VIJF FOTOS-Day 1 Amsterdam

"Never Can Say Good-Bye, Nein, Nein, Nein, NEIN" (with apologies to songwriter Clifton Davis)

This seemed to be Cologne's theme song as we attempted to catch our 12:30 train to Amsterdam. We made it a point to arrive early at the station and find that our train was scheduled for track 5. There was a delay, and we watched the boards for updates. Suddenly, at our train's schedule arrival, all information disappeared from the board without any announcement.

We scrambled to see if the train had been moved to a different track, and we finally got into a long information line where we asked what to do next, and we were referred to the ticket office.

It was at this point we learned that on weekends they change stations for the Cologne to Amsterdam route. The exchange went something like this:

Ticket Agent: You're at the wrong station.
Me: Why did the Electronic Board Say Track 5?
TA: No it didn't.
Me: Yes it did
TA: No it didn't.
ME Yes, it did. Plus it said which car.
TA: No, it didn't. And there was an announcement that on weekends this route is at the other station.
ME: No, there wasn't.
TA: Yes, there was.

At this point, I was having flashbacks of one of my favorite Monty Python sketches:
https://youtu.be/ohDB5gbtaEQ

The ticket agent then proceeded to berate me about how I just should have known about the change. I grew silent for a few moments and looked at her, now keenly in touch with my "inner bitch" , and I interrupted her "When you are finished scolding me, can we make some time to talk about the next steps that we can take to get to Amsterdam?"

She paused for a moment, and then gave us very helpful information that another train would be departing from the other station at 2:30. She wrote the information down with the name of the other station followed by an exclamation point.

The train to Amsterdam was pleasant and traveled through farmland where we saw many contemporary windmills and a few that we associate with the older days of Holland.

We arrived at Amsterdam's Central Station which was loud and busy. We checked the map to locate the walk to our canal house, and figured out the route.
There was one catch.
We could not find a way to exit the station that didn't have a gate barring our exit without a ticket. I tried using the QR code for the train trip, but that didn't work. At this point, I was expecting an announcement that we were being returned to Cologne until we signed a complete confession that we went to the wrong station for departure.

I finally pushed the help button near the gate, and we were set free from Train Station Hell. We circumnavigated the station completely to avoid the risk of taking what appeared to be the more efficient route to our flat.

It was about a fifteen-minute walk through a lively scene. I do think that we'll have to be on high alert to avoid a tragic death by getting run over by a bicycle. The little bicycle bells do warn constantly of impending doom. We both agreed that we are very grateful not to have a car here.

We were both a bit beat, and Jim C observed that we had the equivalent of a stressful 8-hour workday. Given that those days are so much more rare in retirement, I have to remember that we're pretty fortunate.

We did make it to the address of our flat, and we knew that the owner would be delayed so we grabbed a bite across the street. There happens to be a pub at the foot of our flat so we grabbed a beer and waiting for the owner to arrive. Jim C was in heaven because he had been deprived of IPA's and the pub has several.

We met the owner, Sebastiaan, who gave us an orientation of the small cozy flat. I should note that the flat is reached coming up a spiral staircase, and we're at the top of the building. It's really nice to have our own space. Sebastiaan left us a beautiful flower arrangement (he's a florist and a bottle of champagne on ice.

After we settled in, we walked through the neighborhood. Jim C noticed that some of the homes leaned pretty significantly. I checked out one of the coffee shops that sells cannabis. It was fun to see the social atmosphere in addition to the store and their goods.

As we were headed back, we caught a brilliant sunset. The reflection on the canal is a treasure.

Goedenacht!

p.s. A final word to my Cologne Ticket Agent:
Yes, it did!!もっと詳しく