A smooth (sleepless) night flight later (thanks to KLM’s
yummy food and good selection of entertainment keeping us awake), we arrived in
Amsterdam for a layover. Britt turned 31 in the air, continuing a longstanding
tradition of being anywhere but Toronto on her birthday.
Where we stayed: At a hotel very close to the airport. There
isn’t much worth reporting, except that it had three comfy beds to support the
minimal sleep we got, and a bus depot across from it went directly from it to
the airport, and from it to downtown.
What we ate and drank: We ate the best croquettes in
Amsterdam and had delicious beers at the local watering hole where business
people began to congregate in the afternoon dusking sun. We enjoyed dinner on a patio for Britt, and
had birthday ice cream in Nieuwmarkt with the smell of weed in the air.
What we did: We walked the streets and canals, taking in the
buildings and bikes, and looking for food (mostly!). We tried to remember where
we had been before in our previous travels, and retrace our steps – the place
where JD burnt his tongue on too hot pizza, the place where we posed with an
ancient Timex digital clock to show just how light it was at 10 pm, the innocent
looking alley that we later learned was elite alley – where you can find the
most expensive sex workers – all still there. Once we confirmed that Amsterdam
hadn’t changed all that much, we were ready to move on to our next adventure.
Lessons learned: Try to stay awake on public transportation
– even if you haven’t slept in 24 hours – or you may fall off your seat and
look like a fool in front of the locals.
Some more questions for Kruger Park…
1) Will we see animals grazing right next to our lodge, like in
all of the images you see online of safaris?
2) Will we see the big 5 – elephants, rhinos, leopards,
buffalos, and lions – and which one will we be scared of the most?
Stay tuned!
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