Oy Vey!

• Hachbach's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Leiden

Trip Start Aug 17, 2009 Trip End Jul 20, 2010 Next
Entry

  Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Well, I'm finally here.  After 8 months of anticipation and worrying, and one VERY long day of traveling, I arrived in Leiden just a little after 8 pm.  This has been a crazy day.  My British Air flight from Denver to London left on time at 8:15 Tuesday night.  The smoothest part of the whole flight was the take-off from Denver (weird, right?)  The rest of the flight was bouncy.  I did finally get used to it somewhere over eastern Canada, and was able to doze a little bit, but I got in to London at 11:30 Wednesday morning just a bit on the groggy side.  After clearing customs in London I spent the next 3 1/2 hours alternatly walking the airport and trying to doze in the very uncomfortable chairs.  Yuck!  The flight from London to Amsterdam was supposed to leave at 3:55 (notice I said supposed to), we finally pushed back from the gate at 4:30.  Apparently we were waiting for missing bags and then we missed our departure window so we had to wait.  Then we taxied out, and had to wait again because the airport decided to do a runway inspection!!!

Once we finally took off, the flight to Amsterdam was just a quick 45 min, then we landed and taxied for, I kid you not, 20 min!!!  We spent more time taxing then flying.

Well, needless to say, when I finally got off the plane, through border control and through baggage claim it was nearly 7:30, and I was way passed the time I was supposed to meet up with the person I was planning to share a taxi with.  I looked for about 15 minutes for her, but finally decided she must have gone on without me (I hope!) so I grabed a taxi for the 20 min trip to Leiden. 

One very expensive taxi ride later, I checked in to my 2nd floor room (btw, no elevators), and I am now showered, unpacked (mostly), and I'm enjoying a bowl of mac&cheese soup, before I crash into bed.

Now, for a few observations of this trip, country, and room......

1)  The Netherlands LOVES their windmills, wind-turbines, wind generators, you name it they have it.  As evidence of this I provide a picture out the window of the plane as we were approching Amsterdam.  Yes, I know its hard to see, but that is a wind farm, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NORTH SEA!!!

2)  My room is TINY.  So, to compansate, there is a bunk bed, with a desk underneath.  I have a $20 bet with myself that I will fall out of this bed either while getting in, because the ladder up is very steep, or in the middle of the night, sometime in the next week. 

3)  I have no hangers, which okay, fine.  But who packs hangers???  Now I have to go buy some.

4) I have no coffee pot or microwave.  Which I find a little odd.  What I have is a mini fridge and a 2 burner cook top.  And on that note!  I was just cooking my mac & cheese and there is now smoke coming out from underneath the countertop.  Yes, I've stopped cooking, I will mention this to someone tomorrow, because it was a little freaky.

5)  I have no toilet paper.  Um.....????  I do however have 2, yes 2, toilet bowl brushes.  Not quite sure what I'll do with 2.

6)  There are no electrical outlets in the bathroom.  (why am I surprised by this? I've been to europe before.)

Now, enough negative, here's the positive.  I have one STEALLER view!

So, here's hoping tomorrow is better, that I settle in quickly, and that things get interesting and fun, because right about now I'm horribly homesick and wondering what the heck I was thinking!

Miss you all

Slideshow Share

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Tiny bathroom	Tiny Room	Tiny Room	View from my window
View from Window

Next Entry