Well, I made it to Amsterdam. The overnight flight was smooth. My flight over originally cost me $5 with the
use of my frequent flyer miles. Of
course, I had to arrange the trip last August to take advantage of my account
miles balance. At the last minute I was offered
the chance to upgrade my ticket to the Business First Class. It was worth the added cost: great food, drinks, free/priority luggage (my
luggage came out first when I arrived at the airport), and time spent in the United
Lounge (free food/drink). You also have
those wonderful reclining seats that make a bed. You have plenty of legroom. In addition, no one was sitting beside me in
the two seat design. It was worth this
last minute increase in price.
I’ve spent the day getting adjusted to the time change (+6 hours) here
at the Hilton at the airport (Schiphol).
It connects directly to the airport, and I’ve stayed at this hotel
before. However, things looked so
different. I found out that they had
completely rebuilt the hotel. The old one
still sits and you can see it from the grounds.
It’s a very ultra modern design which fits in with the Dutch modern
look.
I will be leaving the hotel tomorrow for the ms Prisendam. I hope the weather gets a little better
(cloudy/overcast and a bit windy).
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| The lobby of the hotel/conference center is open to the sky being covered by a dome. Photos are taken from the Hilton website since I haven't unpacked my camera at this point. |
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| My room, on the fifth floor, has two of those diamond-shaped windows. |
