FUN-travel: Amsterdam to Oslo, Norway
August 23, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Amsterdam to Oslo, Norway
Day 37 – Wednesday, August 6 – Amsterdam to Oslo, Norway – sunny & breezy w/periodic clouds – mid70’sOslo
What I LIKE
- 6:50 – really hot Americano – swinging out today
- 7:45 – ready & checkout
- Used all Hilton points for 5 free nights
- – paid AAA rate of 139 Euro for 1 night – treated Cinzia to hers
- 8:00 – taxi ordered not big enough for bags
- – double checked flat rate 42.50 Euro
- – hotel says no extra bag charges
- 8:30 – arrive airport – no traffic
- Pay 45 Euro after telling him flat rate
- SAS to Oslo – star alliance partner – get two 23 kilo bags per person @ not charge
- 9:00 – see gold check in desk – ask agent & she moves us to front of line
- – get lounge access too!
- *Very efficient & fast security – lots of lanes open
- – typical liquids, laptops & now Ipads have to be out
- Duty free – 2011 Boschendal Cab/Syrah blend = 25 Euro & 2012 Nederburg Reserve Cab = 15 Euro
- 9:20 – Lounge 26 – decent cappuccino – crackers w/cheese spread & fruit cake like bread – full open bar
- 10:20 – board – have exit row seat
- 10:55 – push back & take off
Oslo
- 1:00 – breeze thru customs
Akershus Fortress & Castle
- A&K at airport for transfer to Grand Hotel waiting
- 1:15 – board bus for 30 mile ride
- 2:00 – arrive
- Free internet & email working
- 4:30 – beer break – sidewalk seating – too hot for inside
- TGI Friday’s – 1 chicken quesadilla + 2 beers = 343 Kroner = $56
- 7:45 – dinner @ Mehfel – TA highly rated Indian – short walk on Kirkegata
FUN-food – Lentil soup w/lime on house – Daal Makhni spiced black lentils – Chicken Tikka Murgh sauce of yogurt, curry, ginger, garlic – rice – garlic naan bread (not good) – 2009 Imperiale Duca di Barbanera Sicily – Chili Rose – German cordial on house too! 950 Kroner = $160 (have leftovers for lunch)
- Got all of my spicy food fixes today
- 10:30 – ready for bed – no nap today
What I DON’T LIKE
- 5:00 – wake up
- 6:00 – wake up
- Starbuck’s doesn’t open until 6:30
- taxi driver tries to charge meter rate of 58 Euro!
- When confronted w/fixed rate tries to say its baggage charge – NOT!
- SAS only has 4 agents – line snakes thru airport
- – star alliance gold check in has no separate line
- – makes no sense – very poor setup
- *get pulled into secondary – hand search thru bags
- SAS charges for everything on plane except tea & coffee
- Hard to find outside table @ any restaurant except TGIF
- Oslo just flat out expensive!
The City of Bicycles
FUN-fact – Amsterdam is “the city of bicycles.” You don’t watch for cars when crossing the street, its fear of getting hit by all the bicycles!
More FF from Wikipedia –The city had 490,000 fietsers (cyclists) take to the road to cycle 2 million kilometers every day according to statistics of the city council. This has caused some problems as, despite 35,000 kilometers of bicycle paths, the country’s 18 million bicycles (1.3 per citizen old enough to ride) were clogging Amsterdam’s streets at peak times and parked bicycles were overcrowding train stations and other areas
FUN-travel: Amsterdam – Full Day 2
August 23, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Amsterdam – Full Day 2
Day 36 – Tuesday, August 5 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – breezy, low clouds & sun – 70’s
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – more good hot coffee
- 9:15 – ready to go
- – Chris not doing museums – taking pictures of city
- 9:30 – tram to Rijksmuseum stop for Van Gogh
- 10:00 – walk in & get head set
- 10:15 – start exploring the 3 story museum
- – only wish Starry Night & Café Terrace were here
- – 1st in MOMA & 2nd in Otterlo, Netherlands
- 12:30 – walk to Rijksmuseum
FUN-food – Ironically USA Today has Amsterdam feature – read that Rijksmuseum restaurant was good.
Dutch Tapas = bread, meat & cheese plate for 2 – enough for 3 of us = 20 Euro
- 2:00 – start self guided tour
Otto Frank House
- – famous for Rembrandt & Vermeer
- – really crowded there
- – covers art from 1100 to 1950 – so big @ 4 floors
- – only stop for items that catch my eye & draw me in
- – find female artist Therese Schwartze from 1800’s – that’s a 1st!
