As I watched the minutes tick by, a growing despair began to build inside me as I saw the time I was supposed to get to spend in Amsterdam disappear. Eventually we were able to take off and after an uneventful flight, we landed in The Netherlands. The taxiing took forever as we landed on one of the outer runways, and then were parked a good distance away from the actual airport, as we had to get on a bus that would take us to the main terminal. We sat on the plane forever as the people outside the plane could not figure out how to make the stairs outside the plane lock in place. Again, as the time ticked by, I saw my time in Amsterdam slipping by like sands through an hourglass.
We were able to get off the plane, but then a vehicle pulled up right next to the stairs we were walking off the plane on, and told us all to stop. After waiting for what appeared to be no reason, we were able to board the bus, that after the entire plane had boarded, drove us the long distance to the baggage area. I had to decide whether I would go into the city or wait at the airport. I knew I wouldn't have much time in the city, but I decided to go anyway!
I made my way to the self-service ticket machines and was really surprised by how long the lines were! I waited and waited and waited, as one train, and then another left, all before I had time to purchase my ticket. The problem was that people couldn't figure out how to use them, so they just sat at the machine pushing buttons and then starting over. If you can't figure out how to use a self-service ticket machine, either ask someone for help or go to the window where you can have a person issue your ticket. Don't occupy the terminal for 10 minutes just because you can't figure out how it works... Anyway, 30 seconds after I got to the machine, I ha my ticket in hand and hauled ass to catch the next train which was just about to depart when I made it to the platform. We made it into town and I had approximately 45 minutes before I needed to catch a train back to the airport. I made a bee-line for Haarlemerstraat and my favorite coffee shop, stopped in for a quick refreshment, then hauled ass across town to the Nieuwmarkt (where my former apartment was), checked and saw that my bike was gone, and then hauled ass to the train station, back to the airport, and to my gate. I was there with about 5 minutes to spare, as boarding began shortly after I got to the gate. It was stressful, but worth the detour into town!
My flight to Prague went off without a hitch. I arrived on time, my bag arrived with me, my driver was waiting for me with a very clear sign so I was able to recognize him immediately. He drove me the thirty minutes to the hotel, where I was greeted by the cruise director and the head of the company I'm traveling with. I made my way up to my room to change into shorts (it was 39F this morning in Tallinn, and it's 85+ in Prague), grabbed a quick (and LATE) lunch, then got freshened up for a welcome cocktail reception for the cruise. We met several local advocates from Prague who were big in the local fight for equality, and then were allowed to mingle. I met a few people I didn't know and got to see two that I knew from a previous cruise. It was nice catching up, and then we went out for dinner. After dinner, I was so worn out from such an early start, I decided to call it an "early" night (it was already 11pm by the time we finished dinner, got our check and paid). I made my way back to the hotel and before I could even respond to emails, I was out.
I slept for 9.5 hours straight (which these days is a long time), so I was very happy for the good night's sleep. The I only thing on the agenda for today was a morning walk through Prague. Since this is my third trip to Prague and the walk only visited places I've visited before, I decided to make today a day of rest. I've been traveling for three weeks now full fairly rigorous sight-seeing, so I decided a day off was warranted. I spent the morning lounging around my hotel room, then wandered around to grab a bit to eat for lunch, walked around some more, then returned to the hotel since the sky began threatening rain and I didn't have a raincoat or umbrella... I had a nice relaxing afternoon, and eventually got packed up and ready to go! Tomorrow morning, early, early we head to the ship!!! Danube River, here I come!!!
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