Prologue: From Metro to Metro... getting from Amsterdam to Paris.

11:48am 5.10.2001

Holendrecht Metro Station, Amsterdam

Must stop thinking about the office. (Repeat 100 times).

It's a beautiful sunny day, I'm on holiday for two and a half days.

Seeing planes come in for landing is getting easier - I'm less likely to be reminded of the attacks in the States.

It really sucks because it used to make me happy to see them before, especially when I was in Australia. Every one was going somewhere exciting, and every one had people excited to be going somewhere, or about going home.

12:47pm

Amsterdam Centraal Station, Platform 14a

Feeling a lot better now. I've had a pistolet brie (for the irony value (ok, and because it was one of the few vegie options)), bought myself a big can of cold Grolsch (self-catering train trips rule), I've got a view of the IJ from the platform, and I'm going to be catching a fast train to Paris.

On the downside, my hair looks like I'd washed it, let it dry a bit and then slept on it, which oddly enough is exactly what I did.

After much deliberation, bought "Girl with a Pearl Earring" from AKO. The guy asked if it was a present for myself, I said "why not?" and we had a whole conversation about me being able to give myself a present.

Me: Oh, look, a present for me! I wonder what it is.
Him (being me): I hope it's a book!
Me: I hope it's the kind of book I would have chosen!
Both: Look! It is!

(Between you and me that's a tiny bit embellished, but it worked like that if you were actually there).

1:05pm

Thalys train, Centraal

It looks like I've got a really good seat - probably facing the wrong way, but still. A section of just eight seats, a pull-out table between each set of two, and heaps more leg-room.

We're off.