Amsterdam July 16 - 18 2022

 7/16  - A final morning of breakfast, then packing up for the Amsterdam add-on to this trip. While the luggage was transported to the hotel, our group walked about a mile through the city to the hotel. Some rooms were ready (mine), but others were not. I was quite happy with my split level room with a bathroom large enough to get lost in, and large bedroom and a foyer. I got settled, then headed downstairs to meet the canal boat in front of the hotel. 

On the walk to the hotel.

Maureen and  Maureen. I just wanted to sleep.


Dave and Pat.

Relaxing on the canal boat.

We had a 2 hour long ride to get acquainted with the city. The female captain provided a very informative overview of Amsterdam, but I found myself extremely sleepy and just blamed the warm weather. A heat wave was building and I was just glad to be leaving before the really hot weather was to occur.

I was glad to get back to the room and promptly took a nap. Janice and George called later and wanted to ride bikes with me. For some reason, I was not feeling up to it, but agreed because I just don't ever acknowledge any weakness in myself. The bikes were not available and we agreed a walk would be fine so off we went. I felt off, but didn't really think anything of it other than travel weariness and allergies which tend to come and go with changing environments.

We met the whole group for dinner at an Italian restaurant, then walked back to the hotel. Some folks were headed out to a bar, but I elected to stay in.

7/17 - Sunday morning I woke up with a bit of a runny nose, (allergies?) and headed off to the Blumenmarkt with Dale and Dan. The flowers were beautiful and we found a cheese shop giving out liberal samples. I bought a wheel of truffle cheese that was sublime. We stopped at a church to ogle the beauty on the way back. Then I set off on my own to discover more of the city, but decided I didn't really appreciate Amsterdam. It was Sunday morning and the detritus of Saturday night was strewn about the sidewalks and canals. By detritus I mean not just garbage, but human excrement as well. My overall impression is that Amsterdam is a city for the young partying set, and not for me.  

The bikes!

Perfect timing for a reflection in a usually busy canal.

Our fancy hotel.

Dan enjoying the upward view!

I found a bench in this plaza to watch the world go by. 
Protestors, families, and tourists all enjoying the day.

I ran into Tom and Maureen in the hotel garden as they were trying to get dinner reservations in the hotel but having no luck. I was feeling very tired and not looking forward to heading out yet again in search of dinner. I also had $175 Euro credit to spend in the hotel so I made the decision to nap and then order a sumptuous room service dinner while I packed up for the trip home. Dale gave me an allergy pill to help me sleep (we were departing the hotel at 4 am) and keep my sinuses clear. It worked and I slept.

7/18 - Off to the airport which was so very crowded. We flashed our priority tickets liberally and were able to bypass most of the long lines. By the time we boarded the plane, it was clear to me that I had more than allergies. I drank my mimosas,  then ate breakfast, then got myself comfy with my pillows and comforter. I slept very well for the whole trip. 

I am a nerd at heart and like to keep track of the route map, speed, temp. and the like while flying. Sometimes I even tune in to the control tower chatter to hear the weather reports. I used to work for the FAA as a Contract Weather Observer at the Albany Airport control tower in the days when one full time job teaching wasn't challenging enough.

We arrived in Newark, navigated to customs, then our limo with no delays. The 2 hour ride back to Dale and Dan's was painful as I now suspected I must be quite sick (with Covid.?) I just wanted to get home. 

After dropping off Tom and Maureen, I got into the house and got out the Covid tests. POSITIVE. I went to bed without dinner and SLEPT hard. A whimpering end to a fabulous trip.

Italics - all the signs of an impending illness I so well ignored.

Comments

  1. MargaretAugust 26, 2022 at 8:06 PM

    Most of us ignore sniffles and tiredness--until Covid, they often went away quickly or were innocuous. Amsterdam is a beautiful city but definitely a big party and pot scene. I didn't feel safe there like I did in Lucerne or many of the other cities I visited.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Rainy Weekend

Image
Another rainy Saturday to contend with, so I decided on a Van Morrison playlist while I cleaned out the garage and danced and sang. My gardening supplies and planters and pots that need sorting and recycling  were cluttering up my space. They are now sorted and the garage is cleaned out for at least another week or so. I think the shed in the back yard needs to be a project to get it into a more useful state.  The amount of rain we've had is remarkable. May was one of the wettest months in eighty years and June is starting to look the same. I would rather have too much rain rather than a drought though.  After dropping around 3 inches of rain, the skies cleared up later in the afternoon. I loaded up my bike for an impromptu ride on the Electric Trail with the thought of dinner or ice cream at Samascott's.  The first of many turtles on the bike path. Now I see just how rough the path was and how I had no business riding on it.  The trail was very wet on the way s...
Read more

Summer Solstice

Image
Vroman's Nose overlooking the valley. Summer has begun! To mark the solstice, my hiking group held a picnic at the top of Vroman's Nose, which is a short little hike up a 657 foot hill. It overlooks the Schoharie Valley and has a beautiful rock 'dance floor' that easily accommodates our group of forty. The weather was a perfect 74 degrees with a breeze to keep any bugs away. A pleasant gathering on the dance floor near sunset. I drove Sue Ellen who had her gall bladder removed last week, and we hiked up with a guy who has spinal stenosis. As I listened to them discuss their ailments, I silently gave thanks for my health and thought about how 'mature' our group is becoming.  Once at the top, the party began with burgers and dogs, salads and desserts, and great conversation.  Most of our group made it into this sunset picture. Saturday started with me being woken up by my neighbors chatting down below in the street - it was garage sale day. I didn't join since...
Read more

Random Thoughts In My Little Life

Image
 The orchids I bought in February (!) catch my attention each day and I have to marvel at their longevity. Four months of continuous flowers? What other plant does this? I just may become an orchid collector. A new stem with buds is forming on one of them too! This long horn beetle was inspecting my snow peas. They have blooms, so peas are not far behind! I drove up to the Plateau to meet a friend for a paddle. The wind picked up for awhile so we got a nice upper body work out paddling into the wind. Then we just floated near the dock when the wind died down and the sun was shining.  This wetland was covered in yellow flag (iris) on the way to the Pond. Enjoying the calm water after the gusts. This is not proper paddling form, but it was so relaxing. This angle makes my kayak look tiny! Thursday was a nice dry day - perfect for lawn garden work. I'm diligently putting the plants I keep buying into the ground. I have a dozen sunflowers I grew from seed that need planting, but t...
Read more