A Little Late: "January 26- Arrival in Amsterdam"

January 26- Arrival in Amsterdam

Yesterday morning I left my house at 5:30 am with my mom and dad, arriving at Los Angeles International Airport at approximately 6:25 am. After unloading the trunk, Mom dropped my Dad and I off at the United Gate, and we proceeded to attempt my e-check-in. Because my stay in the Netherlands exceeds the allowable time frame for most tourists, I was asked to see an agent, and had to make my way to another line to speak to someone. By this time, Mama bear made it inside and we were all standing in different lines because we were not sure which one was right. Eventually we got to the counter and checked in. My two suitcases passed the luggage test, one weighing in at 49.0 lbs and the other at 50.5 lbs. No problem, though. Without much down in between, M&D and I headed to the security line, which looked like it was getting longer as the seconds passed. A few tears passed along with the hugs and kisses between Mama & Papa bear and I before I entered the line and they were kicked out of the aisle. I went through security without any problems in a total of about 15 minutes. However, M&D later said that the check in lines were outrageous on their way out- so I guess we had good timing. I took off from LAX at 8:53 am and found myself in Chicago just four hours later…well, technically a two-hour time difference. After meeting up with Beth, a four-hour lay over, and a 7ish hour flight to the Netherlands, I found myself woken up from my slumber while circling and landing in Schipol International Airport. Beth & my bags came without too long and we were soon off in our shuttle bus to Hotel Armada, room 464 by 9:45 am.
Fortunately, the hotel had an elevator, so after shlupping our suitcases into our room, we left a note for Tiffany at the front (who would be arriving 2 hours later), and headed out to explore. Our first morning in Amsterdam could not have been more beautiful: the sun was peeking through the clouds and the temperature had not dropped much past 45 degrees yet. There were not crowds of people out, but just enough for it to feel like we were in a cozy town. Beth and I found a nice café for breakfast, called Café Luxembourg and enjoyed a pleasant breakfast. I got this egg scramble that had smoked salmon, bacon, onions, chives, and toast, coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice on the side. After walking up and down the streets a bit more, we eventually decided to head back to find the other girls around noon. We ran into Tiffany, Kelly, & Bryn in another cute café on the walk back and joined them in conversation over their lunch. After laughter, stories, and hopes for the semester, we decided to embark on our next adventure…
After returning to the hotel to relax for approximately 2.7 minutes, we headed out to the “Heineken Experience.” This was a virtual tour of the Heineken factory. It was so fun! Beth, Tiffany, Kelly, Bryn, and I enjoyed it very much, and there were even some cute Dutch boys working! There were two stops were we got to enjoy a nice fresh glass of Heineken, and then moving on- except when we got to serve our own beer from the top from the professional’s instructions of perfection. We spent about an hour and a half here, until we had to go back to freshen up and get ready for dinner.
Now nine of us were ready for an evening out, starting with a delicious meal (Andrew, Alex, Darren, and Colleen had met up with us by then). We took a walk (in the brisk cold) to “Kantjil & de Tijger.” It was a weird mix of like, Indian and Chinese. I had pork kabobs (recommended by our waiter). After dinner we decided to walk toward the Red Light District- what better way to spend your first night in Amsterdam, right? Well, after passing sex shop by sex shop of toys hanging in the window, various movie clips being featured, and pimp-daddy look a-likes inviting us in to the “Live Shows,” we reached the shops with rectangular windows all around. I actually only saw 2 windows which were occupied, out of many, but then again it was still before 9 pm. That was enough for the first night though, so we headed back toward the hotel, stopping in “Smokey Coffee shop.” It basically was set up like a bar, high seats at the counter, boots on the side, and pool tables in the back. However, this establishment sold no alcohol and received no orders as extensive as an alcohol list generally is. At the window counter, three sections: pipes, marijuana options, rolling paper. You were either able to purchase pre-rolled joints, space cake, cookies, or objects to smoke out of. I wouldn’t have been completely surprised if they had mushrooms back behind the counter (shrooms are no longer considered “tolerated”). The environment in this place was very laid-back, relaxed, and fun. The TV played old music videos and songs of random artist that made for great entertainment. Anyway, not much after ten the group made its way back to the hotel, said our goodnights, and retired to our rooms: for a much needed restful night’s sleep for a long and beautiful day tomorrow.