The Silent Predator

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Woolly says – I knew there was something a paw, one of the travel bags had appeared, Jo had been to the internet shop and she only goes there when she has to print flight tickets out….. hmmm maybe a week in Barbados, ten days in Darkest Peru hunting for Paddington or it might be a round the world trip on the yacht she has bought me for my burpday! I scurried off to start packing.



Oh dear, I hoped he wasn’t going to be disappointed with a short trip to the cultural delights of Amsterdam and the chance to spend a few days with daughter Zoe and friends Jade and Chantelle.



Woolly says – Noooooo four women to contend with! Gathering my wits, belongings and trying to ignore the thought of what this might entail in makeup sessions I mammothed up and trotted down the road to wait for the transfer. For the first time we were flying from our local airport at Gazipassa, a much shorter transfer and an hour’s flight to Istanbul to start the day, shouldn’t be a problem…….



Having checked in and provided the mammoth with a morning snack I watched him pace up and down the waiting area, as more time passed his pacing slowed and I could see his tusks twitching in indignation as the clock passed our flight time and still we remained sat.



Woolly says ……. It’s late and getting later, I poked my trunk out of the doorway and could see the plane and the crew chatting, stop talking and get flying I wanted to scream, I didn’t as Jo gave me that scary teacher stare that she perfected many years ago. Finally after what seemed like hours we clambered aboard and settled into our seats, I sorted out another snack to keep my strength up before watching the clouds beneath us looking like giant marshmallows in the sky.



I didn’t want to worry my small friend but the delay might cause a knock on affect, I knew that we only had fifty minutes to change flights in Istanbul for our connection and with the twenty minutes delay it was going to be tight, very very tight.



Woolly says – As we landed Jo grabbed our bag and picked me up none to gently I might add and started to jog trot through the airport. I heard uniformed staff shouting Oslo, Berlin and Amsterdam connections wait here. How can we wait, we have a flight to catch! A lady puffed up next to us and asked which connection we were on, Amsterdam I told her, were going to miss it she said, PANIC I said.



Leaving Woolly to deal with the panicking part I thrust our boarding tickets in front of one of the staff and within seconds we were shooting up stairs, along the concourse and into the largest queue I have seen for passport control ever.



Woolly says – with elbows out I pushed and shoved people aside shouting ‘Mammoth on the move, make way for the Mammoth’ it seemed quite affective and stamping on the final pair of feet in my way we were through, Jo slung everything onto the conveyer belt for security checking and with our newly acquired friend from our previous flight, we started to run for the gate.



There was no way that his little furry legs were going to get there, so scooping him up I ran. Pulling up at the boarding desk and trying to breathe we stood and looked around at the total lack of passengers.



Woolly says – I peered outside to see the steps moving away from the plane ‘STOP’ I screamed ‘Mammoth waiting to board, come back’, someone somewhere must have heard my plaintive cries as a uniformed lady appeared and we explained our plight. Shaking her head I felt doomed, was I going to have to spend the next four days in the airport, I’ve seen a film about being stuck in an airport and it looked like getting snacks might be a problem if I was here for too long, I tried my pleading eyes, my look how cute I am expression and just as I was contemplating the need to let her tickle my tummy our luck changed and she grabbed our boarding cards, opened the sliding doors and told us to run, I didn’t need telling twice.



As we puffed our way onto the plane we apologised to the staff and walked to our seats…..



Woolly says – someone was in our seat! I gave a low growl and looked to Jo to see what she was going to do next. Waving our seat number at the women in our place Jo smiled, ‘you’re in our seat’ she said politely, ‘find another one’ said the women. Jo’s smile disappeared and one of her most dangerous teacher faces took over instead, ‘I am NOT having a good day, so I suggest you move NOW’ she paused and said nothing, the women looked slightly scared and after much huffing and puffing finally moved out of our way and muttered her way further down the plane. Finally able to plonk ourselves down, I watched the plane take off and contemplated the need for a snack to restore my health and wellbeing after all the trauma.



Amsterdam greeted us with a blast of cold, donning jackets and hats we were shuttled into the centre and having successfully found our hostel it only left the need to track down the girls. Daughter Zoe being the sensible person that she is had left a note telling us that they were two doors down in the coffee shop.