- 3:15 – hear chimes! – turn around to find clock from 1765 – what a treat!
- – tells time, day of week, moon phase, high tide & 14 different chime tones
- *3:30 – go to hop on boat
- 4:05 – nice rest & ride to next stop
- 4:40 – reservation for Anne Frank Museum
- – huge line snakes down around block
- – have tickets so go in side door
- 4:50 – walk in – excellent crowd control!
- – very small but well organized
- **6:15 – happy hour – Wiezen beer @ Cafe Kalkhoven
- Head off for dinner – Season’s rated high on TA
- – closed & restaurants around fully booked
- – server @ one suggests going to Westerstraat
- 7:30 – Boca’s – really nice server Eliza accommodates us – acts more like the owner or manager
FUN-food – menu is plateaus = tapas like bites served on wooden boards – order 1 small veggie & 1 small combo fish, meat & cheese – 1 order of French fries served 3 ways w/dipping sauces – plenty for 4 – 2012 Cruz Alta Reserve Malbec – only 80 Euro
- 9:30 – give Eliza my 2nd TA excellent service pin – find out her birthday is @ midnight – she is thrilled to get it!
- 9:45 – hit red light district in full swing! – single glass doors w/curtains line narrow walkway – inside each, scantily clad women of all shapes, sizes & colors – posing & strutting their “stuff” – in hope of luring a client in
- After midnight night night
What I DON’T LIKE
- *should have checked the schedule as they don’t run every 15 mins like another line
- **asked for food menu – told none – buy falafel next door & told we can’t eat it
- – then see other table w/cheese tray – really rude server!
- Told @ checkout all king beds were booked – reservations made in March said no king beds @ hotel
- – which means they don’t give you that room if you use points
Rijksmuseum
FUN-fact – Rick Steve’s book suggested buying all tickets ahead of time. Brilliant! We had no lines. While the 1st floor at the Van Gogh museum was packed (every hour on the hour reservations arrive) if you wait 15 minutes the tour groups thin out. The rest of the 2nd & 3rd floors were relatively not crowded.
More FF – You really need dinner reservations for 1) to make sure they’re open & 2) because of the summer crowds.
FUN-travel: Amsterdam – Full Day 1
August 22, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Amsterdam – Full Day 1
Day 35 – Monday, August 4 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – full sun – 70’s
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – wake up to good hot coffee & USA Today!!
- – Starbuck’s attached to hotel
- 9:15 – meet to plan our day
- 9:45 –TI office – buy Canal boat 24 hr = 24 Euro
- – 3 different routes approx 1.5 hr each – validated on 1st departure
- Take off to explore city by foot first
- New Market area
- – see Rembrandt House (where he grew up – don’t go in)
- Walk thru Flea market – lots of old & used things
- Flower market – all kinds of plants, bulbs & seeds
- 1:00 – lunch
FUN-food – Herengracht (on corner of Leidsestraat) – quinoa salad & crostini’s w/5 different toppings – salmon, cheese, tartar, ham & carpaccio -10 total – Weizen beer – really good! – Cinzia treated!
- 2:50 – hop on red line Canal boat @ Leidseplein
- 4:20 – hop off @ Rijksmuseum stop – nutella ice cream & cappuccino break
- 5:45 – tram back to station – only 15 mins
- 7:45 – dinner Italia Oggi – short walk from hotel
- – concierge suggested
- – eggplant parmesan, caprese salad, seafood linguine – Italian wine no so good = 99 Euro
- Walk back attempting to see red light district
- 10:30 – Sky lounge 11th floor Doubletree – hip, hop & happening!
- – full of people – DJ playing
- – open air seating – couches & lots of pillows – bottle of Shiraz = 60 Euro
- 11:30 – ready for bed – big full day tomorrow
What I DON’T LIKE
- Queen bed too small
Flower Market
FUN-fact – Amsterdam is filled with canals and the average boat ride for 1 hour costs 15 Euro. The TI office at the central station sells Canal hop on boat tours. The cost is 22 Euro for one day and 24 Euro for 24 hours. They do 48 hours and special trips too. There is more than one company to choose from and some have shorter wait times at the stops.
View From Sky Lounge