Marcie's Big Adventure - Day 15/1st Day of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Hi Everyone,

About 3:30 this morning, some crazy gal started singing at the top of her lungs on her balcony. She woke me up and it sounded like quite a few others too judging by all the yelling at her to be quiet that started up. We got into port early today but there was a group of protesters with microphones and a message they wanted to get across. My cabin was port side so that was the end of my sleep even though it was still another 90 minutes before my alarm was to go off. Finally, the police got them quieted down but it took a good hour at least. Because of the protesters, neither luggage nor people could get off the ship. It was in the 30s (Fahrenheit) but sunny so it looked and felt much better than the thermometer was saying. I took the bus shuttle offered by Holland America to the Amsterdam airport and then took the train in to Amsterdam Central and walked to my Hilton Double Tree. Unfortunately, I realized in the train station that my pocketbook was missing. The Hilton is trying to help me but the Holland America offices in Rotterdam are closed on Sunday and I have no idea what bus company they (HA) contracted to run the buses to the airport. My assumption is that it will not be seen again. On a very bright note, when I travel, my passport does not go into my pocketbook plus last night I had put about $150 Euros and 1 credit card with my passport - so those I have with me. However, there is lots of US cash, drivers license, Sam's toll transponder, that I had used in the rental car to go to the Ft. Lauderdale port (Sorry Honey) the backup credit card, etc, etc that I won't ever see again. Sam helped me get the credit card locked. Poor guy, when I called him from the Hilton to let him know I made it, I forgot about that 6 hour time difference. Sorry Honey again! This is my first time utilizing my Hilton Points that I have accumulated over the years. It saves me the $$/Euro switch and I don't have to pay their VAT tax either by using the points. I used the lowest # of points that I could get a room for and that is a basic double twin bed room with no access to their Executive Lounge. Since my room wasn't ready as I was quite a few hours early, she gave me a key to the Executive Lounge to make my wait easier. She told me that after I got my room key, I would start using that for the Executive Lounge. I asked her if I have access for the rest of my stay, and she said of course and thanked me for being a lifetime Hilton Diamond status person. Yay me! I am scheduled for a day tour tomorrow. A bus takes us to a boat that cruises down canals were the windmills and tulips are and then we go to the Keukenhoff Gardens, which is referred to as the most beautiful garden in the world. By the calendar we are in the middle of the 1 month tulip season. I made a dry run from my hotel to where I to get the event tickets and bus. Am glad I did and it was pretty easy but it took me quite a while to find where the free ferry was. Then I found the much faster way to get there once I knew where I was going! The city of Amsterdam is humongous with a lot of buildings that go on and on. The bicyclists have the right of way and they know it too. Am glad I got warned about that before I got here. There's a ring of canals that circle the main part of Amsterdam. It's like someone threw a stone into a big body of water and everywhere a ripple arose, that's where a canal was built. Sometimes you can walk a long ways before you get to a bridge to cross over the canal and then double back to where you wish you could have just crossed a street. :-) After spending the afternoon wondering around and people watching, I went back to the hotel. The room they gave me is a suite! I have a really big living room with a separate bedroom with a king size bed and a great view from each room. Very nice!! Total surprise!! Bathroom is pretty big too. People that come here must like baths and be very tall. It's the longest tub I have ever seen in my life, that's why the bathroom is so big. The shower is separate. So for a day that started out kinda crappy, the afternoon and night were high notes. I have 3 nights here. Hugs

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