Lisa Brounstein's Blog

Spent part of the day walking the streets of Amsterdam around my sister’s beautiful neighborhood.  We sat at a cafe and drank latte’s and people watched.  I am astounded that so many of the intersections have no signs or instruction.  You will find bicycles whizzing through intersections just missing someone in a small car who has just swerved to not hit a delivery van and none of them look out for pedestrians.  I guess it is how they keep the gene pool clean.  I have been warned to look both ways and to be really sure I will be able to make it across the street because no one is going to stop.

We sat at a lovely cafe called Tazinna.  We sat outside and had coffee drinks.  I love that when I asked for sweetener that wasn’t sugar they brought me this tiny packet with 2 tiny pills in it.  They reminded me of when I was younger and that saccharin came as either liquid or as little tablets  in little TicTac like container.  We also split a sandwich.  I was surprised at how small the sandwich was.  What came as a whole sandwich would have been a half sandwich in the US.  All the flavors were so sharp.  In comparing the sandwich to something comparable in the US I would think the bread wouldn’t be as good and there would be a lot of filling.  This sandwich the bread was dark and left flour on my lips.  The filling was a couple of thin slices of salami, fresh arugula (unlike what I have gotten at home…the leaves were more like parsley but had that lovely earthy flavor), a thin slice of sharp parmesean cheese and thin sliced tomato.  Then the sandwich was heated so all the flavors married.

We then went to the Kaas-Brood store.  The Bread and Cheese store. WOW!  The bread smells were fantastic.  There was the smell of yeast and the smells of freshly made cheese sticks.  Light and flaky bread sticks twisted with cheese.  They were hot when we bought them.  We both had to have a bite as we walked down the street.

I am not sure if I wrote about the fact that I lost a prescription on my journey.  I think I did.  Well, we went to a pharmacy and told them what happened.  At first they were adamant about me needing a prescription.  Then one woman told us I needed to see a Dutch doctor.  Then they changed their mind and were considering just giving me the meds.  I called my husband and he scanned an old bottle from the same prescription and emailed me.  My BIL printed it for me and we brought it back to the pharmacy.  Within minutes I had a prescription.  It’s a much different world.

After the pharmacy we noticed a small Farmer’s Market in one of the squares.  We sauntered over and looked at the stands.  There was an olive stand that had a beautiful selection of olives.  There were a couple of vegetable stands.  What comes to mind were squashes that looked more like a cross between a gourd and a pumpkin but weren’t either.  There were gorgeous fresh leeks and huge deep purple beets.  Stunning.

We found ourselves at a fresh pork stand.  Some of his selection was a bit difficult for me.  I am not a fan of being easily able to identify my food as a living creature.  I never understand chicken places that have chickens selling their food.  “I taste great so, slaughter and eat me!” isn’t marketing that works for me.  This guy was great.   He had pictures of his livestock and talked about the great life they have.  I suppose it’s like Free Range chicken etc.  (Of course, if the chicken’s could argue they would say they aren’t really “free”.)  At any rate, he had salami that was Truffle Salami.  We had to ask about it and we had to have a sample and then we had to buy some.  I have never in my life tasted anything like it.  It was wickedly tasty. His web site is in Dutch.  His name is Frank Bunnik and his company is http://berkshirebutcher.com.

Okay, I must end this now.  We are going to be eating dinner in a few minutes and then I must lie down and sleep for a long time!  Please forgive typing errors and grammatical mistakes.  I am not completely in my right mind.

I arrived in New Amsterdam yesterday morning.  Tuesday morning rather.  I am a bit confused on what time or day it is.  The redeye was crazy from LAX to JFK.  It was supposed to be “wide open” and it wasn’t.  Lots of last minute travelers got on that flight.  So, my stand  by for Business Class ticket rapidly turned into a coach ticket.  Luckily, the gate agent took pity on me and left the seat next to me open so I didn’t  have to squeeze.  The flight was on a Boeing 757.  Those are particularly long planes but not generous in width.  I did look at the bathroom on board and decided it would be best to just wait the 6 hours.  It was fine.  The flight attendant graciously brought me a seatbelt extender and we were on our way.  I didn’t sleep much on that flight.  The seat in front of me was barely inches away from me.  I was fortunate that no one was sitting in the seat in front of me so I didn’t have someone’s head pressed against my belly for the flight.  The snack was pretzels, or peanuts or cookies.  I had club soda.

