Right now, we’re riding on a train from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. We chose a sleeper compartment. This will be our “hotel” for Sunday night. I’m so tired from the travel and the whirlwind that was the wedding. I am going to try to sleep and then possibly we will go to dinner in the dining car. There is not that much space in the car at all, it is very cramped quarters.
By now, you’ve already read about the delay disaster on Thursday into Friday. When we finally arrived in Amsterdam, there was a car waiting to take us downtown from Shipol. We met the parents of the bride. When then boarded a boat to see the city after some light hor’dourves at the Hilton where we all met. The boat ride was something to behold. The canals of Amsterdam truly define the city. I have to tell you I think it’s a great way to catch the sights of Amsterdam without spending all of the time traveling by foot. Even with our limited time there, we really got to get a good look at this Dutch city. Just after we got off the boat, the heavens opened up and it started to pour rain. I had an umbrella with me but of course, not “with me”, it was in the hotel in my luggage. Nice! We got drenched. The wedding planner quickly went to a nearby store and bought about 20 umbrellas. We luckily got one but we were all still soaked. In trying to get the rain off my head, I swiped my hand back throught my hair and accidentally flipped my sunglasses off and right into the canal. Stupid sunglasses!
When the rain let up a little, we walked to the Van Gogh museum. The Dutch are very proud of him. They don’t pronounce his name the way Americans do, they say Van Gauck. It took a little getting used to. We all had headphones on that allowed you to get more information on certain paintings. It was impressive to see all of the artwork up close. The Dutch don’t look at “Starry Starry Night” as his best work. They love “Sunflowers”. It’s a national treasure for them.
We then went to the restaurant “In De Waag” in Amsterdam. The meal was unbelievable. I started off with carpaccio, I’d never had something like this before but it was interesting. You have to try new things once and a while. Some of you warned me against eating at McDonald’s and Burger King and so far we’ve done that. After dinner, we wandered quickly into the Red Light District. It was busy mostly with people “window shopping”, we didn’t see too many people buying.
We then caught a bus back to Wassenaar to the hotel. We stayed at the Van der Valk hotel. A very nice place but Europeans have obscene keychains in hotel rooms. Very odd. Where would you put the thing. You surely won’t lose it. The accommedations were great. My friend we traveled with told us you couldn’t flush toilet paper. He was wrong! Why would you trust him anyway? We got some well deserved sleep that night. Our group that came over together was very tired.
We got up on Saturday but not in enough time to go on a bus trip to The Hague. We were simply too tired. It was too aggressive of a schedule for us Americans. Instead, we got up slowly and got ready for the day to come. We boarded a bus to the bride’s parents’ house. It was decorated elegantly for the day. We had some food there and then got readly to walk to the town hall. It wasn’t but 750 meters away. Raadhuis De Paauw almost couldn’t hold all of the people who showed up for the wedding. It was standing room only. I loved the woman in charge of the ceremony. She had a beautiful British accent and spoke fluent Dutch. Let’s just say she knew how to work the room and keep a civil ceremony interesting. The wedding was beautiful not too romantic but romantic nonetheless. After having been through it, I’d love one like it. After the ceremony, I told the woman what a good job she did and told her someday maybe I’d need her services over in the States. She told me “Just get me a ticket and I’ll be there.” I’m seriously thinking about that one.
We went back to the bride’s parents’ house for some cake, some pictures and a champagne toast. Next, we were whisked off to the castle for the reception and a lot of fun. A beautiful couple of days that went off with only one hitch, my friends’ wedding. Cheers!
We got up early today after having missed brunch at the brides’ parent’s house. We quickly found out there is little leeway in checkout times in European hotels. If they say 11:30am, that’s when they expect you to be out.
Buses, trams, trains, walking and biking are the rules here. There are few taxis and cars. Before we had to get on this train, we took a bus down to Amsterdam from our hotel in Wassenaar. We caught lunch and did some shopping. My friend got to go to the Anne Frank House but I couldn’t because I couldn’t find a locker large enough for my rolling garment bag. It almost fit!?! You couldn’t take luggage into the house. I sat outside and watched people. That was an experience itself.
Side note: Everyone smokes over here. It’s almost air pollution. I hate it!
I’d heard a lot about the Sex Museum (they have tons of museums in Amsterdam, even one for tulips) The Sex Museum lived up to its reviews. Don’t miss it. It’ll only take about 30 – 40 minutes of your time. I even found an Internet cafe. I was very happy about that. Cyber withdrawl! We then got aboard this train to Basel SBB. Note to guys: Don’t go to the bathroom on a train without holding up the seat. That thing will slam down at the absolute worst time!
Here it is midnight Monday morning and 6pm Sunday over in the states. I’m tired from the travel and the jet lag!