Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam

19 May 2013

Early start
The flight was at 8:25 and you have to be there 3 hours before plus I was staying an hour away from the airport so I was up at 3am. The hotel was nice enough to pack me brekky because I'd be leaving before the restaurant opened. I didn't get searched at this checkpoint, I only set the beepers of which was apparently my shoes.

The Flight
Simply put, A380s are pretty big. The peasant class seats have a bit more room than a 777, which when your knees just touch the seat in front, is a great thing. I watched some more Dexter as well as Last Stand (wouldn't recommend it), Fire with Fire and Deadfall.

Immigration
The guy at the checkin desk in Adelaide warned me that I might have trouble getting into Europe if I don't have a return ticket booked or at least proof that I won't be a total sponge on society. I had a bank statement printed but it wasn't needed because the questions were pretty easy: what are you here for, where are you going and how long will you be here. They let me through no worries.

Haarlem
Adam and Justin were kind enough to let me stay with them and as an added bonus, they picked me up from the airport too. We drove back to Haarlem where we found a park in the tiny alley ways they call streets (and I thought my street was skinny). We went for a walk around Haarlem, took a drive down to the beach and went food shopping at the local supermarket. For dinner we tried the chip shop round the corner but it was closed, as was most stuff because of the public holiday, so we decided to try the next closest one. In true Dutch style we took the bike this time with Justin riding and me sitting on the carry rack on the back; definitely beats walking. Dinner was chips (with mayonnaise) and various krokets with mustard.

Initial thoughts about Haarlem
-everything is very green
-it has a village feel about it with the tightly packed houses and small, winding lane ways
-bikes are definitely the best way to get around and the dedicated bike lanes are a great idea
-it's cold! A maximum of 13 degrees is a bit of a shock after a week of 40 degrees

Picture: the view from my room