We landed in NY at 7:30.  I wandered around the terminal for a little while.  I found a food court and got a little breakfast and a bottle of water and planted myself.  I made some calls.  Then I realized somewhere along the way I lost a prescription.  It is possible I left it at home but it is also likely I left it on the plane when I was searching my bag for something else.  I went to the Delta customer service desk.  They called the gate to find out the plane I had been on had already left for San Francisco.  If the meds were left on the plane it is doubtful I will ever see them again.  I then went to the Delta SkyClub and bought a day pass.  It was a lovely place to sit and relax for my very long layover.  I was hoping for a couch or a loveseat so I could have gotten more comfortable but the big chair was fine.  I dozed off and on throughout the day and then got the shuttle from the terminal to the new Delta terminal to catch my international flight.

I did get Business Class from JFK to Old Amsterdam.  It was very nice.  The seats aren’t that wide and the arms don’t move so I did find it to be a snug fit.  I had to get out of the seat to pull out the remote for the TV and I did have to get up to plug in my headset.  But once in the seat it was mostly comfortable.  There is at least 3 feet between the seats so you can recline fully and not be bothered by any other passenger.  There was no one sitting next to me so I was able to use the seat for my purse as well as use the tray for my meals.  I was envious of people who slept on the sides in the chairs.  I suppose I could have figured out the logistics and done it myself but I never did get fully comfortable.

The meals and service in Business Class is night and day from coach.  They brought us menus before we took off and the champagne and beautiful wine choices flowed throughout the flight.  I didn’t drink on the plane as I was so confused and tired from travelling for so long and from not sleeping.  I didn’t want to add alcohol to the mix.  The food choices ranged from crab cakes with pasta to beef tenderloin with lemon risotto.  Amazing!

I think one of the flight attendants thought I was pregnant.  I was sitting in my seat with my arms folded over my belly.  As she walked by she patted my hands and said something in a very sweet tone.

We landed at 5:25a this morning, Wednesday.  We taxied for what seemed like an eternity to the gate.  Customs was a breeze here.  They asked why I was here and for how long then stamped my passport.  My luggage was some of the first pieces off as they were the last ones on.  My bags didn’t get on the flight until my stand by seat was approved.  It worked out perfectly.  Then there were two lines to go to.  One was for people with goods to declare and the other was for those with nothing to declare.  There was no one working the line for people with things to declare and no one was there to ask if you really didn’t have anything to declare.  I walked right through with my bags on a cart.  My sister and BIL were on the other side of the door.

From there we took a train to the city and then walked around 10 blocks from the train station to the boat.  It was interesting to be walking in the dark at nearly 7a.  the sun didn’t start to warm the cold sky until around 8a.  Then the sky started to glow a beautiful light pink.  The air this morning was very cold.  It has since warmed up to a lovely 50 degrees.

To say that it is beautiful here is a ridiculous understatement.  It is absolutely breathtaking.  The boat is gorgeous.  We opened the windows on the boat and fed ducks on the canal.  Their cat sits up top in the sun room (what would be the steering room if there was a steering wheel.)  I have taken pictures and will post them over time. We are going to go venture out and do some shopping today.

I am very tired.  I haven’t lied down since Monday morning when I got up at 7a.  It is now noon on Wednesday here which means it is 3a at home.  It is funny to think my husband is home sleeping in our bed and I have already showered and started my day.  I am sure I will sleep like a stone tonight.  I brought my own pillow which will make sleeping anywhere easy.

Let me know if there is anything you would like to know or any pictures you would like to see.

