Day 10: Our Final Day in Europe Did Not Disappoint

This may very well be my final blog post for this trip.  I sometimes try to write a summation after a few days of reflection, but it doesn't always happen.  Today was our final full day in Amsterdam and in Europe.  We will be departing tomorrow morning and slowly making our way home.  For those of you with travelers accompanying us, I'd like to thank you in advance.  Your kids have been one of the most sincerely gracious group of kids that I've ever worked with.  This is the largest group of SHS students to travel to Europe and you would think that there would be some major issues with 50 people flying half way across the globe, but, to date, there have been no issues...The kids have been great and we have been told so by many of the Europeans we've met.  For the family friends of those who are traveling with us, and to new readers of this blog, I would like to thank you.  Each day, I watch the view count increase by the hundreds and I am humbled by the words that I've received in personal emails, comments on the blog, and in the messages relayed to me by the kids.  It is those words of encouragement that let me know my efforts are not in vane and that this mode of communication allows you to peek into our trip and our experiences.

Today, we visited the Anne Frank house.  Our visit brought me to several places.  First, I went back to Logan Airport about 11 days ago.  Nearly 45 kids from Saugus has crossed through security and were anxiously awaiting their own personal adventure.  I tried my best to speak with many of them.  My usual question was, "What are you looking forward to the most?"  Naturally, some of the kids said the names of our cities or landmarks like the Eiffel Tower...things you'd expect.  A bunch of kids, however, said that they were looking forward to Anne Frank's house.  I was surprised that many of these kids had never even read her diary, but they all knew her story.  My visit brought me to last year's Europe trip as well.  Last year, we went on a History of the Holocaust tour.  A few of those travelers were with us today.  On that tour, we visited two concentration camps and many more memorials to those who lost their lives in Holocaust.  We were as prepared emotionally as we thought we could be.  A similar sentiment was felt today.  There was a somber mood on our bus as we approached Amsterdam today.  Our kids understood the magnitude of the events that caused our tour group to arrive at this little dutch house to honor a young lady whose live only lasted 14 years, but whose message of toleration and acceptance will live forever.  Whether walking on the grounds of Auschwitz or down the hallways of Anne's house, one can feel the weight of history upon their shoulder.  It is a heavy feeling of despair mixed with the awesome sense of responsibility one gains to never let it happen again.  As I've noticed with this year's blog, I find myself reflecting to my prior trips to Europe quite a bit.  The visit today brought me back to my first visit to Amsterdam, I was probably 19 years old.  My girlfriend at the time and I were visiting my brother Dave and my sister in law, Gina.  We drove into the city and parked.  I had promised my mother that I would visit the Anne Frank house, but when we got to the building and saw the line, I recommended that we skip it.  How selfish of myself to suggest skipping this important lesson of history.  I regretted it almost instantly.  It meant that I would have to lie to my mother about visiting...a lie that stood for nearly two years.  I was immature, but I promised myself that I would come back.  I did that three years ago.  I realized, instantly, how terrible my decision was and I was moved by the testimony provided by the museum and by Anne's words.  I am reminded of this because not one of our students complained about being there...none of them asked if they could go shopping.  All of them took their time to read, to understand, to grieve.

The museum is beautifully designed.  There are several chambers that include words from Anne upon the wall.  You walk through the original house and see displays regarding the eight people who hid from the Nazis.  At several intervals, video clips from Anne's father, a family friend who helped them while they hid, and one of Anne's school friends provide insight into her character.  At all of these places, and in all of these rooms, you would find kids from Saugus silently reading, or watching, reflecting on our past.  I am not a very emotional person, especially in public, but I was moved to tears when I entered into the Attic with one of our kids.  She turned to me and began to cry...it was deeply emotional and as I gave her a hug of reassurance, I felt the tears welling in my eyes.  She couldn't understand how people could be so cruel to each other.  I am sure she was not the only one of our kids who wept as we learned of Anne's struggle in that attic and in her world.  At the conclusion of the exhibit, there is a final video presentation.  It includes clips from Anne's father and others.  Nelson Mandela, Natalie Portman (who once played Anne), and author John Greene (The Fault in Our Stars) all provide their thoughts.  The video asks us to remember that all of Anne's would haves are our possibilities.  The things this little girl dreamed of are the responsibilities we share among ourselves.  I often ask our kids what they think of the things they've seen.  Normally, I get responses like, "It was good." Today, I let our kids keep their emotions to themselves.  It wasn't because I didn't care, it was because I knew they did.