Woolly says – Oooo coffee and cakes then, I trotted up the road and pushed open the door to be welcomed by a cloud of smoke. As I coughed and choked my way in I spied daughter Zoe and friends, I handed the tissues to Jo (well we all know that there going to cry) and found myself a place to sit and watch what was going on. Except for the smoky environment everyone seemed most pleasant and as I smiled at everyone, people waved and smiled back, how friendly and what a nice welcome. With the tears dabbed and coffee but no cakes we caught up on the news from Blighty, as my stomach started to rumble I suggested that it might be time for a snack, friends Jade and Chantelle needed no prompting but daughter Zoe explained that she needed to send some work off and would be half an hour or so. As the other two told us they would be back shortly Jo and I waited with daughter Zoe while she did her stuff. By now the need for food was becoming desperate and with no sign of the others I convinced them that I really must be fed now or they would face the consequences. Wok to walk sounded entertaining but better still they produced food and quickly and as I sucked the last of the soy sauce off my tusks we started to meander our way through the streets of the famous city.



This was the first visit for daughter Zoe and her friends and as we walked Woolly and I watched Zoe’s face as the bright lights gave way to the red windows, her chin was nearly in the floor.



Woolly says – I really must get Aunty Carys to knit these girls some jackets, they looked frozen the poor things, maybe a woolly hat and gloves might be an idea as well. I could feel my paws getting weary and the need to sleep starting to take over so with a last hot chocolate for the evening we climbed the four flights of stairs to our shared room and collapsed for the night.



The furry demon was first up and seemed to have got his hoodie on back to front, having re dressed him and with the girls stirring I focussed on having a shower and a cup of ‘cay’. There seemed to be a lack of towels!



Woolly says – No towels no shower, I fail to see the problem with this, I mean who really needs a shower after all! Jo managed to sort herself out and as we left the other three contemplating the lack of drying materials I made my way back downstairs to survey the terrain. After what seemed like days had passed everyone appeared to be ready for the off and our first adventure of the day, bring on the torture I say.



The streets here are so different in daylight and as we navigated our way past and over canals, we stopped to admire the tall buildings, house boats and cycles that makes this place so special. Dating back to 1275 AD the city has a long and eventful history. The origins of the city came from when fisherman living along the banks of the River Amstel built a bridge across the waterway’s with wooden locks under the bridge serving as a dam and protecting the village from the rising waters, which often flooded the early settlement. The mouth of the river Amstel formed a natural harbour, which became important for trading-exchange from the ships that brought spices, textiles and grains in.





Woolly says – As we crossed over a road I turned and found a silent predator right on top of me before I jumped back in surprise, as the fur on my ears felt the pedal go past I gasped in shock, that was close. They seemed to be everywhere and not having eyes in the back of my head was proving to be a problem as bike after bike appeared as if from nowhere to try and knock me down. This place is dangerous, do they have licences? Where are the police to stop them running over visiting Mammoths? The shock as yet another predator swept past my tail drove me into a café and with friend Chantelle egging me on we ordered breakfast.



Full and warm we continued to dodge the cyclists as we wandered on, such a pretty place to be.



Woolly says – it would be a lot prettier if they stopped trying to kill me! After what seemed like a mammoth trek I spotted the sign for the museum and before I could be flattened again I charged in leaving everyone else to pay for the tickets. With over one hundred instruments of torture I’m sure I could find something to torture everyone with.



Whilst the mammoth dreamed of cunning ways to inflict pain on us all we gazed at the medieval instruments that had been used in the most gruesome of circumstances. From the flute of shame which was used to bring bad musicians up to scratch, the iron maiden which looked useful for locking daughter Zoe into and the Judas cradle which was used on those exhibiting homosexual behaviour, the whole place was full of methods to humiliate and terrorise the people of the time.





Woolly says – I would have made a good torturer, I practiced my tortious stare before realising that nasty Jo had put me under the blade of the guillotine! Escape became my priority before the blade fell onto my little cute neck, I dodged outside to the canal bank and counted my lucky stars that I had survived. Having avoided another silent predator from behind I suggested a snack before the next part of our day, well all this walking does build up an appetite!

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Amesterdam
One of the world's great cities. Never enough time to get to all the museums, the walks along the water, history and enjoy all the foods. I"m really surprised the lady told you to find another seat. Wow, that was bold. Nice adventure.

[traveltalesofawoollymammoth]

It's a brilliant place....
.... for a few days, don't think I would like to live there though. I was surprised on the plane as my understanding has always been that you have to sit in your allocated seats on take off and landing. Wait until you read part 3 and the return journey!