Left Australia at 4pm on the first leg of the journey.
Flight SQ222 from Sydney to Singapore was 8 hrs 20 mins and we arrived at around 9:30pm.
The trip was uneventful. At least two couples seated near us were heading to Amsterdam for the same Cruise.
We flew out of Sydney and headed west and north across the country. We havenât been to Uluru or Western Australia and so it was interesting flying over salt lakes (in the middle of South Australia), then across the north end of WA (Broome) onto Jakarta and Indonesia to arrive in Singapore.
Singapore Airport is truly massive. Since it acts as a transit point for so many flights around the world, it is fully functional even at midnight.
We decided to stop for a hot drink and found our new acquaintances at a coffee shop. It turns out they both have connections to Cootamundra and Temora (NSW country towns). A third woman, travelling solo, was heading to Scotland rather than a European River Cruise, and she also had a cousin living in Cootamundra. It is a small world!
Our connecting flight was delayed by 20 minutes and so we headed out of Singapore on flight SQ324 at 12:15am.
Our Premium Economy seats gave us a little more width but not a great deal more leg room.
The food was better than standard Economy apparently.
The 2nd leg of the trip began at 12:15am and took about 13 hrs & 20 mins.
We landed in Amsterdam at 7:45am completely exhausted as weâre not used to long-haul flights and no amount of leg room is really going to help when it comes to sleeping in a chair.
Customs was really easy. We were asked what we were doing in Amsterdam, passport stamped and off we went. Not even a Customâs Declaration to be completed.
We had a private driver booked to pick us up and take us into Amsterdam and, while finding him was a little frustrating, we got there in the end.
Accommodation in Amsterdam for two nights is Hotel Mai. Itâs located on the edge of Chinatown and the Red Light District.
So, while I know lots about other countries and never expect them to âbe just like Australia”, Amsterdam is a bit of a culture shock â there are no huge shopping centres like we see in Australia & the USA. There a hundreds of old buildings repurposed as commercial and retail spaces. The pharmacies are âapothecariesâ in the true sense of the word â they mainly dispense prescription medicines while âsupermarketsâ sell anything from general food and grocery items to cannabis-related merchandise. As cannabis is legal in The Netherlands, there is a proliferation of sellers and shops where you can purchase pretty much anything you want.
And donât get me started on the push-bikes! When youâve been in the air for 22 hours, the traffic is on the right hand side and most push-bike riders are focused primarily on themselves, is it any wonder you manage to nearly be run over twice. Seriously, I was about to cross the road, and I can hear a disembodied voice coming from the left-hand side and slightly behind me (of course I wasnât looking the correct way!) saying âNo, donât do it .. donât do it.â I must say, she did an excellent job of NOT running me over.h
At Hotel Mai, we stowed our bags as it was too early to check in. The reception staff were brilliant, helpful and efficient. Everything done with a smile.
We then went for a walk to find food and just have a look around.
The thing that I love most about Amsterdam is the Architecture. So much fun looking at the crooked buildings as well as the age and variety of the structures around the canals.
Our gastronomical journey hasnât been worth writing about, weâre both too tired to worry about fancy food. It just has to feed us is all.
The only thing weâve eaten so far today is a burger that really left a lot to be desired. Iâm sure dinner will be better. Dannyâs gone out to take some photos and will get some food on the way back. What that will be is anyoneâs guess.
