It was a quick turnaround between trips. The Disney one wasn’t expected and when Disney invites you to come down, you don’t say no! This current trip has been planned for about a year and is completely different from my past trips. I’m exploring river cruising!
I flew from Cleveland to Boston and then Boston to Amsterdam. My first flight was delayed because of an issue with fueling and the delay nearly caused me to miss my connection. I always wear running shoes when I travel and this is the reason. I sprinted to the shuttle that took me from A to E. Luckily, there was a Delta agent prioritizing passengers and he put me at the front of the line. There were eight of us headed to Amsterdam and we made it 10 minutes before the flight was supposed to take off. Doors for boarding were supposed to close 15 minutes before takeoff, but luckily they waited for us. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any time to use the bathroom or buy food before the six hour flight. Hopefully they serve something I can eat!
Being last on the plane means you have little choices for overhead space. I found a spot that says reserved for Delta Comfort and I took it despite not being in Delta Comfort. I learned something on the previous flight too. My CPAP machine is packed inside of my roller bag. It’s pretty heavy to carry with my backpack and I learned my lesson from my last trip. I was Main 3 which is the last boarding group and we were told on the Cleveland flight that overhead bin was full. I said my bag was a medical device and couldn’t be checked. The gate agent told me they would make room for it. I now understand why there is still space left when you board a flight and they say the space is full. That extra space is for the passengers with medical devices.
Our flight is relatively smooth, but the pilots must be circumventing some rough weather. The flight attendants were buckled for the first half of the flight. This made the timing a little tricky for adjusting to jet lag. Normally, you’re served dinner right away so that you can sleep on the flight. Such a late dinner now means hardly any sleep. I wouldn’t say I slept on the plane, but I closed my eyes and hunched over my backpack for a couple hours. Before this, I watched the new Hunger Games movie and the new Willy Wonka movie.
I knew Amsterdam was a big airport, but it was bigger than I expected. The customs line is short and only take a few minutes. Then, I follow the signs for baggage claim and then find the sign for my flight’s baggage claim. It’s a decent walk to the area as there are a lot of carrousels. I walk up to it and it starts up. My bag was among the first few. This is where it pays off to be the last on the plane. I will be staying on a Tauck ship in a few days and they arranged my airport transfers. There was a guy holding a Tauck sign as soon as I left baggage claim. He asked me if I was Amaris and then he guided me to his car. He also wheeled my large suitcase too. It’s fun being in a new country because you see some new things. The floor of the parking garage wasn’t like our parking garages. It was a rubbery surface that reminded me of a sports court. It seemed a lot nicer than our concrete. The van was really nice with six seats for passengers with two rows of three seats facing each other. It took about 30 minutes to get to my hotel in the city.
Hotel des Arts is a cute boutique hotel in the city centre. I left my bags with reception and went exploring. I had a couple hours until my room was ready. The meal on the plane was surprisingly good. It was an Indian butter chicken with rice and green beans. We also got quinoa with cucumbers and tomatoes and a small brownie. I ate it all. This meal was several hours ago, but I wasn’t that hungry now. I still decided to checkout a pancake place. The restaurant is near the Anne Frank museum and the pancakes were huge. I ordered a savory one with spinach, cheese, and cashews. Many of the sweet ones came with ice cream and I wasn’t ready for ice cream this early in the day. My pancake was good, but I saw some of the sweet ones come out and they looked a lot better.
My room was ready at 11am when I returned which is so unusual. It meant I could take a Power Nap before seeing the Anne Frank museum.
The Anne Frank museum is about a 10-15 min walk from my hotel. Tickets must be purchased online and I bought mine the minute it became available for this date. I elected for the option which included a 30 minute intro as well. The intro was well worth it and our teacher told us all about the family and the others who were in hiding here. I had friends who did the tour another day and I found it interesting that our intros were not the same. After the intro we went to explore the museum. You’re given an audio device which tells you the story as you walk through the museum. Interestingly, you’re not allow to take pictures in the museum. You walk through the spaces that were the business and then eventually to the hidden area. It’s amazing to me how well hidden this whole space is from the outside.
After the museum, I wandered back to my hotel. Along the way I found a French fry place and ordered the Amsterdam fries which were topped with cheese and basil mayo. They were fantastic, but huge. I called it an early night despite the nap. #rce24Â #tauck #amsterdam
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