New adventures ahead!

 We're so excited for our next adventure! But first, we jump on a plane... or two.

Travel days are some of the most stressful times for Brian and I, and this trip out was no exception. We left Portland at 10:30am on Friday and finally arrived in Amsterdam at 2:30pm on Saturday. 

Our layover in Seattle was extended because Delta/Virgin Atlantic kept changing our departure time in the months leading up to the flight. Then the flight was delayed day-of. That means we had to find something to do for six hours at SeaTac. That was just a long time to wait though. Soooo boring!

We boarded our longest leg of the journey - the 9 hour flight from Portland to London. We booked Premium class, which we really enjoy because it’s more spacious and the seats lay back more. Sadly, our in-screen entertainment didn’t work. And because I’d gotten a new phone recently, I didn’t have any shows or music downloaded to phone. That was a LONG flight when you couldn’t watch a show or listen to music. They comped us some miles but I would have much rather had entertainment. Thankfully, I was able to get a few hours of sleep. Brian, not so much. 

Because of our delay out of Seattle, the time between flights in London Heathrow was now only about 90 minutes. We had the longest walk from our gate to the terminal, then had to change terminals, which included a bus ride and going through security again. We kept our calm and thankfully had no issues making the flight. 

We landed in The Netherlands and jumped on a quick train into the city center. We had a great first view of the city after stepping out of Centraal Station, but it was very blustery. We couldn't even get a picture without my hair flying everywhere!

We could have jumped on another tram to get closer to our destination, but we just wanted to walk. So we did. 

The canals are so cool! Many of the buildings are from the 1600’s and just have such a unique look.  We passed by several coffee shops (where they sell pot) and were enveloped in several clouds of smoke. There were a lot of people having a great time. 

We hit the AirBNB to drop our bags and freshen up but knew we needed to keep moving so we could acclimate to the time change. It was pouring rain, but I had booked us a canal boat tour as an introduction to the city so we set off on foot towards the meeting place. Along the way we grabbed some burgers, as we were both famished. 

The canal tour wasn’t really my fave. The guide wasn’t there and the captain of the boat didn’t really share a lot of info. It also rained and was super windy in parts. We ended up cold and wet. But our motto is to keep a positive attitude. And we did. 

I loved seeing the city from the water and especially enjoyed the “drunk” houses. 

By the time the cruise was over just after 7pm, Brian and I were really fading. We made our way back to the AirBNB, walked up four flights of super narrow, super steep stairs to the top of the canal house, then took some nice hot showers to warm up and wash away the travel grime while enjoying the view from the open window. 

We are excited for tomorrow’s adventures. But for now, good night.