Day One in Amsterdam

We arrived right on schedule at 8:05 AM. I fell asleep on the plane after dinner service and I am sure I slept for a good 4-5 hours.  Right through breakfast service. I was surprised at the bright sunlight flooding the plane at what was 1:30 AM on our Toledo body schedule.  I was still able to get a cup of coffee but then it was off the plane through immigration and customs and to the trains.  Here we learned the value of a non American Express card with a chip and a pin.  The automated train ticket machines were easy to use but only accepted Euro coins (we had bills) or visa or master cards with the chip and pin ( we had the card but no pin). So we then proceeded to the the ticket counter and purchased our ticket to Amsterdam Central.  The train was a snap and we were at Amsterdam Central Station in less than 20 minutes. From there we walked across the street to the Tourist office and bought a map. The employee at the counter told Steve the Hilton was only about a mile away so we decided to walk and get some exercise.  It turned out to be more like 3 miles of pulling a suitcase but hey! We got our workout for the day.  The room at the Hilton was ready by the time we had a snack in the bar and we were checked in by noon. It was a pleasant morning but it had started to get a little overcast by this time. We still decided a canal cruise with an overview of the city would be a good way to spend some time and the boats were covered.  Another short (about a mile) walk and we were at the canal with the cruise boats. The trip through the canals was informative and fun. It probably would be lots more fun on a hot day in an open boat but we can't control the weather.   Back to the hotel now struggling with how long we can stay awake versus how early will we wake up tomorrow. 

My first impressions of Amsterdam are favorable.  The people have been delightfully helpful and kind. It is a clean city and very walkable. The architecture is fantastic. The public tourist attractions are popular. There were long lines at both the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum.  The picture is the Amsterdam Central Station.

The next picture is from the canal boat ride ..

And finally in front of the Rijksmuseum at the I AMsterdam sign