Void of Inspiration

I finally got hold of Jared’s blog that he had promised he would send me and found a blog he wrote of meeting me in Amsterdam! I figured today would be a nice day to post it to remember the days where I was a bit more secure in the world.

“Every night she smokes a cigarette before going to bed to celebrate another day lived. For good reason: Death and destruction are always hanging over her. Six months into a year-long journey, many of the places she’s visited have been plagued by some kind of disaster. In Hawaii, a nearby volcano erupted while approaching tsunami waves threatened to batter the coastline. In Iceland, another volcano spewed out a huge black cloud that sent the city into disarray and grounded flights for a week. These are just a few of the calamities that have followed her. Her name is [Author] and I met her in a hostel in Amsterdam.

While she might seem like a swirling ball of chaos – someone who strikes a match and watches every city she visits burn – [Author] was one of the most relaxed, creative and welcoming people I’ve come across in my travels – the calm in the storm, if you will.

This all became apparent to me when we were in a park outside of our hostel at night. Given how bad things have a way of following her, I joked we should sit on opposite sides of a bench. In front of us, a steady breeze blew life into wisps of grass and bushes that lined a pond. We sat there for several hours, kidding about “finding ourselves” on our long journeys and speculating on if a disaster was going to greet Amsterdam while she was there (as far as I know, nothing happened). It seemed like the last place a tornado, earthquake, volcano, pond monster or some other crazy act of nature would strike.

A lesson in contrasts, she’s a programmer for a fairly large company by day. By night, she enjoys painting and photography.  I saw the latter of her talents on display when we met the following day to do some more park sitting and visit the Anne Frank Museum. I haven’t seen many of her paintings yet, but she promised to send me one. Not looking forward to leaving Europe in a few months, but I do look forward to opening my mail box.

My last night in Amsterdam, we met near midnight. She wanted to take pictures of Amsterdam’s famous canals by moonlight. Even with drizzling rain, she lined up a few cool shots. I don’t know much about photography, but I liked the contrast between the bright yellow lights bordering the archways of the canals and the calm, dark water – a hazy effect amplified by her lens. As the night went on, the weather increasingly interfered with picture taking, so we returned to what we do best: sitting on benches. We talked about lucid dreams and why people are more likely to wear their hearts on their sleeve when they travel. When we weren’t talking or joking, we “listened to the city’s music,” as she said. In the day, it’s a cacophony of competing noises. At night, the occasional sound here and there – distant voices, cars honking, music emanating from far off bars – play together like instruments, making for perfect night listening.”

-Jared