Planning ahead

It is just after midnight on the day of my second TB meet-up - ok maybe it is more like 1. And I am looking forward to it - I just need to take care of the last details. Just the minor things like pack my back - and oh yeah I probably should figure out which hotel I am staying at, the name of the restaurant for the diner tonight - and oh yeah which city is the meet-up actually in?

I get back online to find all these information's plus Brett and Wendy's phone numbers. It takes a while to get all the relevant information because the topic of the meet-up has gone to 65 pages by now half of them in Dutch. But in the end I do find all the relevant facts. Now I just need to know when my plane is leaving in the morning and pack my back - super the plane leaves at 6.55 - I better set my alarm clock way in advance of this - like 5.15. Then off to bed.

I wake up too early in the morning and fortunately a long time ago I moved my alarm clock to a place where I can not reach it from my bed - otherwise I would certainly have picked it up and through it into the nearest wall. I get up get my stuff together and of to the airport. Thanks to modern technology and self service check in machines I actually make it to the security control ahead of schedule and no problems to get to the gate in plenty of time.

I get to the security control and put my stuff on the conveyor belt to get x-rayed. I put my back, my jacket, valet, watch and phone to get x-rayed. And on the other side I collect the exact same items - you know like my back, jacket, valet and watch. Of to the plane.

In Amsterdam I manage to get through Schiphol really fast.

Going out of the airport there is a big sign telling you trains and tourist information this way - this is great it will be so easy to get both things done in the same go. I easily get to the area where you can walk down to the trains - but there is no sign of the tourist information.

Finally on the right way.

Why put it between the arrival area and the trains where people may accidentally stubble upon it. And walk in to disturb the people working there. It could possibly great so much demand for the services of the tourist information so they would need a bigger staff. No let's hide it somewhere to keep people away from it. But I would not give up - I found it and got a map.

Then it was time to call Brett he had promised to give me a ride to the meet-up. So I should let him known I have arrived and agree on a spot to get picked up. No the phone - left pocket hmmm no - right pocket hmm no. Did I get everything in the security control in Copenhagen? Well Brett is probably still asleep anyways.

I walk down to the station ready to go onboard the train. The train is leaving at 8.51 and I just wait for it to arrive. 8.51 arrive - the train does not. What happened to the traditional Dutch precision? The train finally gets in and leaves at around 8.57 - it could have been worse I guess.

I get to the Central Station in Amsterdam and take a quick look at the map to get my barring. And decide to do the navigation to Anna Franks House by using the sun to get the right direction. This plan is a bit troubled by the fact it is completely overcast and I can not see the sun - but never the less I go on with my brilliant plan.

I walk out down a street towards the house. But somebody have mixed up the street signs in Amsterdam - the street I am walking down has changed its name with the cross street - I guess it is only on this corner it is a problem and walk on down the street. After a while it is evident that the city planners have actually changed the position of the streets since my map was published and I am walking down a street with a wrong name.

Well I make a few more twist and turns and goby some big church and a square and finally there is a nice sign pointing me to Anna Franks House. I follow the sign but I think they forgot to put up a few follow up signs because I am led astray again. I walk down the street and realize I need to turn left at some stage. Right there over at the right is a station building. It looks a lot like the Central Station in Amsterdam - but it can't be the Central Station because I left it 1½ hours ago. In the Netherlands they probably just decided that the Central Station in Amsterdam was the perfect architectonical design for a station and used it as a model for all stations in the Netherlands.

I walk the rest of the way towards Anna Franks 'House just stopping at an internet place on the way to find Brett's number. It is easy this time I sort of know which page in the 65 page thread I need to locate. Then off to find a payphone and call. The phone will not take my money - and at this stage I kind of decide I need to find my own way to Friesland. Then of to the house it is only another 10 minutes walk.

Anne Franks House

I went pass Anne Franks 'House when I went to Amsterdam 10 years ago because the lines were just so long. But this time around I am determined to go in - if the lines are not too long. I mean some people claim Anne Franks Diary is just a big hoax so maybe it is not worth going? Then again the same people generally tend to believe Hitler was the most visionary leader of the 20th century and Auschwitz was a five star health spar where overweight Jews went to loose weight.

Fortunately the lines are not very long - probably due to the fact I arrive around lunch time. Hence I get in quickly to go around the house and have a look. It is not a museum with a lot of things to look at. But it is a place to stand and observe and think about what cruelty man is capable to do against his fellow man.

Line in front of Anne Franks House

The only thing disturbing the time for thought is a kid about 18 months old how clearly is way too young to be in a place like this. He finds it amusing to shout inarticulate sounds out in the rooms of the museum while everybody is trying to listen to the videos on display. It is not the kids fault but I can't help but wonder what kind of idiot parents will bring a baby to a place like this - it is only a place for big kids and adults.

After going through the museum I go to the museum shop and have a look. They have translated Anna Franks Diary to almost all European languages. EXCEPT Danish.

Disappointed with the museum store I leave the place without a copy of the book. And outside - the lunch break is over and a looooooooong line has form down the street and down around the corner on the next street.

After leaving Anna Franks House I walk out towards the museum area with the main museums in Amsterdam. I don't really have a reason to go to them given I have not got the time to go in them. But it just seemed like the right thing to do.

As I walk along a few bikes pass me now and again - but that's all. And I start to wonder - where are all the bikes? I mean if Amsterdam wants to be called the bike capital of Europe you want more than just a few random bikes. I expect bike jams, bike messengers driving down the road doing 40k per hour, and bikes going against the traffic on one way streets doing 30 per hour. But most of the bikes just go by at an extra ordinarily slow pace. Amsterdam you ought to do better than this.

The Heineken Experience was closed :( Dont know if I really had the time to go in - but now I did not even have the option.

Well I get to the museums walk around them and thinking well nice - why did I go down here if I don't want to go in? Time is going by pretty fast and I need to be at the station soon. Walking towards the station I pass a building Heineken Brewery - I saw a horse drawn carriages earlier from Heineken and think I should go in here and see what this Heineken Experience is. I get there and on the door - a big sign Heineken Experience is closed until September - bummer. I walk to the station and get on the train heading to Leeuwarden. I buy a train ticket and of course it cost more than my plane ticket to get to Amsterdam. Then again the train ride is alos twice as long as the plane ride so maybe they just charge you by the minute you are onboard there transport.