Amsterdam

...defies description. On the final night of my holiday, I decided against finding a place to stay - choosing instead to wander the streets until my morning departure, hoping to gain a better appreciation for what it means to be homeless and also, through the unpleasant force of exhaustion, to reset my biological clock to California time. It worked pretty well. I am not terribly jet-lagged (but after 24 hours of trains, planes, and terminals, I very much wanted to die).

I am now back in California, but my journey doesn't feel like it is over. Intellectually, there is a lot I want to accomplish. In many respects, the last two and a half months have put me through an informational and emotional overload. There is much for me to sift through if I want to make the most of what I experienced.

I know I want to make an exhaustive annotated photo album from the photos I've taken (over 10 gigs worth). My mental powers of retention are sadly limited, so I hope by going through my trip again through my photographs, while referencing my many notes, maps, guide books, and Wikipedia, that the adventure will be made a more permanent part of me. Also, I have been taking many panoramic photos; the results of which look something like this:

(click for better quality)

There will be more to come.