I walked over to the guestbook to sign my name and record Saugus High School's presence, but I found computer terminals.  They were asking guests to stop and reflect.  They wanted us to write our thoughts and share them with the world.  Here is a link to the digital guest book.  I checked it out before writing tonight's blog.  I wanted to see if my words made it online yet.  They had, but I quickly realized I was not alone.  Many of our students took time to think and leave their mark on history.  Their words are more eloquent than anything I've written on these pages and their pledges to keep Anne's memory alive were inspiring.  As I read, I saw the words from the young lady whose tears had moved me earlier that day.  She ended her thoughts with this quote, "I wish I could be as loving as Anne."  Little does she know...she is.

Bailey walking into the museum and seeing some photographs of Anne.

This is the first set of stairs that ultimately led to the hidden annex.

It was behind this bookcase that Anne, and seven others, hid from the Nazis.

The words of Anne's father, Otto, were very moving.

A photo of part of Anne's diary.

Our day was not filled with sorrow.

A little before we entered Anne Frank's house, David took us to a memorial dedicated to homosexuals who have faced bigotry and intolerance.  As David explained it significance, two Nederlanders approached on bicycles.  They were most certainly under the influence.  They were pleasant enough and caused a few laughs as one of them asked us several times if we had cigarettes.  The other young man had informed us that he was gay (apparently because we were near the memorial), but his friend was single.  Eventually, the two men hopped back onto their bikes and rode off into the early morning dew.  I hope they made it home safely and us chaperons used it as an opportunity to remind the kids why they should not do drugs.

After our tour of Anne's house, we had a guided city tour of Amsterdam.  A guide, Frank, climbed aboard the EF bus and we began.  After about 10 minutes of Frank sharing his thoughts on his city, he stopped the tour. His brother was randomly walking about and Frank had a quick chat.  It was really fun to see.  Frank told us that we were on our way to see the Mad Farmer.  As we crossed canals and made our way to the outskirts of Amsterdam, Frank relayed a story to us about his father.  He told of the day when the Canadians marched into the city liberating it from the Nazis.  Frank showed us the spot where his 9 year old father stood, flag in hand, and welcomed his heroes into his hometown.  That was cool.

Frank showing us where he lives in Amsterdam.

We pulled into the parking lot of the Rembrant Farm.  It was a last minute addition to our tour, but it quickly became one of the highlights.  I will start with the actual tour.  We entered into a little farm house and met our guide.  She was a lovely woman who explained to us the process used to create a traditional Dutch cheese.  She was super sweet and eventually offered a few of us a free sample.

After learning about cheese, we entered into the second part of the tour.  This farm makes Clogs.  At this point, our tour was taken over by a man who has earned the nickname among Coach Drivers as The Mad Farmer.  This man is a legend.  First, he explained, with many moment of comedy, how clogs are made.  His presentation was interactive and entertaining.  He made a clog right in front of us. Secondly, we've begun hearing rumors that he speaks over 10 languages and is a multi-millionaire.

Mad Farmer explaining his craft.

Making a clog.

 The Mad Farmer also mentioned to us that his 41 cows are among the best cheese producers in all of Holland.  His farm is a small one, but he makes a higher quality cheese and recycles all of the waste products from the process.  The cutest piece of news, however, was that his herd was recently blessed with the addition of a baby calf.  He told us the calf was 1 day old.  After the heart-wrenching visit to Anne Frank's house, this Mad Farmer and his baby cow were uplifting...and exactly what we needed.

It was now lunch time.

We went back to the Damrak area for lunch.  There are a lot of stores along the Damrak selling souvenirs and sandwiches.  We had 45 minutes to grab something to eat, but of course, a couple people couldn't tell time correctly.  As everyone gathered for the bus, it was apparent that 4 people were missing.  We had been really lucky for the past couple of days...with one little accidental hiccup.  Today, however, the missing 4 people were chaperons...and I was one of them.  I could tell you an elaborate tale of longer than expected food preparations or souvenir stores with slow service, but the fact is we were late.  We approached just as the bus was pulling away.  I quickly told David to carry on to the Rijksmuseum without us...we would walk there.  I told the other chaperons that I knew how to get there and that it would only take about 20 minutes.  Well, I am not nearly as good at reading Dutch maps as I think I am...and about 40 minutes later we walked into the museum to see paintings from Rembrant, Van Gogh, and a multitude of others.

