Day 3

Upon landing in Istanbul, I retrieved my bag from the overhead locker and was concerned when I saw that one of the pockets was still open. I double checked the locker to see that my ASIC and house keys had fallen out, which I retrieved. Thank God for my constant checking!

Istanbul airport was enormous - truthfully, one of the biggest airports we’ve been to. It was a very long walk to the transfer gate, with an equally huge queue of people. We would’ve arrived there sooner if it hadn’t been for my ankle injury, and getting stuck behind a sporting team from Djibouti. The security was chaotic too - a lot of yelling and disorder but we made it through somehow.

We had been excited about seeing the Turkish Airlines lounge in Istanbul airport, which has been touted as one of the best in the world. Sadly that excitement faded when it took forever to get there - and once there we had only 10-15 minutes before having to head to our next gate. I couldn’t believe it when I saw that our next gate was LITERALLY the furthest one from the airline lounge!

I asked the receptionist if I could possibly get some assistance as my ankle was really giving me trouble, but she said I would have to pay for a buggy if I wanted assistance. Disappointed, we set off for the gate which, as mentioned, was a long way away. My ankle was throbbing by the time we arrived and even then, we had to wait even longer for boarding to start.

When we finally started boarding, we were then left waiting ten minutes in the aerobridge before we could go onboard. The business class is pretty nice though - although it’s a bit dated looking, we each have our own private suite. This would’ve been better on the international flight, as you could’ve changed into your travel pyjamas without having to use the toilets! It’s a funny feeling too because you can’t see anything outside of your own cabin, so I had no idea the main door was closed until the safety demonstration started on the personal TV screens.

The flight to Amsterdam was similarly very pleasant, with great food and polite service. Despite intending to watch a heap of movies and TV shows, I enjoyed the Turkish Airlines “quiet zone” to just read my book. When we began our descent into Amsterdam, we were greeted with grey skies and impending rain! It wasn’t quite the springtime arrival we were hoping for, but it was still nice to be back somewhere we haven’t visited for a long time.

Fortunately, Schiphol airport isn’t half as difficult as Istanbul Airport, so the customs and baggage collection process was really simple. The only tricky part was trying to get into the city - the two InterCity trains had broken down so we waited about 25 minutes for a different train in, which was totally packed due to the cancellations.

Upon arrival, we considered taking an Uber to the accommodation but decided to walk the 20 minutes instead. Unfortunately Amsterdam isn’t the most pedestrian friendly city when you have luggage, particularly since my suitcase has dodgy wheels. Our accommodation is wonderful though, as it’s on a beautiful quiet street and provides free coffee. Woohoo! We didn’t need to wait long for our room either and, even though we’re located on the 5th (top) floor, there was an elevator (rare in Amsterdam buildings) that took us all the way to the 4th floor, lessening our difficult climb with luggage.

We decided to do some sightseeing which was very casual as we have been to Amsterdam before. Easier said than done though as the number of bicycles around are terrifying! I’m sure I saved Ted’s life more than once from being mowed down by a flying Dutchman. We are located near the Anne Frank House so we joined the surrounding crowds in getting a photo before continuing on. For lunch, we stopped at a Dutch pancake restaurant where I had an an apple and banana pancake with another coffee.

Most of the sights we saw were the canals and houses which are always so beautiful, so after a couple of hours we headed back to our room. Last night’s lack of sleep was catching up with me, so I had a nap in the room. Ted woke me up after an hour to avoid messing up my sleeping routine but truthfully, I was so tired I could’ve easily slept another five hours.

Originally we had planned to go to nearby Haarlem tonight to see my friend Dennis whom I’d met here 10 years ago, but since I didn’t want to worsen my foot injury, he said him and his husband John would come to Amsterdam instead. After getting ready, we caught an Uber to the Taboo bar in the Amsterdam gay street and had a drink whilst waiting for them.

It was a great idea to catch up with the guys, as we always love a reason to go out with the locals. After having our fill of Heinekens, we went for dinner at the restaurant Black and Blue which was directly across from the bar. The waitress was American and mentioned her Aussie boyfriend was from Newcastle. The bar next door offered something called Wild Wednesday with beers for €2 so we went there to continue the evening.

Before we knew it, it was 10:30pm, and the boys had to head off home. It was a bit unexpected as the days are much longer here, meaning there was still daylight until quite late. After catching an Uber back, we went to bed at about 11.15pm.Les mer