Saturday, 19 Dec 2009 – Amsterdam!

The pictures above is the canal our hotel was on! And a picture of Dam Square at night.

So all things considered, we were fans of British Airways…until they lost our luggage. Our flights really were pretty decent, the seats were moderately sized, that head rests had nice wings to them so you could actually sleep, and they were generous with drinks and meals. Daniel and I slept far more than most, for Daniel a 7 or 8 pm bedtime is perfect, for me…I was running on two hours of sleep because I stayed up late packing since I had to be at work to administer, monitor, grade, and post the last section of semester exams. So I slept a great deal.

We flew from Orlando to London-Gatwick and had a very tight connection, only made tighter by the delays of our initial flight. The excuse was snow. Snow?! We were all really excited. So we landed in London, managed to make our tight connection, and then sat on the runway for an hour or two…they were deicing the plane a few times as well as taking a realllllly long time to load the bags on the plane. But, that made us feel better, because with the tight connection we figured we might make it before our luggage.

So we got to Amsterdam and got down to baggage claim and heard our last names being called over the PA. Hmm, not good. They told us to come to baggage services. Really not good. And then, we proceeded to fill out forms in the exact same office Daniel and I had sat 18 months ago when SAS couldn’t move our bags from that connecting flight quickly enough either. But we reassured our friends – don’t worry, we had the bags by bedtime the last time this happened, it will be okay. It wasn’t just us either, everyone from the ORL to London-Gatwick to Amsterdam flight was missing their luggage….all people from FL dressed like people from FL. Some people didn’t even have coats, some only had flipflops, and Daniel was wearing shorts. Good thing all of us had coats and closed toe shoes. But we were lacking lots of basics. Daniel and I were fairly well prepared b/c we were loaning out extra layers, hats, and gloves to our Fellowship to make sure we could enjoy our evening in Amsterdam. Every time I think I overpack I use everything I bring without fail… the girl scout in me can’t help it!

And so, we arrived at our hotel late enough that we could check in and crash for a few minutes. There was no point in crashing for any longer than that because we didn’t have our luggage and daylight was limited. So, we set out on the town, enjoying the sights of a lighted, Christmas tree adorned, decorated for the season, Amsterdam. We enjoyed the eclectic and diverse feel of the city as we passed dozens of different ethnic restaurants. We grabbed a yummy Italian dinner and split up, with half of the group going to the Anne Frank Hus Museum and the other half going back to the hotel to crash a bit more. After that we rejoined forces and set out to check out Amsterdam’s night life (and indulge in morbid curiosity and walk through the Red Light District).

All in all – I actually like Amsterdam more this time than the first time, the city really is very pretty and I’m growing to love the Amsterdam look – canals, tiny, quaint houses, walls and walls of bikes, and this time – snow! I also really admire the liberal and tolerant attitude of the Dutch and feel like every last person in their city is tolerated and accepted.

Our time in the city was short, but it was really intended to be an added bonus, as we saved about three hundred dollars a person by flying into Amsterdam instead of Berlin – and so, it was a bonus! We had a great time checking out the city, found a fantastic Belgian beer store that sold a vast variety of trappist brews we had never seen before, and had the distinct pleasure of enjoying an Amsterdam that was decorated for Christmas and beautifully dusted with snow.

And…that *yay I’m in Europe!* feeling arrived right away as we walked the canals and stood on the edge of Dam Square and watched the glittering lights.