The Night's Watch...It is not a Game of Throne's reference.

We stayed at the museum until it closed.  We walked across the courtyard to pose for some pictures with one of Amsterdam's most well known landmark.  I did my best to capture all of the kids:

It was dinner time.  Our last dinner together.  Cafe Funk produced a quality piece of chicken and a tasty veggie lasagna.  It wasn't the food, however, that caught everyone's attention.  One of the waiters looked like Justin Beiber...kind of...

Mr. Buss beliebing that this young man wanted his picture taken.

We eventually faced reality and caught the bus back to our hotel.  Our trip is ending.  The kids are supposed to be in bed asleep right now, but I am sure in a few of the rooms, there are whispers and quiet giggles.  The feeling of anticipation has given way to the thoughts of memories.  Their favorite food, or riding the metro, or solving the Jack the Ripper case is floating through their thoughts.  The little farmhouse in Western France which hosted the Flunch World Cup and the posh London hotel with a breakfast like no other are now distant memories.  The countdown to this trip has flipped.  Not all of the memories will stick with us forever, but who knows, 22 years from now, one of these kids from Saugus could find themselves once again on this continent.  When they least expect it, the will remember something about this tour...A Mad Farmer or his baby cow, their first kebab sandwich, or the feeling of national pride they felt while walking through the American cemetery at Normandy.  We've seen a lot on this trip and our brains are filled with mixed emotions.  It is our final night...it is bittersweet.

Author's Note: I would be amiss if I did not take some time to thank a couple of people for their efforts on this tour.  Jacqui Alongi has nearly finished her first tour as a group leader.  She has done a fine job of organizing our trip and ensuring the safety of all of our kids.  I am, as I always have been, proud of her and her efforts.  David Harrod will probably never read this, but I am thanking him anyways.  A tour director's job begins months before the tour begins.  The kids may never truly realize the effort he put into making this a magical trip, but I could tell...Thank you David.  The other chaperons also put forth tremendous effort to make the kids love every minute of their trip.  You learn a lot more about each other than you could ever do in a classroom setting.  I would also like to thank the Saugus High School Alumni Association.  This is the second year that they've donated sweatshirts to the travelers.  Mike Nelson also gave me a SHS baseball cap to wear with pride on this trip.  Together, the sweatshirt and hat helped kids figure out where we were and provided an additional layer of safety.  I am sure that I should be thanking someone else...but the greatest thank you of all goes to the 41 kids who I've come to know a lot better because of #EuropeTrip15.  If one must travel to learn, then we've learned quite a bit.  Thanks for another life changing experience kids!!! You Rock.

Mr. Lavoie, quietly packing his suitcase and preparing for his trip home.  

Day 9: Amsterdam adventures and culinary challenges

What a long day today was...

We woke around 4:30 am and made sure our last few things were packed up.  We had a quick breakfast and headed out to the bus for the quick ride to the Gare Du Nord train station.  We have nearly 50 people in our group and the prospect of putting that many people on and off a train was resting heavily on our minds.  

The long long of travelers making their way into the station in France.

A bunch of camped out for a quick respite awaiting for our train to open up.

I was passenger 57!!!

I was jealous of these kids who got on the train early.  I was at the end of the line.

David used his 17 years of experience to prepare us for the challenge.  He called it a military procedure.  The plan was for each of us to have an assigned role and to complete the task without pause.  We had to remove 50 pieces of luggage and 50 people in under 3 minutes...using only 1 exit of the train's car.  About 10 of us were assigned the role of backpack keepers.  They collected all of our carry-ons and when the train stopped, they were to go outside and form a pile of these bags.  Ms. Alongi and Ms. Mottola would watch over these bags.  The kids still on the train, and the other chaperons, would form an assembly line like formation passing each bag down the line until it reached the entry way.  At last, we made it to our stop and it was time to put the plan into action.  We were like a well oiled machine.  Everyone performed flawlessly.  The folks on the train were actually cheering for us.  No one complained, no one lollygagged, and no one shirked from their duty.  I am not sure how long it took us, but it didn't matter...we were successful.

