We’re here! Our 6:10 p.m. flight on Saturday was on time and uneventful. We didn’t sleep great — Jack’s Oura ring told him his sleep score was only a 39 out of 100 (Kathy is pretty sure she didn’t sleep much at all, but she did watch a great film — Missing — so that was a plus.) Viking representatives met us after customs and took us to our hotel in Amsterdam (Park Centraal Hotel) where we were able to drop off our luggage and learn a little more about plans for the next few days.
Our main goal for today was to just keep going without zonking out. It was cold and rainy all day. There are lots and lots and lots of bicycles parked and flying down all the streets. Plus there was a marathon going on that made navigating the city even more difficult. We met two of our friends for lunch and then walked to the Dutch Resistance Museum. The exhibits were very well done, explaining how those in the Netherlands responded in different ways to Germany’s occupation during WWII.
We got plenty of steps in and around the city, and are starting to learn that the red paths near the streets mean “Watch out for bikes!” which seem to have the right-of-way over everyone. It was hard to pay attention to our surroundings when we were constantly looking both ways for bikers and trams.
We saw this beautiful rainbow as we were heading back to our hotel to check in since our room was not available earlier. Our feet were getting tired so just the two of us went to a sushi and grill restaurant very near the hotel for a light dinner before it was finally time to call it a day. Lots in store for tomorrow, so we hope we sleep well!