At least one interesting post a day?  That’s my goal and I try.  However I’ve been busy this week narrowing down an apartment to rent for a March trip to Amsterdam.  Why Amsterdam?   I’m Dutch - and we plan to explore our genealogy roots in the small towns around Netherlands’ countryside.  I don’t speak Dutch, I’ve never been to Holland, but my 5th grade class photo bears a striking resemblance to the Dutch Boy Paint boy.  And I ate a lot of windmill cookies in church.  Reason enough.

And March?  Yes I know it could be cold and dreary.  But early spring airfares to Europe are inexpensive, and I’ll take an umbrella over sweaty shirts and crowds of people.   If I can find interesting things to do on a rainy day here in Denver I’m sure I can do the same over there. 

We plan to visit for 10 days, with a side trip to Brussels or Germany.  We are renting a one bedroom apartment in this building which is located right on one of Amsterdam’s canals.  (details forthcoming.)

By shopping at markets and cooking some meals at home, (like I do when renting a ski condo,) you end up saving a significant amount of money, and have a more “homey” experience.

In the meantime if anyone has tips to share please pass them along!  If this is half as enjoyable as last year’s time in Munich and the Czech Republic I’ll have a great time…

Travel related - this NY Times story about hard drive inspections gives me the heebiest of jeebies, (to quote Peggy Hill.)  Should border officials be able to walk through your “virtual life” and read various documents, see photos, and more?  Of course not.   My advice:   Store all your important photos, music, and documents on external hard drives.   And of course take only what you need when traveling.  This not only gets around snoopy inspection officers, (or the Geek Squad,) but saves you when your hard drive crashes too.  

Argonaut Liquours - Denver’s most well known purveyor of spirits is moving.  At least not very far.

Here are some interesting animations of Mexico City’s airport renovations.  It’s not a bad airport, if you love walking.   Instead of various terminals and the more modern concept of centralized check ins, Benito Juarez Int’l is one long, long, long, linear terminal.  

The new terminal and shuttle will eliminate gate congestion, and avoid deplaning on the tarmac and being bused inside, as happened to me in 2005.

Stayed tuned for a review of “Neighborhood Flix,”  In the meantime you can watch the Medsled video.  I could definitely have some fun with this thing on the slopes…