A celebratory pose after beating the world record of train disembarkments!!!

As we made our way to the bus, we were shocked to see that EF Tours was present in Amsterdam.

Our driver, Thomas, was very professional and helped us load the luggage into our beautiful bus.  He almost immediately began engaging us and helping David make the rest of our stay as great as possible.  I could tell that he cares deeply for the Netherlands and that he has a lot of pride in what he does.

Amsterdam is a really unique city for a variety of reasons.  The architecture is one of them.

Thomas dropped us off in the City Centre and we went off to find some lunch. It has been a long day and there were plenty of options along the Damrak.  I know a bunch of kids went off and found falafels. I heard a couple of the other kids went to a Crepe place, lol.  I had a cheeseburger and frieds (very adventurous of me).  I also tried croquettes.  These were little deep fried treats that contained potato, ham, and cheese.  They were really good.  After lunch, we met for an hour long canal tour.

Our Captain.  Some thought he looked like SHS's Mr. Fontanella.

Cruise Selfie.

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All seven bridges are supposed to be visible down this canal.

The canal tour was fun, but a slight rain had started.  It made it difficult to get the pictures that we wanted, but the tour was informative.  The rain subsided near the end of the tour and our captain was able to open the window.  It had become a little hot in the boat and the change of weather was a nice surprise.  It was after the cruise that we embarked on a little walking tour of Amsterdam.  David was our guide.  He started off by talking about the differences in cultures that we see when traveling.  He talked about the Dutch and how their way of life is a little more relaxed and liberal than ours.  I think he introduced the Red Light District with a strong sense of professionalism.  For those of you not aware, there are things that are legal in Amsterdam that are not legal in Boston...namely marijuana and prostitution.  The Red Light District is the zone in the city where these things are available.  From a cultural perspective, the Dutch have a strong argument for these things being legal and David took us on a quick walk through a small portion of the district.  It was almost the same exact route that a different tour director, Thierry, took a smaller group down several years ago.

These types of things are those that chaperons can worry about.  On the one hand, we think it is important for kids to see other cultures and to talk about our differences.  On the other hand, we know parents are concerned about the safety and well being of their children.  Of course, we balance this with diligence and discussion.  As we walked through the district, I found myself in a conversation with Danielle.  She wasn't quite aware that prostitution was legal here.  She was a little shocked to see how open the Dutch culture was to something taboo in America.  We talked about it and found ourselves discussing the Dutch political structure and comparing different types of governments.  We spoke about the changes occurring in our own country and the proposed changes happening in Massachusetts when discussing marijuana use.  Danielle said something to the effect of, "I need to learn about how these things work if I am going to be voting soon."  We put the motto "One Must Travel To Learn" on our shirts and literature for a reason.  We learn through our experiences even if they are taking two minutes of our day to walk through a culturally unique portion of a foreign town.  Our experiences provoke discussion.  The discussions lead to learning.

David's tour wasn't just of the Red Light District.  He took us to a couple of different squares and shopping areas.  We were given some free time near the Flower Market to shop for souvenirs.  A couple of us entered into a Dutch Cheese Shop and helped ourselves to numerous samples.  We may have had too many samples.  When our time was up, we converged on our meeting spot.  There was a little vendor there selling Herrings.  Of course, I ordered one...

I hate fish.  I try it sparingly at best, but sometimes, you need to lead by example.  The herring was only a couple of Euro and I knew I could convince a couple of kids to try it.  I had to publicly show how brave I was and so I grabbed a small portion of the fish and ate it.  It was gross.  Actually, it was worse than gross...but I chewed it up and swallowed it anyways.  Then, one by one, kids came up to try their herring.  Some liked it, others did not.  Soon the entire fish was gone.  Some kids, who initially said NO, eventually caved and tried the herring.  While the Red Light District is one example of a cultural difference, so is the Herring.  I was so proud of the kids who tried the herring today.

