Amsterdam!
Most train stations in the Netherlands do not have people looking after them…..you need to buy your tickets from a machine. We knew it was about 28 Euro from Sneek to Amsterdam Central station…..#1 it doesn’t take bills…..only coins, of course we didn’t have that much in coinage so we thought one of us would put the two tickets on our Visa/MasterCard on one way and the other pay the way when we got back. Hmmmmm guess what! The machines don’t take Visa or Master Card……rethink. We decided to pay to the next station Leeuwarden, our first train change and a bigger station, only 4 Euro each.
All the while, I think, the conductor of the waiting train was watching us because when we crossed to the train to get aboard he told us he would help us in Leewarden. That station does have people selling tickets….but again they do not take Visa or Master Card just cash…..but at least they take bills.
Bike parkade |
Canals and houseboats |
Amsterdam Central Station is a very busy station and they are also doing renovations to add to the mix. But it is a very beautiful station on the outside. When we got to the street the parkade full of bikes was there just as I remember it from when I was here a couple of years ago. We made our way to our hotel which is just about a block away from the station. Very small room but clean and bright and convenient to transit with wifi and breakfast.
After we dropped our luggage we went back to the station to grab lunch and to get a 72 hour transit pass. Then we started to walk….we made a loop down the busy touristy Damrak St……so many people, so much construction, so much noise…..something to do with transit….either new tram lines or a new subway line (yes Amsterdam has a subway….we were on it) Carol is amazed at all the new building and the people, she was last here about 40 years ago.
A favourite cache |
We made our way down to the flower market getting a cache along the way…looking at all the beautiful bulbs….that we can’t bring home and the common ones we can bring home. We went into a cheese shop to sample. Then round to Rembrandt Plein (Square)…..as we were walking back to our hotel, we realized that there was a subway and we hopped on that to take us back to the train station where picked up some dinner and went back to the hotel for a rest.
The streets of Amsterdam are all decorated for the World Cup soccer tournament. Tonight Holland verus Australia…..at 6:00.…Lots of people dressed in orange and blue…..(we saw a a guy in a bright orange suit….where do you get a bright orange suit?), giant TV screens in the squares. But they aren’t dressed up as much as the Germans in 2012...their hair, their faces, their nails all in the German colours. Maybe because this is only the 2nd round of play…..maybe by the time we get back from our tour, if they are still in the running they will get a little wilder!
When we went for a walk this evening every bar had people……but the partying quit earlier than I though it would…..because we can’t hear them now…..and they did win 3 to 2!!
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