Oranje
Big storms and big games; media opps; etc.
News flash that will come as a surprise to absolutely no one: As I write this, it’s absolutely bucketing rain in Amsterdam. A real gullywasher, as my dad would say. But at least it was preceded with the excitement of a proper thunderstorm, starting with that still, tingly feeling in the air, hinting that Mother Nature is about to unleash some fury. And that she did, with thunder and lightening and rain blowing sideways. I love thunderstorms like this, which always remind me of the South.
You know the weather is no joke if the Dutch are talking about it. In fact, the national warning was upgraded from yellow to orange — serious stuff, indeed.
But I think that’s very apropos for another orange storm on the horizon: the Dutch national team, which plays England on Wednesday in a semifinal match of the UEFA Football Championship. I hope the boys rip through their opponents like the weather is doing right now through Amsterdam. If they (we?) win, it will mark the first time since 1988 that they have reached the finals (and here’s hoping that, just like in 1988, they can prevail all the way to the end!).
It’s been so much fun getting into the spirit of the Euros right here in Europe. But it also makes me wonder where my career would be today if I still covered soccer like I did 20-odd years ago (!), when I was a beat reporter covering the MLS in its nascent years for two major newspapers. Then again, if that happened, I’m not sure I’d be sitting here watching the games with two of my favorite people on the planet.
But back to the task at hand: beating England on Wednesday. We’ll be proudly wearing our orange and pulling for our host country with all our hearts. HUP, HOLLAND, HUP!
Recently Published Clips
In this excellent project by CN Traveler about airport food, I shared my love of a signature item called the Frosted Orange from The Varsity at Atlanta/Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, my home hub for nearly 10 years. (It’s a long piece; my contribution is about one-third of the way in.)
More upcoming for T+L, Robb Report, NatGeo, and AARP.
Media Opps
AARP online: Hey, ultra-light packing peeps, this one’s for you! Do you have experience in packing for a long weekend with ONLY a personal item on a flight? Tell me your secrets! I’m on a screaming deadline for this one, so shoot me an email by Thursday morning, July 11, with a couple of your top tips, and we’ll go from there: blanebachelor@gmail.com.
A Highly Recommended Travel Writing Conference (I’ll be there too, along with this guy)
In August, I’ll be speaking on a panel or two at Book Passage, one of the best conferences around on travel writing and photography. The conference runs from August 8-11 in Corte Madera, California, and I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who’s thinking about getting into travel writing. There are info-packed sessions with tons of insight and actionable advice, networking opps galore, some seriously memorable karaoke, and — wait for it — a conversation between the always delightful Don George, conference chair, and Andrew McCarthy (yeppp, the heartthrob 1980s actor who’s a highly accomplished travel writer too).
Here’s more of what you can expect, from travel dynamo Don himself:
We have so much to celebrate in our 32nd year: In addition to our beloved annual writing and photography morning workshops, we've added a new workshop on "Travel Storytelling & Content Creation in the Digital Age." We're continuing last year's very successful Freelance Writers Day with panels featuring three fabulous freelance writers (BB: Squee! I’m excited to be one of them!) and conference alums; we have an astonishing range of panels, including new panels on AI and on synthesizing social media and storytelling; and we're presenting a world-wandering, award-winning video from another conference alum.
When I first attended Book Passage 20 about years ago, I made it a career goal of sorts to one day speak at the conference as a member of the esteemed faculty. It took a while, but here I am — and I’m thrilled. Hope to see you there!
A Children’s Book to Really Lean Into
It’s been such a delight watching my dear friend Kimberley Lovato bring her first children’s book, Pisa Loves Bella: A Towering Tale of Kindness, into the world. This adorable story — which will surely make you want to book a trip to Pisa, stat — offers a universal message that readers of all ages will love. I highly recommend for any little bookworms in your life. Grazie!
And That’s a Wrap!
Next week is the last week of school for the little guy, and I think I’m more excited than he is for summer to finally, finally, really start for us. I have an upcoming trip to Nice, then I’m headed to the States for several weeks, including some much-needed time off. During that time, I’ll take a break from this newsletter as well.
But hopefully by next week’s edition, we’ll still be basking in the orange glow of victory. Fingers crossed.
Tot ziens,
Blane
My husband is Dutch and talks about the weather all of the time. Although he says the rain here in the PNW even outdoes the rain in Holland!!!