We were meeting to head for dinner and when we did our head count, two of us were missing.  The group waited a few minutes past the meeting point and then David gave Ms. Alongi directions to dinner.  Mr. Buss and I stayed with David and began a systematic search of the Flower Market for the two missing students.  As an old city, Amsterdam has a couple of twists and turns and it is easy to get a little turned around.  So, when I finally saw Jenna and Kacey in the middle of a crowded market, I could tell they had been a little lost.  They were very happy to see me, but I think they were also a little embarrassed and/or scared.  We told them not to worry about it...our group has been great in terms of punctuality and sometimes these things happen.  I let them know that I had to conduct a similar search last year in Nuremberg, Germany and that they could use the lesson as a learning opportunity.  They did the right thing.  It is the type of thing that helps make us become more independent and teaches us a bit of street smarts.  Despite what you might thing, Amsterdam is a very safe city for people of all ages.  The area surrounding the Flower Markets is filled with people, but is also fairly small.  While I am sure it took them a little longer than they would have liked to find us, it was really just a matter of time before they did.

We went to a place called Wagamama's for dinner. It is a chain and they have them locally.  The kids all seemed to love their dinner.  Poor Alison had to wait until everyone else was served...and some were finished...before she got hers, but we all had enough to eat.  I was super impressed with Diana's ability to help others...finish their meals.  Alas, our day at the dam had finished and we were soon headed to our hotel.  We have a full day planned ahead of us tomorrow and we are all looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Mr. Lavoie, currently in the Netherlands and relishing every minute of it.

Day 8: Au revoir Paris.

Tonight is our final night in Paris.  It is only 9:30pm our time, but most of the kids are getting ready for bed.  We have an early morning wake up call for an early train to Amsterdam.  It shouldn't be tough for them to fall asleep because we've had another exhaustingly great day.

Breakfast at our current hotel has been fine.  I am not a huge fan, but I spoke with more than a couple students who loved the cereal.  We met for breakfast and gathered outside to catch the metro.  Our first stop for the day was the Louvre.  We were trying to get there early so we would not have to wait in their legendary lines.  We did it.

Our group as we moved towards the line at the Louvre.

Our plan.  To be the first group in line.  We were!!!

The line two hours later.  Our effort really paid off.

Our tour director David was brilliant in getting us to the Louvre so early.  We only waited about 20 minutes before the gates opened and then we were free to roam the entire museum.  It is the largest in the world and so we knew it would be difficult to cover it all, but most of us decided to go straight to the prized possession of the Louvre: The Mona Lisa.  We passed security and made our way up the escalator to the Denon wing.  We scurried up three flights of stairs as quickly as is permissible in a place like the Louvre and we followed the signs into her chamber.  It was really cool because most of the people in the room were from Saugus High School.  We took our fair share of pictures...here are a few:

I had to get a selfie just so the kids would know they could too, lol. :)

I think that lady was smiling at me.

We left our dear lady and began looking around the rest of the museum.  There are thousands of paintings, sculptures, and other works of arts.  Some of the things we saw included the Winged God of Victory.

The Venus de Milo.

And some modern art too.

One of the coolest parts of this visit is how empty the halls were in the museum.  It was neat.  I remember, once again, to my first visit in Paris over 20 years ago.  I was walking down the halls and I was listening to a walkman (Kids, you'll have to look it up).  As I walked past the Mona Lisa, U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was on...and a little too loudly.  A tour guide from Sweden, I think, yelled at me.  I was so embarrassed.  Naturally, I turned my music down, but I kind of ran away.  I was just trying to get away and I got lost.  I was 17 and alone and in the biggest museum in the world.  I turned corner after corner and kept finding more art.  The song switched to "Where the Streets Have No Name" as I entered an empty hall.  I don't remember exactly where in the Louvre it was, but it was, without a doubt, the first time I truly appreciated the arts. I still get chills when thinking about it and whenever I hear that song.  I often speak about how we should have a soundtrack to our lives...those two songs, in those two moments, are definitely on my playlist.

After the visit, we walked back towards the Latin Quarter for lunch.  I am a huge fan of Kebabs and had decided that I was going to have another one here.  I was so happy to hear that some of the kids had kebabs too.  The look of the sandwich is somewhat suspect.  A giant wheel of meat slowly spinning in front of an electric heating source.  When ordered, the chef delicately slices of the top layer of meat.  Depending on how long it has been exposed your sandwich could include some crispy goodness or some juicy greatness.  Either way, your sandwich is on its way to being very yummy.  The chef then takes a pita and spreads Tzatziki sauce all over it...I get mine with a little bit of chili too.  Lettuce and tomatoes complete this delicious morsel in most establishments, but in the Latin Quarter, they put French Fries (call frites to Europeans) in the sandwich.  It is tightly wrapped and you are on your way.  The best part is that the sandwiches are very cheap!!!  I overheard Mr. Bemis talking to Tim and Jeremy and they said that it was one of their favorite meals.  I gave a couple kids a quick sample of mine and shortly thereafter saw Courtney eating one of her own.

