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My toes are still thawing from my early morning walk in Antwerp. It's in the 20's and though I packed my core with four layers, two of them down, it wasn't enough to keep blood flowing to my toes. But I love to watch a city come awake in the early morning. Sidewalk restaurants, their chairs and tables all stacked up overnight, were starting to reclaim the cobblestone. Garbage and produce trucks were slipping down the narrow roads, picking up or delivering respectively. A handful of people were out walking purposefully, presumably to their jobs. They looked warmer than me. Dew overnight left behind a little black ice here and there and I had to be careful of my steps. Gone was the inviting smell of Belgian waffles from yesterday's afternoon walk, replaced with a faint souring garbage smell from morning pickup. the sun was starting to peek up over the buildings.
It's the perfect time of day for photos unmarred by people, if that's what you want. An empty street like the one on the left is pretty easy to find. But I was conscious that in walking around looking up and taking pictures I signaled plainly that I was a tourist. So I kept my wits about me, avoiding alleys or places that might be a little shady. I'm definitely a morning person. And there were 'enough' people moving around to offer some comfort. So I took in the wonderful architecture and age of the buildings in relative public calm.
The morning is my favorite time of day. First, there's the undeniable relief that I didn't die overnight. And then there are those first few moments of awareness that you slept soundly and that your bed is the best place ever. I take a few minutes to sort out what day it is and either review or decide on some plans for the day. And then I merely hop up and get to it. Working through a six-hour time change is part science and part art. I'm going to apply a little art right now and take a short nap. In two hours, a long day (or rather, long 4 days) begins. In this case, it's more of a "If-tired: Sleep" approach. Get it while I can. The other sleep guideline when someplace fun -- "Well, I can sleep on the airplane going home."
It's the perfect time of day for photos unmarred by people, if that's what you want. An empty street like the one on the left is pretty easy to find. But I was conscious that in walking around looking up and taking pictures I signaled plainly that I was a tourist. So I kept my wits about me, avoiding alleys or places that might be a little shady. I'm definitely a morning person. And there were 'enough' people moving around to offer some comfort. So I took in the wonderful architecture and age of the buildings in relative public calm.
The morning is my favorite time of day. First, there's the undeniable relief that I didn't die overnight. And then there are those first few moments of awareness that you slept soundly and that your bed is the best place ever. I take a few minutes to sort out what day it is and either review or decide on some plans for the day. And then I merely hop up and get to it. Working through a six-hour time change is part science and part art. I'm going to apply a little art right now and take a short nap. In two hours, a long day (or rather, long 4 days) begins. In this case, it's more of a "If-tired: Sleep" approach. Get it while I can. The other sleep guideline when someplace fun -- "Well, I can sleep on the airplane going home."