I started my day in Dubai, hitting a breakfast buffet for a quick bite to hold me over until my flight.  It was crowded, so I joined another solo traveller, who just happened to be an Italian man from Venice.  I already love international travel —  I’ve seen a beautiful tapestry of people, and heard various languages, all in the last two days.  It’s fantastic.

The flight to Dubai was on a Boeing 777-300ER and the flight from there to Amsterdam today was on a Boeing A380-800, and it was incredible to finally fly in these fancy planes (hi, Fred!).  I was being thrifty and went economy/coach, which wasn’t too bad, actually.  It, like anything, is what you make it.

A good guide book is worth its weight in gold, and I’ve been happy with mine (Rick Steves).  I read up on the Schiphol airport, so I was able to get around when I landed just fine, from baggage claim (yay, my bag made it!), through customs, to an ATM to get a stack of Euros, and to the Connexxion ticket counter to get a shuttle to my hotel.  It was pouring here this afternoon, so a walk from the train station would have been beyond what I was up for after so many hours in the air the last two days.

I got checked into my small little 17th century merchant house turned hotel on one of the canals in the west part of Amsterdam.  It has 9 rooms, on 3 floors, up very narrow and steep stairs, which I had read about plenty in all the planning leading up to visiting Europe, and it’s quite something to experience them in person.

This hotel has a resident cat, a Maine Coon, named Othello, and I of course made his acquaintance.

I ventured out into the wind and rain to briefly explore the neighborhood and find a good spot for dinner, and came across this amazing place in my wandering, which was an authentic Dutch restaurant.  I had a chiken schnitzel dish that was beyond.   Of all the places to wander into, a traditional Dutch restaurant was a perfect first meal here.  It’s impossible to describe the art of bike riding here — in person, it’s really a site to see.

Canal

Heren-Gracht canal

Great little restaurant for my first Dutch meal

I have two nights here and then head to Haarlem, which is about a 15 minute train ride, to meet up with my tour group and see more of the area.  Looking forward to more exploring tomorrow in this amazing city!