Most of the chaperons had a different food experience today.  They decided on a much more traditional French meal.  We ordered an appetizer of Frog Legs.  This was not my favorite.  The frog legs were cooked well and might have been a little bland.  The texture of the meat was a little different than what I expected.  There was an element of chicken to the bits of tender meat that separated easily from the bone, but I also tasted a hint of seafood.  I only had one leg, but Mr. Bemis may have eaten a whole Kermit family.  Next on the menu was Escargot.  I didn't try this, but I have in the past.  Those who did ordered snails all seemed to enjoy them and they did their best Julia Roberts impression while using the special tongs and forks necessary to remove the snail from the shell.  We also had some Foir Gras.  This is fattened goose liver.  Sounds gross...tastes great.  I like to spread it on bread, but some of us ate it whole.  We also tried French Onion Soup and Duck.  These were both pretty tasty too.

Buying books at the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore...some of the greatest literary minds have written and shopped there!!!

When we left the Latin Quarter we headed towards the Champs Elysee.  Our goal was to see the Arc de Triomphe...and to do some shopping.

A selfie victory!!!

I like the placement of the light post in this picture.  You can also see how confusing the roadway is

From the middle of the street, while in a crosswalk

We were only here for a little bit before we headed off towards the Opera House.  There are some wonderful shops in the malls behind this concert hall and the kids really appreciated the opportunity.  Caroline was unable, however, to take a tour and I felt really badly for her.  She will just have to come back to Paris some time!!!  A few of us headed to dinner a little early to check out a couple of other sights.  We met along the steps of the Opera House before we left.  I tried to entertain them with a series of puns about mining.  The kids gave me the axe.

Dinner was great.  We stopped at a place called Flam.  It is a quick service restaurant that makes flat bread pizza in the style of western France.  The pizzas use a white sauce and almost always contain onions.  This restaurant was basically all you can eat and for us...that is a lot.  Apparently, Tim informed us that Flam was Flunch's better looking cousin.

The kids anxiously awaiting their first taste of Flam. 

Flam became one of those words you could use in a variety of ways. Dinner was flamtastic.  I am flammed from all of the flam I've eaten.  We were flammed when they brought out the two dessert Flams...one with shaved chocolate and the other with apple and cinnamon...neither of which had onions.

I try to balance these blog entries with my thoughts and the experiences of the kids. I think it is important for us to record our travels so we can reflect upon them at a later date.  I was speaking to a couple of the kids about this today and I was encouraging them to try writing about their travels on their own.  Jeremy was giving a rundown of his favorite meals tonight (Flam was very high on the list; as was the Kebab) and I told him that he should have started his own blog about the foods that he has tried...I hope, in the future, he will.
I bring this up, however, because today I was able to blend my personal life and this trip in another unique way.  I have already written about the youth group I belong too and what an impact it has had on me.  Today, as we were walking towards the Latin Quarter, I realized we were approaching the same island where the group's namesake was burned at the stake.  Two of our travelers are the daughters of former members of DeMolay.  I decided to take a quick picture with them.  It was a great moment of me and I think they understand why.

Charlene and Jenna.  Behind them, on the island, is where the historic marker for DeMolay sits.

We've had unbelievable luck on the Metro in Paris. The kids have grown custom to the routine and some are even savvy with the correct train/line.  Today, we had our first hiccup.  We were approaching the platform when a train arrived. We all knew it was the correct one and we made our move.  The kids piled on, but the train was quite busy.  Ms. Mottola and I could not get on.  A Parisian tried to keep the door open for us, but there was  no room and the doors closed.  We waved goodbye as the train rolled away.  The very next train was empty and we enjoyed a comfortable ride all the way to our stop.  We were greeted with thunderous applause as the kids had waited for us.  Tonight, we pack and go to sleep.  We have an early morning and a long train ride awaiting us.  Next stop: Amsterdam

Mr. Lavoie, currently wondering how he got all of this stuff into his suitcase before flying over here...it might be a long night for me, lol.