We are going on a Safari! To celebrate my sister's, Lin, retirement, we planned a trip to Kenya and Tanzania.
The flight to Kenya connects through Amsterdam, so we decided to stop over and spend a couple days, acclimating to the time change and breaking up the extremely long multi-flight journey.
We were to leave Charleston mid morning, then spend eight hours in New York's JFK airport before heading to Amsterdam 9:30 at night for an overnight flight. Our Charleston flight was delayed, making our New York layover a couple hours shorter, but we were sure happy to finally get on the plane to Amsterdam.
We arrived about 10:30 am and took the bus to the city center where our hotel would be a short 6 minute walk...well, supposed to be. We missed our stop so had to backtrack, but the streets were confusing and we walked for more than 1/2 hour, gratefully finding our hotel after asking many people for directions, but most were tourists and almost as lost as we were! It wouldn't have been a problem except that for the African portion of our trip were were restricted from using hard sided or framed bags or luggage with more than 2 wheels. We ended up with duffel type bags with 2 wheels on one end, but they were cumbersome to say the least, banging into our legs and twisting as we pulled them. It was the longest supposed 6 minute walk ever and a frustrating way to start our journey.
 |
| Love the interesting gables and architecture |
 |
| Bicycles and canals - Amsterdam! |
 |
| Our hotel near a Tram stop and overlooking the canal |
Our hotel in Amsterdam overlooked a canal and was wonderful - old buildings strung together in a strange patchwork of inside hallways and short stairways. We were on the second floor and had a large picture window, giving us a great view of the canal, the tram stop and the bridge over the canal. Very quirky, next to the Gay area of Amsterdam. This normally would not have been on our radar except that we arrived in the middle of a week-long Pride celebration and the city was overflowing with more tourists than it could handle! Restaurant reservations anywhere near our hotel were booked solid.
We had tried to get tickets to the Anne Frank museum a few weeks before we left the U.S., but they were sold out, so we spent the day walking around Amsterdam, admiring the canals and their bridges, architecture, and people while trying to avoid being run down by the thousands of bicycles that race around the city. We had trouble getting dinner reservations, but found a cute sidewalk cafe right across the canal from our room where we had a light dinner and early to bed.
 |
| Canals everywhere |
 |
| The back of greenhouses in the flower market |
The next day, we walked up to the flower market and toured the old town before heading to the Van Gogh museum where we spent all afternoon enjoying the fabulous artwork of Van Gogh, his influencers and contemporaries (photos not allowed). We again tried for dinner reservations at a Dutch themed restaurant, but had to settle for an Italian outdoor eatery a few blocks from our hotel. Food was fabulous, but we were tired and returned to our room, people watching from our hotel window.
 |
| Busy main thoroughfare with trams |
 |
| A beautiful church in Old Amsterdam |
 |
| Many houseboats line some canals |
 |
| More interesting architecture |
 |
| Amsterdam is known for its "live and let live" attitude, even rubber ducks are respected |
 |
| The spectacular Van Gogh Museum |
The next morning, we were smart enough to not take the bus back to the airport for our ongoing journey to Nairobi, Kenya and splurged on a taxi. Aaahhh.
Our quick stopover in Amsterdam was wonderful, but the REAL Trip is about to begin. Much more to come......
No comments:
Post a Comment