Metal Meredith

Travel Day

We woke up at 630am, Phil jumping out of bed and me trying my best to keep my eyes open. We made our way to the Underground in a very chilly 30 degrees and waited for trains for a good 15-20 minutes. The airport was confusing and a real pain in the ass. By the time we boarded the train, we had been on elevators, escalators, stairs, subways and a bus. When we arrived in Amsterdam, we rode a train and a tram to our hotel. We are the reigning King and Queen of Transport.

Amsterdam is COLD (see photo above, right). We must have looked like lost puppies at the GVB station, their version of the metro. We are trying our best to be apologetic when asking directions in English or saying “excuse me” first to see if they are open to speaking English. I know that most people do, but it just seems nicer. Our hotel is gigantic with a pleasant mix of comfortable and cheezy. It is my early opinion of the city. Phil thinks it is super.

I must admit that the canals make even the dingiest places appear very nice. We studied our guides in the room and ventured out for lunch. Unfortunately, we started down the street with all the premium shops that we can’t (and don’t have the need to) afford. I kept thinking about how my sister would have loved it and we couldn’t get out of that area soon enough. So we took a sharp turn and ended up in Volden Park. There are bicycles everywhere, trams whizzing by and lots of people just walking around. From our window, we can see boats and one canal, a big sign that says “CITY” and immediately in front of our window is a Hard Rock Cafe.

We only made it outside for about an hour before both of us were dead tired from the lack of sleep and travel. I uploaded my photos and Phil took a tiny nap. We found some internet access in the hotel bar/lounge area where I am currently enjoying a cheese plate and a not-so-what-I-would-call a club sandwich. The cheeses were somewhat identifiable (for Dad - Edam, Roquefort, old cheese, young cheese, fig compote and some crusty bread). Phil thought all of the cheeses were stinky and smelled like diapers. He reluctantly tried the Roquefort due to its mold content. All of it just made me laugh out loud. The club had eggs, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and red pepper, some kind of pickled spread, cheese, and maybe bacon. It was great just not like any club sandwich I have ever known.

Phil is drinking a Heineken and has announced officially that it ‘doesn’t suck here’. Smoking is everywhere. In the airport, right under signs clearly making “NO SMOKING”, people were puffing away. It was comical but very annoying. It seems everyone here smokes all the time. Speaking of, Phil and I will not be partaking in any of the “smoking festivities” or eating “space brownies”. Sorry to anyone who wanted me to give it a go since it is legal.

Tomorrow we will be doing a boat cruise and then checking out the Scheepvaartmuseum. It is Phil’s “One Thing”. Mine is shopping for silly things that I can’t get at home. I don’t know what those are, but I will know them when I see them. We are paying for our internet connection, so I am unable to put many photos up. I will add a few of our journey and the city that we saw today.

Hopefully I will be able to update tomorrow as well!