Going Home via Amsterdam

Hello All,

So I went home for Christmas which is why there have been no posts the last two weeks.  

I began my journey to the airport on a bus, then a tunnel bana and finished with the train ....Arlanda Express to the airport.  Pretty snazzy train, don't you think.

I flew Stockholm to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam to Detroit with a 15 hour layover in Amsterdam. Total trip time 40 h 46 m. I opted to get a hotel for the night. It was a blast.  

My Stockholm flight was an hour late leaving thus we arrived in Amsterdam late and then I had to wait for the free shuttle service to the hotel.

Once settled in the hotel about 9:45 pm I headed to downtown Amsterdam in the pouring rain to see the sights and get dinner.  I took a bus from the bus station that was conveniently located across from the hotel.

Here are the pictures I took while wandering downtown.  I really liked the Domino's delivery bikes.

The people of Amsterdam are really into riding bikes.  This is a bike parking area at 11:45 pm on a rainy Sunday night.  I can't imagine what it would be like on a good day.  There were also numerous people riding around.

I never did stop to eat, but opted for an apple and a protein bar once I was back at the hotel.

The hotel was clean and the bed, while unusual, was comfortable.  Bunk bed in a hotel room with sleeping for three.  Not something you would see at home.  Note the TV and desk, but no chair, just a stool.  No telephone either.

They also had a strange interpretation of a three piece bathroom with each piece separate.  The sink was in the main part of the room, the shower enclosed to the left of it and the toilet enclosed behind it.

 This is the closet area

The room came with breakfast served from 4:00 am to 10:00 am. This was great since I had to be at the airport for 7:00 am.  It was a simple, yet nice breakfast.  Overall a good experience.  

I got to the airport to discover that my fight was delayed for an hour.  The Amsterdam security was insane.  My coat and my backpack were sent to secondary screening and swabbed down and searched.  It would have been a stressful time if I hadn't noticed that every third or forth person was having the same experience. They were very thorough.  I was wishing I had spent the night at the airport, then I wouldn't have had to go through security.

I arrived in Detroit to be greeted by Ted, Kayley and her boyfriend Cody.  Happy to be home with my family for a few days.