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Night location: Amsterdam
After 21 hours of flying and a four hour stop over in Dubai, we arrived at Amsterdam Schipol Airport. Flying into The Netherlands was fascinating. Everywhere you looked was water. It reminded Amber of the Tweed Valley in flood season with the cane drains filled to the brink. The light reflecting off the water made the canals and water courses look like Mercury meandering through the green countryside. It was truly beautiful.
We made our way through passport control, collected our bags and found our hotel shuttle man who appeared to be in no hurry to depart the airport. The shuttle bus was full with the door closed when he left to chat to his friend. He then decided to go back into the terminal, come back to the bus, open the driver's door, retrieve an apple and then left to eat it! When he was suitably refreshed, he rejoined us and we began our drive into the city.
Our driver dropped us outside the Convent Hotel and due to it being surrounded by temporary fencing he joked that it was not open! Fortunately we had been given directions that our apartment was opposite this hotel and therefore we were not alarmed! The owner of the apartment greeted us from the top of what can only be called ladder stairs. They certainly would not be granted council approval in Australia. Hoisting our bags in front of us we slowly ascended the ladder to the first floor.
The apartment we are staying in is in an original canal house with big glass windows that let in gentle light. After an extended welcome from our host, complete with an introduction to her six dogs (one of whom was called Lily and was the size of a rat), we rested and then headed out to our hot stone massage. Amber, who had been on the Year 10 camp and had walked all over Sydney, was very excited about this treat! David effortlessly led the way and upon arrival we enjoyed some Jasmine tea before going into our one hour massage. We're both fairly sure we fell asleep but emerged completely relaxed and a bit woozy!
Dinner was at a recommended restaurant called Trattoria Caprese where we enjoyed our favourite cuisine! The highlight was the insalata burrata con pomodoro e basilico - a version of our favourite caprese salad. We were too tired for dessert even though the chocolate torte looked delightful. Never mind. We will have plenty of other opportunities for dessert on this trip!
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Harry Halliday Good to know you are enjoying life in Europe again! Do you plan to find 5 companions for Lily now that you have seen it in operation?