Amsterdam

Who knew that GMT changed a week earlier than the US?!? Well, I am sure someone knew, but I didn't. So, when I woke up Sunday morning at (what I thought was) 6:45, stretched and smiled that we would have plenty of time, I was in for a rude awakening. Thank goodness my computer changes time automatically, otherwise we would have missed our flight entirely. I guess this is why I should have a British calendar hanging on my wall rather than an American one.

Anyway, with a start like that, you can expect the journey to the airport to be a bit hectic. Actually, it wasn't too bad. Laura is one of the most easy-going people I know, so between the two of us it was a "don't sweat it" "it'll work itself out" kind of morning. Once we were on the train, all we could do was sit, or crossword puzzles in our case. Things were a bit hairy when we reached the airport station. We pushed our way onto the shuttle with only 5 minutes before the check in counter closed, hopped off and ran inside. I was ready to start a Plan B, but Laura saw some people on the shuttle with us that were arguing with the ticket counter attendant (with a camera crew recording). The attendant let them jump to the front of the check in line, so we followed suite. The woman checked our passports and said, "Run!" So that's just what we did. "I feel like we're on The Amazing Race," Laura said at one point in the airport and that became our theme for the trip.

It was not a very smooth flight from London to Amsterdam. I kept expecting to see the plane go up on one side, like a Dukes of Hazzard-esque landing. But, we had made it to Amsterdam and that was all that really mattered.

We got our passports stamped and bought tickets for the train into the town. We bought first class tickets, thinking "why not live a little?" Who knew there was no first class on those trains!?! Finally, we made our way to the hostel which was right in the centre of the Red Light District. The room was not bad, two single beds and our own shower en suite. It was now around 3 o'clock and we wanted to explore and see the Van Gogh Museum. We found Dam Square and picked up some falafel for lunch. Then we just started to walk. At first it was really nice, neither of us were in a hurry and it was a lovely day. After a while we got a bit turned around. Let's just say that after an hour or two of walking (in the wrong direction) we would have definitely lost The Amazing Race! By this time the Van Gogh Museum was closed and we were both tired of walking, so we hopped a tram headed for Centraal Station (at least we knew where to go from there). Of course the tram system was a bit confusing, especially in a different language. I'm sure we should have paid somewhere along the way, but neither of us knew where. Whoops.

On our way back to familiar territory we passed a crowd of people around what looked like a sculpture garden. It turned out that this was a 3-D version of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch." In the background of this picture is a statue of Rembrandt.

Eventually we made it back to the hostel, showered and hit the streets again, this time in search of food. Every guide book we read suggested that Amsterdam is a great place for Indonesian food, so who were we to argue? Of course, it took a little while to find a restaurant, but in the end it was well worth the wait.

Now, I won't go into much detail about the rest of the night. I had an absolute blast, despite the rain and creepy men wandering the streets. All I'll say is that it was definitely memorable - and yes, I remember ever detail.

We woke at 8:00 the next morning, made our way back to the train station and eventually made it back to the airport. This time we did not have any problems checking in and were back in England by 3:00. We had a few hours to relax before we were due in London at the Fortune Theatre to see "The Woman In Black."

If there is time to return to Amsterdam before I fly home, I'd definitely like to go. Next time I'd like to stay for a weekend, rather than just 24 hours. And I'd also invest in a better Tram Map so that I'd have a better chance of winning The Amazing Race...