Amsterdam Day 1 - Battling the Jet Lag

Here we are a week after our return from our trip. And, even though documenting our trip isn't exactly high on my list of things I want to do tonight (like curling up with a cat and a good book and sending myself to bed early is), I really want to start writing it all done while the trip is still somewhat fresh in my head.

So, let's start at the beginning. On Thursday afternoon (a week and a half ago), my parents dropped Mike and I off at the train station. After we said good bye to them and Dylan (and yes, I did shed some real tears after leaving my little boy), we hopped the train and headed to the airport. My Mom, who is now the proficient texter, let me know that Dylan was doing just fine (ie much better than me) and I was able to start relaxing into our trip. We grabbed a drink and a snack at the airport before boarding the plane. The flight left at about 7pm and was scheduled to arrive in Amsterdam between 8 and 9 in the morning. That meant we needed to get some sleep en route.

Mike and I both popped a tylenol pm a little while after boarding and Mike soon arrived in snooze land. I wasn't so lucky. I was in the middle seat, between 2 good sized men and in front of a row of excited, chatty teenagers. Between not having any room to get comfortable and a constant buzz of girl chatter filling my ears, I got little to no sleep. By my estimate, maybe 45 minutes over 3 or 4 naps. By the time we arrived at customs at Schipol airport, I knew it would be a long day!

After consulting with the information desk at the airport and finding out how to get to our hotel, we hopped a train to the central station (after consulting the schedule and route map several times through our jet lagged daze), then caught a tram to our lovely hotel - the Banks Mansion.

Lucky for us, they were able to accommodate our request for an early check in. So, we dropped our bags, freshened up, grabbed some breakfast from the hotel's "kitchen" just as breakfast service was ending, and headed out for some sight seeing. First on the agenda was the Anne Frank house.

View of the Canal from our Room

On the way there, we wandered along the canals, soaking in some of the city's unique architecture.

When we arrived, we took in the sight of the long line we had been told to expect. We had no idea how long the wait was but we decided to stick it out. While waiting, the fatigue really hit me and I was in rough shape. It reminded me, very vividly, of how I often felt through the sleep deprivation of having an infant. Luckily, I only had to keep me standing up and not take care of a little baby...the staying standing part was hard enough.

Anne Frank statue

Anne Frank House (Middle) and Museum (right)

We waited in line for just over an hour (not so bad). Before leaving for Amsterdam, we really had no time to prepare or research the trip so I honestly had no idea what to expect at this museum (or any of them for that matter). Once in, we were treated to a very touching reminder of the story of the Frank family and the experience that young Anne documented in her journal. It has been some years since I read the story (I hope to do so again very soon) but seeing the space and the pictures of faces she so wonderfully described was very moving. We were even able to go behind the book shelf through the secret passage that led to the annex where they hid and see the space they were confined to for so long. It was SO worth the wait to get in!

Beer Bike Tours We Saw a Couple of Times During our Stay
Seriously! Pedalsaloon.com 

Canal Houses with Their Furniture Pulleys

Next on the list was the Rijks Museum. My Aunt Pam recommended this art museum to us so it was definitely tops on our list. I knew it was an art museum but don't think I realized what a wonderful account of Dutch history we would get through the artwork shown there. We spent a couple of hours there before the jet lag screamed and said it was time to get back in the fresh air before I collapsed on the museum floor.

Canal - Rijks Museum in the Distance

Rijks Museum

We wandered back through the canals to our hotel. After a quick shower to wake us both up, we checked in with our sitters. Prior to our leaving, I knew we would want a way to check in with Dylan and my parents. Thanks to face time, it was easy to arrange. At 6:30pm in Amsterdam, we were getting ready for dinner and at 12:30pm in Boston, Dylan would be napping - the perfect time for a face chat! Thankfully, all was going well at home so we headed out for dinner.

The hotel had made reservations for us at an Indonesian restaurant. Either they gave us bad direction or the lack of sleep had killed all brain cells by that point and we could not find the place. To come up with a new plan, we ducked into a swanky place for a cocktail and got a recommendation from the bartender there for a Thai\Indonesian place down the block. Perhaps that was where we were meant to have gone in the first place but it was definitely a different name than the hotel had given us. In any case, they had room to seat us immediately so we were happy. We're pretty open to eating different foods and cultures but I don't think either of us had ever had Indonesian food. Indian, Thai, Vietnamese...lots of other types from that part of the world but not Indonesian specifically. I wanted a sampling so I got a platter of lots of several of their appetizers. Mike zeroed in on an interesting noodle dish. It was a delicious dinner after a very long day.  (And Indonesian was a Dutch experience as far as I was concerned as we saw TONS of Indonesian restaurants throughout the city.)

On the way back to the hotel, we saw one of the many "coffee shops" in the city. Yep, that's where the semi legal stuff is sold. For the cultural experience of it, I went in an asked to "see the menu" (Mike was too chicken and made me do the dirty work). And, what do you know, the guy directed me to a button to push which lit it up (no, really that's what we did but I can't help enjoy the irony of that statement)! The guy working also made all kinds of recommendations...kind of a barista of illegal substance. So weird! Don't worry Mom, that was the extent of it. We released the button that unlit the menu and finished our walk back to the hotel. It had been a VERY long day (about a 37 hour one actually) and we were ready for a serious night's sleep.