spoke to our families on Skype, we had one vegan meal (which was delicious despite Zach;s former comment), and we spent time with those I feel we can now call friends - Dom, Tine, Alistair. One last round of beers, one last trumpet serenade, and some photos of Texas - what more could we ask for? The beauty of those people - the volunteers of Bois le Comte - is that we are all in search of the same thing: a life passionately lived. We continue down separate roads to various destinations, but we all strive to find that niche. I pray we all do.
We made it to Amsterdam with no problem. Our train from Florenville was late and for a second I thought we were going to have to return to Bois le Comte for another night! Everything worked out fine; we didn't have long waits between trains either. As we crossed into Holland Zach woke me up and we took in the flat beauty that is The Netherlands. It's gorgeous in the sun. Flat, yes, but not Kansas or West Texas flat. It's green. There are rows of vegetables, pockets of cattle (black and white!), horses in all sizes, ducks, traditional and modern windmills, and bike paths. It's a pristine and precise landscape. Nothing appears to be out of order or happenstance, but intended. Once we made it in to Amsterdam the weather was gorgeous; quite the change from the chilly breezes in Southern Belgium. We decided to walk to our hostel and take in the city. It felt wonderful to be in a city again - the energy, the warmth, the hysteria. Bikes wizzing by us, people surrounding your being, street performers, shops with bright orange flags and banners. Despite what I just described Amsterdam is also peaceful and serene. There are tiny alleyways and passages that lead to quiet corners of the city. The canals bring a calm stillness to a city bustling day in, day out. It's incredible. Last evening we just strolled along the streets letting them lead us.
So now, we've had breakfast and are going to continue to find Amsterdam.
