21 Adventerous Days in Europe on a
Rick Steves Tour
Europe Bound!
Wow, I made it. Am I seriously in Europe? Someone pinch me! Mike and I arrived in the Netherlands a couple of days early to enjoy the country and get acclimated.
Our plane landed in Amsterdam at 10:00am. It didn’t matter that neither of us had slept very well - we were ready to seize the day and soak in every bit of Europe our bodies could handle.
Taking my first steps onto European soil and noticing the people. From the time the plane landed to the time I hit my bed in the hotel I was noticing people. I was especially taken back by the families. There were families everywhere with their children, riding bikes, eating treats, and just in general enjoying life. I loved it!
Netherlands
Haarlem and Amsterdam
May 4, 2013
Pre-Tour Day 1
Wow Moment
Food
Dinner was delicious. I had a pork kebab with a satay sauce. I loved it. For dessert we had creme brulee with waffle and syrup ice cream. Delish!
Travel Tip
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Keep small bills and coins in your pocket so you're not always reaching into your money belt. And on that note- use a money belt.
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Don't overplan your first day. We hit a few snags that only allowed us to do one thing on the first day, which was definitely different than we planned. So be flexible, plan for snags, and start with the most important.
Well, we arrived. Our first day in Europe. It really was amazing to step onto this continent. I feel as though I love it already. Mike and I arrived in Amsterdam at 10:00 am. We both tried to sleep on the plane but we were too excited (as you can see). As we made our way through the airport I was trying to take in everything I saw. I was ready to absorb all things European.
We made our way out of the airport and onto a bus destined to deliver us to our home for the next few days. The ride was fascinating as we got to see the landscape of the area. The first thing I noticed was the contrast between modern and quintessential buildings and landscapes.
We arrived in Haarlem and on our way to the hotel we met a couple fellow tour-mates and connected instantly. Mike and I dropped off our stuff and explored the hotel for a moment. We were excited about our location because directly in front of our hotel was a beautiful church.
We didn't stay long at our hotel because we were fighting jet lag (which turned out to be much better than I anticipated). We decided to head off to Amsterdam. On our way to the train station we stopped by a market and picked up some fresh mango for breakfast.
Once we arrived in Amsterdam we set off on our plan to visit the Van Gogh Museum. Unfortunately when we arrived we saw that it was sold out. We were both so bummed but we tried to have a spirit of adventure. We decided to go to the Dutch Resistance Museum. We tried to figure out how to get there. There was no tram and it would have been a very long walk. Eventually we decided to pay a bike cab 20 Euros to get us there. Although we were bummed about the price it ended up being really nice to see Amsterdam the way it was intended to be seen- on bike.
Our attempt at a selfie in the bike cab
Train ticket
Bus ticket
The Dutch Resistance Museum was powerful. Throughout the museum there are personal stories and accounts of different Dutch groups and individuals that resisted the Nazi movement. It was the perfect beginning to learning more about Dutch culture.
Afterwards we headed back to Haarlem which proved to be more difficult than we thought it would be. We ended up walking around Amsterdam for 45 minutes looking for the station. It ended up being okay because we were able to see much more of the city. To our surprise that was the National Day of Rememberance which honors those who have passed in war. There were crowds of people, big military vehicles squeezing through the small streets and government officials honoring the deceased. It turned out to be quite special.
We finally made it back to Haarlem. We had a delicious dinner, during which there were 5 minutes of silence where the whole city stopped - including everyone in the restaurant. It was quite powerful. After dinner we went back to our hotel and zonked out.
