Day Three We do Amsterdam by foot and canal

Aug 31, in case anyone is losing track.

We went to bed early last night and, confident of a good night's sleep from exhaustion, we agreed on 8am in the lobby to start the day.  Ha! The time change produced a terrible night's sleep and when we did finally drift off for real, around 5 am, it was the sleep of the dead!  Fast forward, I wake up and checking the time see........ 7:56! Oh no, I throw on clothes and head for the lobby to make aplogies when my phone rings.  It's Don 'you won't believe what happened' - but I can guess what's coming - same as us, they slept in.  I rush down to the lobby to meet Andy and Eleanor who are in the right time zone already, bright eyed and bushy tailed.  I make the group apologies and we do a reset for 9am.

At the re-appointed hour we all convene and do a two month catch up with A&E over breakfast.  

From there we split into couples and went off to do our own thing for the morning.  For us this means walking to the Flower market, then on through very interesting streets to the Rijksmuseum.  We are once again fascinated by the street scene - all it seems subordinated to the bicycling gods who rule the streets.  Amsterdam is a very stylish city, clothes, shoes, furniture, architecture - everything is very cool with a fantastic blend of old and new.

Returning to the hotel for 1:30 we meet up with everyone and take a canal cruise. A very relaxing way to tour this beautiful city - and no bicycles to dodge, although some of the bridges and canals are so low and narrow that they bring challenges all of their own. Our boat captain discovered this the hard way with the loss of a rear view mirror and a nasty hit to the paintwork!  Still, we gave him a tip for the show.

At the very start of the cruise we spied the Hotel d'Europe and it looked like the sort of place a sophisticated bunch such as ourselves should enjoy an afternoon drink.  So, on disembarking, we hotfooted it straight there and spent a lovely hour or two watching canal and city life pass us by.

The final surprise of the day was dinner at the Lt. Cornelis restaurant. Not naming names, but most of the group were inclined to try the 'blind' menu where you don't know what is coming until it arrives in front of you.  Everything was delicious, this is a restaurant where they take great pride in locally sourced and excellently prepared food in a modern Dutch style.

And with that we are taking another early night.  We start off on the bikes tomorrow and, this time, we will set our alarm clocks!

Day Two We arrive in Amsterdam

It all feels like the continuation of one really long day!  The flight through the night was uneventful and arrived early. KLM seems like an efficient airline with great people - just don't go for the food!

Arriving at Schipol airport and going through Customs was probably the easiest and least stressful arrival in a country ever - why can't they all be like this?

Because we were early the rooms weren't quite ready so the hotel provided coffee and we added a late brunch.  Much better!

Refreshed (a bit!) we headed out exploring but the rain soon turned that into an exploration of a very upscale shopping attraction on the main square - de Bijenkorf. During a brief lull we ventured outside again and went to see The Duchess restaurant where a childhood friend of Alex and Hana's - Jeff Graf - is the chef.  We met up with Jeff and will certainly try to get back there for a meal during our stay, it looks lovely. 

Walking on we saw many of the smaller retailers on narrow streets away from the main thoroughfares. Beware the dutch cyclist (and scooter and drivers) though. Tourists are just one more obstacle to be avoided (if they really must!).

By late afternoon the 30 plus hours without sleep got us all and after a quick dinner back at our (new) favorite department store we went back to the hotel to crash. Had to have a Heineken though as we are in Amsterdam. 

Andy and Eleanor arrive tonight but alas we won't be up to welcome them.

Tomorrow - exploring Amsterdam. 

Day One Vancouver to Amsterdam

Today we set off on our cycling trip to Holland. Well 'in' Holland rather than 'to' Holland - but you get the idea. Technically, certain Dutch speaking members of our party advise that Holland is just a part of the Netherlands - but, again, I'm sure you get the picture. 

Leg one is the flight to Amsterdam. We're meeting the Weber's at Vancouver airport and with luck we'll have a beverage (or two) and a snack to toast our departure!  Andy and Eleanor join us in Amsterdam tomorrow evening. 

Weather in Amsterdam is great today - tomorrow? - let's hope it changes!