Flying into Amsterdam this morning, it was amazing just how different this land is from Greece. The latter is characterized by a hard terrain: uniformly mountainous, with a dry, arid climate. Holland, on the other hand is wet and lush. And it's clear from the air that it is also as flat as a pancake.
June is always a good time to be in Europe from a sporting perspective. While I'll miss Wimbledon this year--it starts a week later than usual, compared to the school calendar my life operates on--I've seen a lot of grass court action from the Queen's Club tournament this week on both Eurosport and BBC. And, of course, there seems to be some sort of soccer tournament getting people's attention here as well. I arrived in Holland early this afternoon and while the Greeks were clearly following the World Cup, the Dutch have a team in the competition and are doing well, so it's a BIG deal. (The photo above is of Holland team and fans decked out in their traditional orange garb.)
As I write these words, I am watching the U.S. side fight a must-win contest in its second game of the round robin against the Italian team. It's hard not to get caught up in the event while here in Europe. I'm sure England will be in the throes of soccer madness, too, when I arrive there on Monday. Anyway, I've been prepping a bit by reading an enjoyable book of essays: The Thinking Fan's Guide To The World Cup, with some excellent contributions by the likes of Nick Hornby, Dave Eggers, and Choatie (and The New Yorker writer) Jim Surowiecki. I recommend it, even for the casual soccer aficionados. (The pic below if the cover to the U.K. edition, which I picked up here in Amsterdam; there is a different cover in the U.S., but apparently the same content.)
It's official . . . Sir Paul McCartney is 64!
Our KLM flight from Vienna deposited our group in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, where I picked up the U.K. edition of Wired, with a pretty interesting cover story on lessons to be learned from Steve Jobs.
Our connection to JFK departs shortly.
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