Touched down...touched

From Dakar to Brussels and Brussels to Amsterdam, I arrived with all my bags and all my brains. It’s lovely to be under David and Michael’s roof.

This gorgeous day—flawless blue, cloudless, mid-70s--day dawned much earlier than in Senegal. The sky began to get light around 5 and I was ready to get up and have some real coffee. Out around 7 to walk and admire the difference between early spring and late spring in this city of canals. En route to Dakar, the trees were still budding; now, they are deep green and in full leaf. Then, everyone bundled up against the cool temperatures of late winter; now, they are in skirts, short sleeves, sandals and sunscreen.

After four years of multiple visits to Amsterdam, I can feel my way around the city without a map, whether walking or biking. I like having some sense of where I am and where I'm going. And it is a perfect day to be out and about.