Travel Day Amsterdam to Budapest

Tuesday 6^th September 2016

Sunrise 7:00am – Sunset 7:14pm in Budapest
Weather Forecast: 24 and sunny
Steps:      11,698       8.08 km

I woke at 5.30am and decided to get up then.  Made sure that I haven’t left anything in the room or in the wardrobe and safe and went down to breakfast at 6:30.  Helen and Graham were already there.  They are taking a train from Amsterdam back to Brugge today and then cycling back to Amsterdam, staying in a house boat on canals at night time.  I’m not sure how long that will take them.

There were 7 of us on the 7:30am transfer to the airport, where we arrive around 8am.  I quickly found the KLM check in desk but all of Schipol is now ‘self check-in’, so I finally had to do a self check-in and then baggage drop, after avoiding it for a number of years.  Somehow my checked luggage has gained 3kg from Canberra to Amsterdam. It’s now show 19kg.

Security was very thorough. I had to take my camera and plugs and stuff like that out of my carry-on. My corkscrew showed up on the scanner. I had forgotten that it was in my carry-on. Fortunately he let me keep it, even though it had a blade attached to it. What the scanners didn’t pick up was the other small sheathed knife that I had in the same packing cube. I’ll put both in the checked luggage before I return home.  I found the gate and there were already a few people sitting there in the upper section. The door to the downstairs main gate was still closed.  This was about 8:45 – 9:00am. I kept on walking to a further gate, where there wasn’t anyone sitting and didn’t return to my gate until an hour before the flight was due to depart. By then the lower door was open and there was plenty of seating.

At 10:30, there was an announcement asking people to check their carry-on, because of not enough space on the plane and it would be free.  You have to remove all valuables and electronic equipment and as that is mainly what I have in my carry-on, I didn’t take up the free offer.  The plane started boarding just on 11 and I have window seat 8F.  The couple sitting in the same row next to me, were from Sydney. Push back 11:15 and lift off at 11:25.  Flight time 1 hr 45 minutes.

High above the clouds.

 The onboard snack was a slice of cake and a drink. Water, tea, coffee or soft drink.  Descent started around 12:35 

First view of Budapest, once out of the clouds.

and I’m pretty sure we landed on time at 1:10 pm.  I had de-planed, picked up my luggage (3^rd off the carousel), found my driver and departed the airport by 1:25pm.

I was dropped at the Mercure Budapest City Centre at 2pm.  My room wasn’t ready, so I sat in the bar and had a snack while waiting.  Finally got into my room. Room 707.

I contacted Val & Poolsuk and met Val at the Elizabeth Bridge and went to the apartment they are renting. We confirmed our Viator tour for Thursday and then went across the road to a restaurant/piano bar for a beer. Right on the Danube just below the Citadel.

After a beer Poolsuk & Val walked with me back to the hotel, as they will be coming here, to be picked up on Thursday morning.

I had quick walk around the local area and found a mini mart, so bought a snack to have as dinner.

Day 10 - Out of Amsterdam Sightseeing

Monday 5th September 2016
Sunrise 6:59am – Sunset 8:18pm

Weather Forecast:               22 & AM showers

Steps:                        13,423           9.26 km

I went to bed at 9:15 last night, after having a soak in the hot bath. Woke at 3:30am, rolled over and then woke again just before 5:30.  As we had to leave at 6:30 for the optional to the Aalsmeer Flower Auctions, I just got up then.

There were 10 of us doing the optional and we departed around 6:25am. Arrived out at Aalsmeer at 6:57, so only had to wait a very short time before they opened the doors.

Watching the flowers being zoomed around the floor was fascinating. 

There are some really beautiful flowers around.  

We could see some of the buyers in the auction room. 

Now days, a lot of the buying is also done on line and Sharon thinks that eventually, they might not hold the live auctions.  The pace of the buying was fast.

We departed there around 8:05 and didn’t get back to the hotel until just before 9am. Monday morning work traffic.

We headed out again at 9:45am. First up was our group photo and then a visit to the Rijks Museum. It’s had a major makeover since I visited back in 2002. It’s now so light and airy.  

I didn’t stay with the local guide and wandered by myself, although I could here what he was saying via the vox radios.

We departed there at 11:30 for our visit to Volendam.  
I didn’t do too much exploring there, as the local people were on the last day of a 4 day festival to celebrate the end of summer and the place was packed with bands playing and a lot of inerbriated people.

Had some delicious fish & chips for lunch though. After lunch we visited the Cheese & Clog place, for a demo of how they make clogs and a cheese tasting.

After that, we then came back to Amsterdam.  We headed out again at 5pm to take a cruise along the canals and we went along a few canals that I hadn’t done a cruise of before.  Lots of house boats along the canals.

After the cruise we then walked to a restaurant for our Farewell Dinner.  Delicious food.  We were back at the hotel just after 9pm.

While repacking the suitcase and getting things ready for my flight to Budapest tomorrow, I discovered that I appear to have lost my little change purse that had some Hungarian  & Croatian coins in it.  About $5.00 worth all up of foreign money BUT I also has about $60.00 Australian in there as well.  I can’t remember the last time I saw it.  I think it might have been back in Brussels.  Once I get to the hotel in Budapest, I’ll pull everything apart, to see if I can find it.  As I’m leaving the hotel tomorrow morning at 7:30 and it’s just after 11pm now, I need to go to bed.  I’ll edit this post tomorrow night and add some photo’s.

Oh, the weather was lovely today. No rain and very sunny.

Day 9 - Amsterdam Sightseeing

Sunday 4th September 2016
Sunrise 6:57am – Sunset 8:20pm

Weather Forecast:   19 AM t’storms

Steps:    17,497    12.1 km

I woke up with the alarm at 7am this morning.  I looked out my window and it was raining.  I went down to breakfast around 7.45am and then came back to my room and did some hand washing. I was thinking about taking the t-shirts to a laundromat but decided not to. I looked out my window and the sun was shining.  In the end, I didn't take my raincoat with me, just the umbrella and I wore a long sleeved top.

The coach didn't depart until 10am.  First up was a drive around orientation, then we all got off the coach and those who were doing the optional met the local guide and those not, did their own thing.  As we stepped off the coach, it started to rain.  That only lasted 3 or 4 minutes and it was dry again.  As I was going to use the coach to get back to the hotel in the afternoon, I opted to walk to where we were being picked up, so I knew where to go.  It took me a couple of wrong turns before I got the directions sorted. Amsterdam can be confusing at first.  I did a lot of walking in the 4 plus hours I had in the city this morning.

First up was to see the Royal Palace.

Then as I was walking to the Westerkerk, this limo went past.  

More street photos on the way to Westerkerk.  

The Ambassade Hotel on Herengracht canal. I stayed there for a week in 2002 and this is the room that I stayed in.  

I walked through the Flower Market, where bulbs are sold.

and cheeses.

More photos, as I continued on my way to the Magere Brug or skinny bridge.  

The bridge opened before I got there, to let a barge through.

On the way down again. 

It was at this point that my fitbit let me know that I had walked 10,000 steps.  I continued on my way, starting to head back towards the pick up point. 

Blue sky

I visited the Museum of the Canals along the way. That took about 45 minutes and was  okay.

Some more street shots.

There were some people who had bought tickets to visit the Van Gogh Museum, so they were dropped off near the museum, while the rest of us came back to the hotel. Cyndy was one of the museum visitors, so when she arrived back at the hotel, we then went up the street to an Italian restaurant for some dinner. She had a Pizza, I had a bowl of onion soup. Delicious.

We have a 6.30am departure for the optional tomorrow morning, so it's an early night for me tonight.