Aloha, Mahalo, Dank U Wel, Tot Ziens

Amsterdam People

Week 42 of 52

Our four month stay in Amsterdam has been one of the most fun, interesting, and memorable times of our lives with many adventures and life-changing moments. As you know from our weekly updates, Amsterdam is the most welcoming city we have ever seen, alive with beauty and culture, with something to do or somewhere to go each and every day. We have felt privileged to be a part of it.

But beyond canals, fabulous architecture, world-class museums, and music and events, the true spirit of any place and adventure is created and flourishes because of people and relationships. Every person in the photo collage contributed to making Amsterdam so special for us. We made many new friends and many of our dearest friends came to visit. Each encounter was its own amazing experience.

Top row: Frank, Sarah, Hanneke, Stephi, Phil, Amelia;
Row 2: Karin, Hallie, Isabel, Mandy, Cathy;
Row 3: Marco, Desiree, Kathy, Nico, Annemiki;
Row 4: Janice, Walter, Michael, Peter, Loes;
Row 5: Tanja, Richard, Lyn, Connie, Sape;
Row 6: Manouk, Tony, Mary Lou, Ben, Sheryl;
Bottom row: Arthur, Lance, Erica, Joost, Xaviera.

We thank each of our friends for making the effort to visit us and for all the good laughs, deep conversations, and fun excursions along the way. And to our new friends in Amsterdam: you have taught us what it’s like to live in one of the world’s greatest cities where people are living happy, full lives. We promise to stay in touch and we will be back as soon as we can!

 

Our Friend FrankOf all our friends, old and new, surely the single most important person in making this magical trip come to pass so beautifully is Frank. From the day we met two years ago, he has been here for us every step of the way, always with the goal of making sure our Amsterdam experience is positive, enjoyable and drama-free. (Frank is also an Amsterdam historian so we had a personal tour guide by our side all the time!) We have no words to express our appreciation for all Frank has done for us. He may be in Amsterdam, but he has the Aloha Spirit as much as anyone we know in Hawaii.

Our humble and heartfelt thank you, dear Frank.

 

So we really are leaving Amsterdam! We have a Eurailpass good for the next month so we’ll become real travelers living out of a suitcase. While we are sad to leave this amazing place, we’re excited about exploring new countries, cities and places in the last couple of months of our “year of being homeless.”

Again, thank you to everyone above… and for everyone following our weekly update, it’s been a grand time!!

Have a great week and a hui hou!
Sharene and Harrison