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Published: September 12th 2016
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Saturday:
Our "Trip of a Lifetime," a safari in Africa, not to mention that we're celebrating Tom's 70th birthday to boot! First stop Amsterdam for a 23 hour layover. We got in
at 11:30am and very easily and quickly got through customs and were on our way into the city from Schipol by train. It was a beautiful bright and sunny day with a breeze that made the temperature just perfect. We made our way to our Air Bn'B, a loft apartment right off one of the many canals. By loft, I mean a climb up 6 flights of stairs with our duffles in tow, but boy was the view and rooftop patio worth it! I would gladly wake up daily to watching the boats drift down the canals, droves of people moving about, and all the sounds and smells that I love soaking up when back in Europe. I do think the stairs nearly killed Tom though!
After settling in and freshening up a bit, we hit the streets and found a small little cafe around the corner where we enjoyed a snack of mixed bar nuts and some refreshing beverages by the water. We then took a canal
cruise which was a nice way to see the city, but I won't lie in that sitting in the warm sun and lazily moving along the water had each of us closing our eyes a few times as our fatigue pulled at us. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city, that although bustling brings a peacefulness about it. There are large Willow trees with their branches hanging into the water, and people in the parks below napping on the grass. Along all of the canals are friends and lovers with their feet dangling over the edge, eating with a glass of wine just enjoying themselves. And let's not forget the aroma of marijuana in the air almost everywhere! We decided we better hop off the boat and get moving so just started making our way backs towards our home base. We were all a little hungry and our dinner was still a bit more than 3 hours away, so we found a traditional Dutch pancake house (like a crepe but larger, thicker, and a tad chewier). We did one traditional of ham and cheese, and one sweet of sautéed apples with calvados and cinnamon. They were pretty darn tasty and it
hit the spot. As we wandered the streets making our way back (Trying to avoid being hit by a bicycle!) we noticed that the one Calliopes we saw earlier in the day was not a one off...they were all over the city! They sound exactly like Merry-go-round music, each with a different theme or scene and were a fun addition to the Amsterdam sights...definitely not something you see everyday! We made it back to our apartment and unanimously decided a one hour nap before dinner was probably not the best idea for fear that none of us would want to wake up! We sat up on our rooftop terrace enjoying the city below before heading off to dinner at Bord'eau.
And a wonderful dinner it was! We started with a glass of champagne to toast our trip and each ordered the 6 course tasting menu with the addition of an optional 7th Oyster dish. Each course was artfully presented, and we still get tickled when the wait staff all set your plates down in unison! What was unique about this tasting menu vs. others we've had was that most of the courses actually consisted of 3 small dishes which
made it even more fun! Favorites of the night was the Gazpacho for Tom, Seared Fois Gras served in a broth of the Gods for both Matt and I, and their amazing apple dessert which they are famous for. They've shaped apple sorbet into what looks like its core and even added in chocolate "seeds." That is then surrounded by blown sugar that is a crystal clear replica of an apple and set upon a bed of sweet Apple balls and pastry dough....it was literally almost too pretty to eat! And what's better than one dessert? TWO! They topped off our evening with glazed strawberries topped with an Elderflower meringue that was devine. I can definitely see why this restaurant is Michelin starred and is considered one of the best in the world!
Tom and Matt took a stroll through the red light district and then it was bed time for our morning flight.
Sunday:
Our flight to Kilimanjaro was
at 10am and boy am I glad we left early because getting through the check-in process and security was no joke! First they have completely automated bag checking machines where you scan your boarding pass and
it prints your self-adhesive tag. Once you place it on your bag, this giant tunnel looking machine sucks it up and takes it away. I read that on average each bag travels more than 2.5km before arriving at its plane. Security was intense too, with a full pat-down (I mean full contact) and double-scan of each of our bags. We had time to grab some coffee and pastries before boarding for our 8.5 hour journey to Tanzania.
We landed
at 7:30pm at Kilimanjaro airport which was the small local airport I imagined. We descended our 777 via stairs and made our way inside to immigration where I was sooooo glad we got our Tanzanian Visas in advance. Yes, it was $30 extra to have it mailed to us, but watching the hundreds of passengers line up at the single window for their Visas even before they could go through customs had me smiling! We got our bags and went outside to the what felt like hundreds of people holding signs with names on them, but we found ours and our guide Babenga who will be with us for the duration of our trip. The drive to Lake Duluti Lodge just
outside the town of Arusha was about 45 minutes and we were warmly welcomed with fresh watermelon juice and taken to our beautiful rooms which are freestanding cabins. Tom, Matt, and I enjoyed an African beer nightcap before turning in and sleeping like a babies!
Monday:
Speaking of sleeping like babies, we all woke up late and met for breakfast at 9am. Today has been what we wanted it to be, and why we scheduled this day intentionally as a rest day....lazy! After breakfast, we all took naps until the early afternoon which had us feeling really good...until our 4 course lunch and then we were all ready for naps again! LOL. But we are enjoying our time here as the scenery is lush and we are actually in the middle of a working coffee plantation. Every meal is with vegetables grown onsite and of course the coffee is right from the plantation. I think tonight will continue to be lazy and low key as we prepare for the true start to our safari when Babenga picks us up
tomorrow morning!!!!
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Ruth A Dobriski
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FANTASTIC
So rich in details. I love reading about your adventure. It's vicarious for me. Fun