The misadventure begins...

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I woke this morning in Utrecht, a smallish city about 25 minutes from Amsterdam. It's Thursday morning, and I left the USA Tuesday evening. Yet I feel as though I just arrived.

I used to be skeptical when I heard others talk of jet lag - assuming it was an affliction created and described to make sure people knew how worldly one was. I know differently now. Yesterday was a blurred mosaic of sights, smells, sounds and promises.

One such promise was to begin a blog, and keep it current so the memories of this misadventure could be shared with others and archived for yours truly.

For those who've spent less than a  nanosecond with me recently, perhaps I should describe the misadventure. I'm on my way to Christ University in Bangalore, India to teach a 5-week summer class. This is my first experience as a visiting professor, and the first time I'll set foot in Asia.

I opted for a 5-day layover in Europe in route to India, and this is day two.

Why Utrecht? I chose to recover from jet lag (ain't I global?) here because it's pretty close to Amsterdam Schipol International Airport (into which I arrived, and from which I will depart) - and because it's not Amsterdam. I love the city, but have been there before - and sought a more relaxing, authentic experience.

In Utrecht, I'm hanging my hat (literally and figuratively) at the Hostel Strowis for $18 Euros per night (about $26 in US dollars). The price and the hostel's central location are the good news. The bad news is that I share a bathroom with about 20 half-my-age euro-backpackers and a bedroom with four of them. But so far, I really don't mind. The only real inconvenience is storing my stuff in a locker two narrow, steep flights of stairs from my multi-bunk bedded room.

Today, I have no plans. It's noon here (6am in Ohio), and I just had a quick IM exchange with my person. I miss her -- and doubt that I deserve such a supportive partner. Perhaps that'll be the topic of a future blog update.

Speaking of future blogs. It's hard not to ramble on about what I plan to do in the coming days and weeks. So I'll conclude with a quick recap of what's to come. Tomorrow, I take the train to Belgium to dust off old memories with Greg (a best friend from my college days) for the first time in 20+ years. And on Sunday, I depart Europe for India.

Allow me to close with a quote from John Barrymore. 

"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams."