Away to Amsterdam

Why am I going to Amsterdam? My decision was actually triggered because of a class reunion being organised at my old school - a boarding school in Bath - this Saturday. 1985 was my leaving year, so I haven't seen some of those guys (and gals - we had a few in the Sixth Form) for 26 years. After some initial enthusiasm, I started to realise what a terrible idea it was, to 'go back'. I've spent several of the intervening years coming to terms with certain aspects of my enforced life away from home. This is not the place for any more details about that, but let me just say, I am who I am in no small part through my time at Prior Park, and meeting a group of my classmates, deliberately and in those buildings, isn't going to do me any good. Going abroad seemed logical, plus Steve has his best friend staying at home over the weekend. Anyway, as you know by now, I'm rather partial to an Adventure!

Liverpool Street Station isn't the Gare de l'Est, despite being my gateway once again to Europe, but it's pleasant enough.

I settled onto the 1900 out of Liverpool Street - eventually as I hadn't initially noticed I was in someone else's reserved seat.

I found another seat, facing backwards which for some reason I don't like though I'm not quite sure why.

The man next to me got out a gigantic laptop and started watching the film Captain America. I was slightly distracted out of the corner of my eye by all the shifting in and out of focus as the 'cameraman' tried to line up properly on the cinema screen.

As we passed the building site which is the new Olympic park, I thought "wow" at a great red steel twisting structure.

On the train I misread that the wifi was free, and after a convoluted registration process, decided against paying £2.95 for the journey - or what was left of it by then.

Off the train at Harwich (after an easy change at Maningtree) straight into the ferry terminal, and on board the Stena Hollandica after very little wait. This is essentially a floating hotel across the North Sea, very spacious and comfortable. My cabin was set as a double but I'm a dab hand at getting rid of unwanted bunks now. There wasn't much to do, so after a drink and a bite I retired. Well, there is quite a lot to do if you want to eat and drink and play slot machines. There's even a cinema.