Hello! I write from the Amsterdam airport, local time of about 8:30am. I have landed successfully in Europe, and I got to see a magical sunrise from the plane. As far as an opening to a life-changing trip, this is a pretty good one.

The top photo is of the sunset, an hour into our flight. I was eating my roast chicken dinner and watching Miss Congeniality

The second photo is of the sunrise about six hours later. The stewards are coming around with coffee, and I’m finishing Monster In Law, after watching 27 Dresses. I got approximately 20 minutes of sleep on the eight hour flight, but I feel fine. My phone said it was 12:57am, but “local time” was 6:57am.

This final image was the view of our descent into the Netherlands. The amazing waterways and landscapes are unlike anything I’ve seen before.

The amazing sights I’ve seen from this small airplane window just reinforce the amazement and wonder I feel. I watched the sun rise over Europe and I have no obligations to anyone but myself for three months. Bon voyage! E