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July 17, 2015
IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!
We left Portland mid-day on Tuesday and before we left the terminal, we had to do what everyone else does and pose on the famous PDX carpet. Ever since they said they are going to get rid of that ugly carpet, people have had their feet photographed to capture the moment. We did too.
We arrived after our long (10 hours) flight to Amsterdam and were greeted by showers, but we're Oregonians and we can take the rain. Schiphol is a big airport and we had to walk at least a quarter of a mile in the airport to collect our luggage. It took a long time just to get to the baggage area and when we did, it went from carousels one to14. Of course, our bags were on carousel 15 and that required another ten minute walk before we got to that area. We found our bags, but couldn't connect with our ride. All of the drivers were camped out at the baggage area - all except ours! We finally found our guy right where he was supposed to be, not where we were looking amidst all the other drivers. He was very talkative and we had a nice informative ride to our hotel. After unpacking and settling in, the first thing we did was to take a canal cruise so that we could orient ourselves with our new surroundings. Canals surround that part of town and so we were able to see a lot in between rain showers. Amsterdam is a beautiful city with an equal numbers of pedestrians, bicyclists and cars. We really have to be on alert as the bicyclists speed by on the narrow sidewalks along with the pedestrians. It is amazing that they don't have more accidents. As I said, the city is made up of canals too, so there is a lot of boat traffic as well. My impression of Amsterdam is that it is a very clean place and the people are very friendly. The young girls are all beautiful with their glowing complexions and trim figures. They do a lot of bike riding and walking around here and it shows.
Our hotel is nice and comfortable. We tried to stay awake as long as we could but after a 30 hour day and nine time zones, we were both fast asleep by 5 p.m. the first night. Of course we were awake up at 2 a.m. and we had to force ourselves to go back to sleep. I'm sure it will take us a couple of days to get into the right time zone. I finally got up at 8:00 a.m. and I made Dave get up at 10:00 a.m. We had places to go and things to do and I didn't want him to sleep our vacation away!
On Thursday, we toured the Gassen Diamond factory here in Amsterdam where we got a lesson on how diamonds are shaped and cut. Some of the diamonds we looked at were very rare and expensive. Of course, they make sure the tour includes a visit to the sales area where we were given the opportunity to buy a few stones - but at 50,000 Euros just for an unset diamond, we somehow managed to resist. Later in the day, we toured the Anne Frank house along with the Portuguese Jewish Synagogue and Jewish Historical Museum. We had purchased our "Back Door" tickets for the Anne Frank house tour about two months ago and we were glad we did. People were lined around at least two blocks to get in! Since we were on a reserved tour, we got to go right to the front and didn't have to wait in line. It is a very popular tour, but the real reason for the delay is that it is a very small house and only a few people at a time can get in. Climbing up four flights of narrow steep stairs to the attic was a challenge, but it was very inspiring and we are glad we took the tour - even though it took most of the day. The Anne Frank house isn't far from our hotel, and the famous Westerkerk Church that she mentions in her diary can be heard chiming every hour from our room. Cameras are not allowed in the Anne Frank house, so we have no photos from there. We had dinner at an Argentinian sidewalk cafe on our walk back to the hotel.
Today is our last day in Amsterdam and we are planning do some shopping, visit the Van Gogh Museum and take a stroll through the Red Light District before we catch a train for Frankfurt early Saturday morning. We are still having internet issues. We haven't been able to get our pictures out of the phone and into the computer, so the only ones I have are what was already posted on Facebook. I'm sure we'll get that issue resolved as well. My webmaster says we'll look for a micro card adapter while we're shopping for a Sim card later today. I hope to keep my Journal going on a weekly basis (if not more often) as time allows. My travel adventures so far have been memorable and I am thoroughly enjoying myself. Ciao for now!!