When reading other people’s blogs I have often thought of them as self indulgent and arrogant.  I don’t know that mine will be different.  I started thinking what do I have to offer people that would be of any interest.  Besides my upcoming travels to Amsterdam what is it that would make people be interested in what I have to say?  What is it about me that is different?  Uhh, the obvious thing is, as Bob Goen said over and over  again on Entertainment Tonight about me, “…and she weighs over 300 pounds!!”  Yes, I do. It isn’t that miraculous actually.   Honestly, I have lived a pretty charmed life.  Sure I am big but it really hasn’t stopped me…except when it has.  There are things that smaller people never consider and if they do they don’t consider the magnitude of how it would affect someone larger.  For example, airplane bathrooms are very small.  Most people find them to be uncomfortable and cramped.  For me, it is like I am the last sardine in the can, so-to-speak.  Other common considerations in life are restaurant booths, armed chairs, the dentist chair, movie theatre seats, life jackets, roller coasters and my favorite – seat belts.  (Remind me and I will tell the story of the Torrance police officer who pulled me over for not wearing my seat belt years ago…)

While I am excited about this trip to Amsterdam, to see my sister and my BIL, there is for me a level of apprehension and fear (more than the plane falling out of the sky but I have drugs for that.)  You know that feeling when you are all settled in your seat on the airplane and you see the fat girl squeezing down the aisle trying not to hip check any of the passengers she is walking by and you cringe knowing she is going to try and climb over you and squeeze into the seat next to you undoubtedly ooozing some of her copious flesh onto your seat, or leg, or arm?  Well, I’m her.  Believe me, I certainly don’t want to disturb your travels or make your flight any more uncomfortable than it is.  I have in the past bought two seats so as to not disturb anyone.  When I fly with my husband, he doesn’t care that I need a bit of his seat.  But for a stranger it is uncomfortable.  Believe me, I know.

With the airplane seat issue it raises the question of whether or not I am buying a seat to my destination or am I purchasing passage.  There have been a lot of ugly fights in the media about this issue.  People have found themselves at a midway point in their trip when suddenly a gate agent decides they must purchase an additional seat to finish the last leg of their trip.  The rules are rather discretionary.  So, a big guy flying from LAX to JFK with a stop in Chicago may have no problem getting on the first leg of his flights.  He asks for a seatbelt extender and luckily there is an empty middle seat next to him so no one says a word to him.  He flies in comfort to Chicago.  He gets off the plane in Chicago and races to his next gate.  When he arrives and attempts to check in for the 2nd leg of his trip to JFK, the gate agent informs him he must buy a second seat on the plane because the flight is full.  If he doesn’t he can’t carry on to his destination.  But you see, this is an error in logic.  If the flight is full there shouldn’t be an additional seat to purchase.  Ostensibly, he should be stuck in Chicago until there is a flight that has empty seats.  Should he then be forced to purchase an additional seat on a flight with empty seats?  I know when I have purchased two tickets to a destination I was told that if the flight had empty seats they would refund my money for the additional seat purchased.  I don’t know the answer to these questions.  Bigger seats all around?  Bigger seats for larger people?  What about seats with legroom for taller people?  What about a sound proof area for those flying with small children? Obviously, the airline is a business.  They have the right to run their business as they choose.  I also understand an average sized person who already feels cramped in their seat doesn’t want to feel infringed upon by someone else using up what little personal space they have.  It’s a conundrum.  One that I am going to face over the next couple of days and then again in two weeks.   While I doubt I will come up with a solution for this situation that affects all travellers in one way or another it will definitely be an interesting time.  I will keep you all posted.

Just got off the phone with Delta.  My ticket has been reissued and the flights look good.  I will, of course, have a 9 hour layover at JFK.  The current plan is to purchase a day pass for the SkyClub.  While it isn’t a bed, it will be a nice place to relax all day.  Flying stand by is good news and bad news.  The woman at the reissue desk was very nice and very helpful.  I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed that I get Business Class but more than that I just want to get there.  The anxiety of trying to get there has overshadowed my panic about flying.

Since not making my flight to Amsterdam Wednesday night, and now having 3 days before I try again, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to start a blog.  Originally, I was going to keep a daily handwritten journal.  I still may do that.  Old habits die hard.  I figured this would be a great way for family and friends and any interested party to follow my adventure.  This will be the first of many posts.