First Flight

Arriving at Terminal 1 three hours early gave us plenty of time we never really needed. Printing the boarding passes ten hours earlier mad it easy to sail through the initial process - actual check-in - passport check and baggage weighing. Onto the screening and personal search, usually a long line up and plenty of people trying not to get annoyed at the first unknown - will my bag pass the Xray. Tonight no line up and few illegal bags. It was the fastest screening we have had.

Terminal 1 has a system of restaurants around the terminals and most of them are actual boarding gates. Approaching many tables, with ipads for menus and few actual airport seats is intimidating if one doesn't want to eat. But many signs instruct passenger to feel free to sit at the table without ordering, but most at least buy a coffee so it pays off in the long run.

Finally boarding time and we watch as the wheelchair people go first, then the families then the club class and finally the rows at the back of the plane - that's us. We're on, again in record time. Perhaps an omen of difficult times as we are having an easy time now?

Six and a half hours and a tailwind is all it takes to get us to Schipol (Amsterdam). Apart from the crummy food and the most annoying passenger behind the screaming kid - the farter, the time spent wasn't that bad. two movies, a little nap and then a piece of bread for breakfast and we are ready to get off.

Landing into yet another speedy deplane and immigration clearance, but the wait for the airport shuttle was a thirty minute one but hey we waited in the sun and it was free. Ten minutes later the hotel heaved into view but we knew all about the location because the bus had a TV screen with an active GPS location on it - very hightech.

Doreen is thinking of buying
new shoes

Walking around a bit, we really wanted a coffee, and found one, the first one at European prices - 3euro ($4.50cdn) for a run of the mill machine drip ground. We enjoyed a sunny interlude watching planes land and buses coming and going.

Back to the room for a needed nap, after all we hadn't seen a bed for thirty six hours. Napped dreaming of the Dinner, prepaid before arrival on an internet special. A three course a la carte for thirty euros ($45 cdn each).

Back in the room well fed. I ordered spare ribs and expected a quarter rack, two small half racks appeared - thirteen ribs in all and didn't have to fight with any of them, the meat just fell off the bones. Now all we have to do is navigate the 'extended' buffet in the morning and we can say "we pigged out in Amsterdam!"


Off to Vienna in the morning - take off at 1330 land two hours later, next post then!