The hotel I’m in has the usual channel on the TV that shows you all about the place, the restaurants, the movies, and so on.  But in the background, they’re playing a local radio station, and I could make enought sense of the Dutch announcements to identify it as Sky Radio.  On a whim, I went to Google Netherlands and sure enough the station has a website (here if you’re interested).  A terrific variety of music — I don’t think I’ve ever heard Sugababes and The Righteous Brothers on the same station, let alone consecutively.  Very listenable — it’ll be on my streaming list from now on.

The state of the union might be good, but the state of the Union is not.  Rog and I are both making statements like “this is our last trip to America”, which now that we have left the US are reinforced by the difference between travelling to and within the US and our experience so far in Europe.  What follows borders on political, and is possibly a rant partially fuelled by a can of Danish beer, but I can see no good coming from the US’ obsession with security.

I’m not going to get started on 9/11 or the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan — I don’t have anything to add on these topics.  But as a foreign traveller who visited the US a couple of times just prior to 9/11 and on numerous occasions since — a traveller from a supposed key ally and “friend” of the US too, I might add — I am appalled at the way that the US treats its own citizens and its visitors.  Dignity and privacy go out the window in a US airport nowadays, or at a foreign airport for flights with US destinations.  Apparently it’s the price we have to pay for travelling by air these days.

We have taken what was even only ten or twenty years ago the most prestigious form of travel (with the possible exception of luxury ocean cruising) and turned it into one of the most impersonal, stressful and dehumanising experiences on the planet.  In my opinion, anyone who says that deprivation of liberty is a requirement for air travel is part of the problem — we should be intolerant, we should be complaining, we should be angry at what is happening.  The longer we “grin and bear it” the more it will become the accepted norm, and what will be next?  Every time we accept having our fingerprints and photograph taken at the US border we accept that part of our privacy and liberty be sacrificed to a foreign power, and what will be next?

The secondary issue to this is the attitude displayed by these screening people.  I do not doubt for a minute that these folk have a very difficult job — but if our attitude as travellers forms part of the screening process or carries the risk of prosecution, then so should the screeners’ attitudes be kept in check.  Are they deliberately being obtuse and agressive in an attempt to solicit a response from would-be aggressors?  Who knows.  But at the least, I would expect the courteous, respectful treatment that the TSA themselves state I should receive.

Even within the US things are different.  The street at the boundary of the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC has been closed, preventing clear access to one of the nicest White House photo opportunities.  Supposedly the most powerful man in the world, and he cowers from his own people behind concrete and steel and men with guns.  What happened to the Office of the President being more important than the person holding it?

I’ll post an update after I’m home, once I’ve calmed down from the whole travel scene — it might be that I’m just strung out from too much transit and not enough sleep.  I’d really like to think that

It’s 2050 (that’s 8:50pm) in Amsterdam, and it almost feels like it too!  :)  We arrived this morning, and caught a shuttle bus to the hotel.  A little walk along the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and down to Dam Square, then some lunch and back to the hotel for a nap was the extent of today’s activities, but this will change for tomorrow!

Before you ask, yes it’s cold!  I phoned home this morning while waiting for the hotel shuttle and dialling the phone was a definite adventure in fine-motor dexterity.  I’m beginning to realise why voice-activated dialling came about — these phones are all designed in Europe, aren’t they!

I really like the feel of Amsterdam Centraal — the narrow cobbled streets, the canals, the bicycles parked at every possible spot a bicycle can be parked, happy-looking people strolling down the streets (just don’t think about exactly why they might be looking so happy!), a general feeling of “all is right with the world”.

The room here at the hotel is very well equipped (well, for the price we’re paying it should be).  I have access to a Club Room, which provides a breakfast as well as free refreshments at all hours, and has a balcony with unique views of Amsterdam; free wireless Internet; and free mini-bar — yes, free mini-bar.  There’s a bunch of other benefits but I stopped reading after “free mini-bar” .  The good thing is that by booking direct on the Priority Club website I got this room at a comparable rate to what our travel agents could get for a standard room.  Anyone who wants a hotel recommendation for Amsterdam, let me know.

Back to Amsterdam…  I’m certain that my Dutch friend Rob could tell me about any number of places in Holland that have the same feel without the slightly grubby tarnish of Amsterdam (he would probably challenge “slightly” as well), but that doesn’t matter to me right now — I’ve got room service pizza and two free cans of Carlsberg to help me get over the jet lag (as far as I’m concerned, a half-litre can labelled “probably the best beer in the world” is a challenge, and is just screaming “drink me” to any red-blooded Aussie like me).

In spite of myself, I’ve successfully made it through to the British Airways lounge in Terminal 4 at London Heathrow.  Our connection on to Amsterdam comes next (in about an hour in fact).  Time to take a few moments to reminisce on the day in Boston…

We did end up catching one of the many trolley-bus services, which took us on a fine tour of Boston (with a quick trip up to Cambridge to check out what could be the university district).  Knowledgeable and generally enthusiastic drivers provided a running commentary as we drove around the city.  We also saw the USS Constitution, and while we did not actually go on-board (which would have involved a conducted tour, which we didn’t quite have time for) we did look through the USS Constitution Museum which gave us a thumbnail view of the early naval history of the US.

Boston’s Chinatown follows the usual theme for the Chinese districts in large cities — they always seem to be at the dingy low-rent end of town.  As a result our plan for a yum-cha lunch was derailed.

Still, we had a good day, and a good ride to the airport — our “shuttle”, arranged by the hotel for a total cost of US$25, ended up being a stretch limousine.  I think that would have to be the first time I’ve ever thought I’d like a trip to an airport to be longer!

BA’s hospitality on the flight from Boston was top-notch, but the airport experience has been less than stellar.  All my fault though, as I left passport and boarding pass on the plane and had to go back for them…  This made me effectively the last person off the plane and into the transit security check.  Never mind, I’m here now, intact and ready for the next stage!