Amsterdam is enchanting in every way, We’d forgotten that people leave their curtains open, so you sometimes mistake a restaurant or a shop for what is simply someone’s lovely home. At twilight it is especially entertaining to look into the lives of the lucky inhabitants of this charming city. Spring is just around the corner here, with bright green grass and snowdrops just about up.

Alleppey is only a few hours away from Cochin, even more humid, but blessed by waterways — called backwaters — which are only accessible by very low boats. There’s an entire tourist industry here of houseboats (800 of them, we were told) and though it vexes us to admit we’re tourists, we took one — and are glad we did. It was exquisite, and we had some of the best food we’ve had in India.

During lunchtime on Friday, we will be close to the path of an unique solar eclipse that will pass over India. An annular eclipse is when the sun is visible like a ring of fire, with the moon darkening its center. The longest annular solar eclipse (over 11 minutes) of the third millennium will occur on January 15, 2010. There won’t be an annular solar eclipse longer than this one till 3043. (Although shorter ones happen not infrequently.)

We’re leaving a day early to try to beat the storm. Here we are with our boarding passes in hand, hoping to beat the snow to Chicago. Tomorrow we fly to Hong Kong.