April 17 -- Amsterdam and home

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My ears got stopped up, as we descended into Amsterdam.

I decided to try again to get something that might help........

I tried a "travelers' supplies" sort of place, but they told me I needed a perfume store.

Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.......

I tried a perfume store, and was told I needed a different perfume store; that I were to keep going in the direction I needed to go anyway, I would come to a big perfume store.  Across from the big perfume store was a small perfume store, and they would help me get some Otrivin.

Okay.  I thanked her profusely and headed on.

I found the big perfume store, and the small perfume store, and they had Otrivin (which, it turns out, is a lot like Afrin).  It will help open your sinuses, but may not be any use to your ears.................  "Well, better than nothing," I figured, so I said I would take it.

They told me I had to use it there and then, before I purchased it (??), so they could seal it into a special bag for me to take it through security.

Ok.  Whatever....  I mean, I'd already been through security in Milan, no?  But hey.  When I'm a stranger in a strange land, I just do what they tell me.  A lot more often than I would if I were here in the USA.  Partly that's because here in the USA, I think I know what I'm supposed to do, so I'm more likely to challenge someone who tells me something odd.  When I'm somewhere else, I have no idea what the rules are, and if they tell me my choice is to spray the stuff up my nose right there in the store, because then they're sealing it in a bag, well, who am I to argue with them?

I sprayed the inside of my nose, thanked them profusely, paid for the Otrivin, put it in my backpack, and headed off to find my gate.

Braille on the box!  Isn't that truly excellent?  I never thought to wonder how on earth blind people keep track of what's in which box or bottle.  Hooray for the Dutch, seeing to it that there is a way!



It turned out that I had to go through security again.  Xrays, instead of "only" metal detectors, as in Milan.  I suppose Schiphol has no idea what sort of "security" a person may have passed through, before they arrive in Schiphol, so they make sure you've been through what they consider to be adequate security before they let you on a plane.

I can see that.

We went through security that was just for our gate, as far as I could tell, and then hung out in a special sort of holding area until it was time to board.



Here we are, getting ready to go to Detroit.  One last cool European sky.

I bet I was in the company of more Americans than I had been since I left Detroit.  This is certainly the first Detroit Tigers Verlander (one of Detroit's pitchers) shirt I'd seen since then.

There were a bunch of guys on the plane that I think may be some sort of band.  Lots of hair and tattoos.

I was hoping he was looking up their own publicity, but I am sure this is not their band.  I looked up this band ... and the pics of the players don't match the guys on the plane.  Not to mention there was no woman with them.

I won't mention the name of this band in text, because I don't want to attract web-crawler attention, but the synopsis from one of the sites that Google found for me said "Featuring former members of bands such as Abuse and Burnher, they meld sludge, doom..."  

I bet their mommies are so proud..............................

I didn't see anything that seemed scary about the guys on the plane, but I have a suspicion I probably wouldn't enjoy their music...........



Now we are underway.  Adieu, Schiphol.  I want to come back and visit the newly-renovated Rijksmuseum!

I love finding the places in my airplane pics on Google maps...........  I believe the rectangular water is part of Tollenburg Park.

I am not sure what this is called, but it's the place where the river Amstel (which goes through Amsterdam) meets the English Channel.

An hour after the previous shot -- it's all cloudy.

Fifteen minutes later, not so cloudy.  I've tried to identify this, but so far, no success. 

Nearly four and half hours later....  I'm wondering if this is frozen ocean, or very wet land, or what........

You're nearly home when you're in your neighbor's back yard, right?  I feel that way, even when my neighbor is the size of Canada...........

Some of this is clearly land, as we can see the road.  I worked from the assumption that the plain white shape is a lake, and tried of identify it, but without success.  I believe we are looking north.......  And I think we're about three hours away from Detroit.

My ears actually opened up, some hours into the flight.  That seemed like a good sign.  I was allowed to use the Otrivin again after 4-6 hours, so I ripped open the special go-through-security bag, and used it again after about 6 hours had elapsed.

It may have helped, I don't know, but my ears were stopped up again when we began to descend for Detroit.  I spent the last 20 minutes or so of the flight rubbing around my ears, pretty hard, trying to keep them from exploding.

I was successful -- no explosion -- but my ears were totally clogged.  Going through customs, barely able to hear, was ... different.  I warned the customs agents that my ears were not working very well, and I believe I understood their questions.... 

Flying with a cold -- not good.

Ah well.

I had a smooth and easy re-entry to the US.

I noticed, when I was done, that one of the band members was taking a long time to get fingerprinted.  Apparently all foreigners entering the USA now have to be fingerprinted.........

My better half was at the airport, so I was home not long after I got through customs.

Hooray.



My spiffy new tag got dirty, but at least it didn't get lost, and the suitcase arrived in fine shape.

Double hooray.

I can't believe I'm done talking about this trip, after spending hours almost every day for about five weeks, working on pics and writing about the trip.



Another amazing once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Happy sigh......




If you want to go along to the doc and watch me get diagnosed with an ear infection, that post is here.

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