On Sunday, our three tasks were to arrange for the airport shuttle, pay the bill and leave a wakeup call. We thought we could leave at 6 am to get to the airport two hours before our 8:15 flight. The shuttle runs at 5:15 and 6:45 so we signed up to leave early.
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| 5 am...sunburned from yesterday and I already had dripped water on my shirt...off to a long day!! |
We were up at 4:30, called for a porter to help with our 7 bags and in the lobby by 5:10. There were two shuttles and several men getting on. It seemed to me that there would not be room for both of us and our bags. The hotel wanted to put us in one van and our baggage in the other. Amber was not comfortable with this. The African businessmen were assuring her we would all go to the same place. I could see the start of a meltdown. I wasn’t concerned about theft and told Amber I was sure it would be ok. So we piled in with six professional looking men. On the way to the airport, I detected a French accent and asked one if he is Rwandan. He said “no, Senegal” so I confessed my lack of African geography and a pleasant conversation ensued. He was in Nairobi for a Conference of Orthopedic Surgeons of Africa. The man in the front seat had been elected president of the organization at the conclusion of the conference. I told them we were honored to be a part of the first entourage of the new president. The Senegalese continued. He has been in the US while studying on a Fulbright scholarship (impressive!!) and enjoyed California more than Chicago. Who wouldn’t?? Somehow he and Amber got to a discussion of what to see and do in Paris. (She is going there for a conference in July).
We neared the airport and saw a van loaded with luggage…that was on fire! Now that’s a first. Arriving at the gates, we got out and our van started to leave. I grabbed the bell captain who had traveled with and said “what about our luggage?” Somehow he contacted the other van and they came up….all of our luggage was strapped on top….typical matatu fashion! It was offloaded and we queued for security. We were in line for 15 minutes outside the building. Another queue inside to get our boarding passes (and another 45 minutes). We joined the long, long queue for immigration departure. After several minutes, someone came through calling “Amsterdam, Amsterdam, follow me”. Amber had her backpack sitting on her wheeled carryon. We moved forward, the backpack fell off catching her hand in the strap so the weight of the backpack cause a REAL pinch…so much that she cried out and had to stop and massage her hand to stop the pain. We were now being rushed out with the crowd. We herded ourselves outside down the street and in through a domestic flight area, through security again and into a second line for immigration.
I looked at the escalators beyond immigration and saw an old “mama” climbing the stairs that were not moving. She was dragging luggage up the stairs. I told Amber she must fear the stairs. After a few minutes, I saw two more Muslim women go to the escalator. An airport employee was assisting one. He took her to the escalator and was encouraging her. I could imagine him saying “just try”. She looked at it, stepped forward, then back. The employee spoke to her again. She just shook her head, gathered up her bags and dragged them up the stairs. Kind of sad.
Now I am finally at the immigration officer. He looks at my passport and cannot locate my Kenya visa. He kept turning to several visas from previous journeys. Finally he located the correct one, stamped it and tossed my passport at me. Was it my fault? Apparently he thought so.
Amber and I had NO FEAR of the escalators!! Our bags are heavy! We went up and to gate 10. We had to go through security one more time! I had my tiny sewing kit with the folding scissors. I had brought it to Kenya in my checked bags but after I used it in Nairobi, I forgot and put them it in my carryon. This security officer found it and of course, my scissors remained in the large round bin with hundreds of other ‘contraband’ items. Interesting that the first two missed them.
You cannot imagine the mass of humanity in the airport, in the queues. We were elbow to elbow with hundreds of people for over two hours. And then we boarded---400+ on the flight. This plane is big but not huge. IU booked our tickets so that we both have aisle seats. That has been very nice as the middle seats and window seats are much more confining.
We had breakfast at 9:30 and we were ready for it…although it was only yogurt and granola, juice and a croissant. Our flight was almost 9 hours. I slept some. Amber did not. She graded more papers.
Arrival in Amsterdam at 5pm Nairobi time, 3 pm Amsterdam, 9 am Indiana time. We went to the visitors' desk. We decided that the iAmsterdam card would not be a bargain for us. Our hotel is close to many of the things we want to see. We bought tickets to 3 museums and a canal ride. We’ll figure the rest out as we go.
Outside the airport (have I mentioned we have 7 bags of luggage/backpacks?) and hailed a taxi. It will be 40 Euros each to the hotel. That was about $60 each so we dragged the bags to the bus stop and paid 4 Euros each. The bus stopped about 3 blocks from the hotel. The hotel is an old European style (I’m guessing)….tiny room, tiny bathroom, tiny elevator, not so tiny price. The lobby is up a flight of steps from the street. Our room is on the 4th floor but in Europe the 1st floor is the ground floor. So we are 4 levels above the ground…which essentially is actually the 5th floor. It will be fine. But we WILL pay 15 Euros each for the airport shuttle on our way out!!
We walked a few blocks in the 39 degree weather to a street with dozens of restaurants…Thai, Argentinean, Italian, and the ubiquitous McDonald’s and Burger King. We chose Italian. I had ribs with a baked potato…excellent!! Amber had prawns, baked potato and corn on the cob! Either we had an absolutely fabulous meal or we were just hungry for familiar food. Either way, it was great.
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| Maybe I should get a pink/purple Vespa for tooling around Greentown!! |
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| Bicycles, busses and MacDonald's |
Observation….we quickly learned that we were walking in the bicycle lane…several callouts and bells. Walking/bicycling/scooter/bus/streetcar is the preferred mode of transportation. There are not so many cars. Every second or third “street” is a canal. People are friendly and accommodating to tourists. The first language on signage is Dutch, of course.
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