I caught the hour-long bus from Glasgow to the Edinburgh Airport. The check-in desk was packed at that early morning hour. Unfortunately, I had to check my bag for my flight to Amsterdam due to the acquisition of a few too many scarves and a bottle of Scottish whisky. Despite getting to the airport an hour and a half early, I nearly missed the cut-off time for my flight and had to get special dispensation to cut the line.
Not gonna lie, I was sad to watch the coastland of Great Britain recede into the distance. My KLM flight to Amsterdam was uneventful and within an hour, we were making our final descent into the airport. The tidy Dutch countryside looked beautiful under sunny skies. Disembarking, I was surprised to learn that I needed to clear passport control and customs but excited to get another stamp in my passport. I grabbed my suitcase and made my way over to the hotel shuttle stop. Did you know that there is a taxi company in the Netherlands that uses Teslas?
The shuttle driver turned out to be a very jolly Russian fellow (I thought that was an oxymoron) who put us all into a good mood on the way to the hotel. I selected the Hampton Airport Hotel so I would be close to the airport for my flight the next morning (and the free shuttle cinched the deal). I was able to check in early and dropped my bag off before heading back to the airport to change some pounds into euros and buy a return train ticket into Amsterdam Central Station. I had been to Amsterdam once before, many years ago when I did my youthful months-long backpacking journey around Europe. I’ll be honest, I’m kind of a square. I don’t smoke, I don’t ingest pills, I don’t take illegal hallucinogenic substances; I don’t have any vices except drinking alcohol (in which I am remarkably adept). I remembered feeling a bit out-of-place in hostels in Amsterdam because I was preoccupied with the museums and everyone else was talking about the hashish.
The train pulled into the Central Station and I set out to do what I do best, wandering aimlessly. I prowled the side streets and crossed a bunch of small bridges trying to lose myself in an Amsterdam that wasn’t geared towards the frat boys looking to get high. While I enjoyed my walk, I felt that I didn’t connect with the city in the same way I had with those in the U.K. Thinking about it now, I probably need to get out into the countryside to appreciate the Netherlands the right way.
A few hours later, I got back on a train towards the airport and then grabbed the shuttle back to the hotel. I tried to repack my suitcase to protect that bottle of whisky as best I could and then settled down to read a bit before getting to sleep early. But I lay awake replaying the past 14 days in my mind. I definitely had one of the best trips of my travel career and I wasn’t quite ready to call it over.
The next morning around 6:30am, my window which had been open for the night, slammed shut, scaring the hell out of me. I was just about to get up to open it again when thunder rumbled and rain lashed the window. I had no idea it stormed like that in the Netherlands. I couldn’t fall back asleep so I just lay there and listened to the storm.
But by the time I had to check out and catch the shuttle to the airport, the skies had cleared and it was sunny. I was very grateful I got to the airport extra early as it took me an hour to check my bag at the Lufthansa desk and get through tight security. My short flight from Amsterdam to Frankfurt was over before we even leveled out at cruising altitude. In Frankfurt, I had plenty of time to find my next gate and it was nice not to be rushing at a breakneck speed through the airport like I usually do.
My flight from Frankfurt was a non-stop on Condor directly to Austin. I flew out of Amsterdam in large part because the pricing for the premium economy ticket was the same price as the basic economy from any of the other origin airports I checked. Premium economy seemed like a good investment for a 10.5 hour flight, in my mind. As it was, we got slightly better food, a small amenity kit, unlimited use of the entertainment system, and most importantly for a short person, a footrest. I read two books while listening to the audio playlists on the entertainment center. Note to whomever puts those together for Condor, you need me to redo your 80s playlist. Sadly, there was no Adam Ant or Billy Idol represented. Travesty!
After what seemed like a lifetime, we were finally making our way over Texas and then mercifully, descending into Austin. At that point, I was ready to get home and couldn’t wait to clear passport control and security so I could get outside into fresh air. I had to wait a few minutes for my suitcase but thanks to Global Entry, I was through passport control and customs within minutes. I stepped outside into the muggy Austin air and smiled because I had one hell of a trip to tell people about.