Traveling with Ellen

 The day started at 7:30 with a ride from the hotel to the airport. NOTE to myself:  always order.rhe taxi for 1/2 hour earlier than you need it.. it showed up at about 7:35 am and traffic was heavy on the way to Schipol airport.  We had plenty of time, but regardless, it's better to be there early. The flight boarded a little late, but there's so many checks for international gates.  Immigration to leave the country, security for baggage.  We made it to the gate about an hour in advance.   I flew first class home.  There's nothing like it.  The seats are sooo much better.  And if my flight had been an evening flight, I know I would have slept.  God bless lay down seats.  I paid for the first class upgrade and what happens, Wayne gets an upgrade at the airport for free.  He didn't even know he had been upgraded until we were at the gate We arrived 25 minutes late but still had two hours to get to our new gate.  It too...

Welcome to Amsterdam  We disembarked at 8:30 am after breakfast.  Our cab was waiting for us and took us to our hotel, The Bank Hotel.  I stayed here in 2023 with Beth because this hotel has an elevator! A rare find in Amsterdam or in much of Europe for that matter. Views of Amsterdam  Everywhere you look, there's a bicycle.  And look out.  They will run you down.   Our room wasn't ready, but that's no surprise. It was 9 am, but we were able to store our luggage and spend the day in Amsterdam on our own. I had a 10:45 am ticket to the Anne Frank museum and house.  Wayne and I walked to the museum plenty early.  He didn't have a ticket.  He had been in the house about 40 years ago and didn't want to go in again.  They let me in early, as I was a solo ticket.  It's a timed entrance and opens at 9 am and doesn't close until 10 pm.  There is a solid line from opening to closing.  Tickets have to bought on a Tuesday, ...

The ship atrium  Barge traffic on the way to  Kinderdijk We left Cologne Germany at 10 pm last night and expect to arrive in Kinderdijk at about 2 pm.   There's a guided tour of the windmills which I have done before in 2023.  I'll go ashore and stretch my legs and hit the gift shop because my suitcase isn't already bursting at the seams. Much of the Nethetherlands is below sea level, like New Orleans. The windmills pump the rainwater into the canals and then depending upon the water levels and tide these windmills pump the water into the rivers when sluice gates are opened.  The business / job of the Millers, keepig the windmills operating was quite a physicial challenge. It could take 2 hours to get the windmills set correctly for the wind, the wind could change, and they would have to do it all over. It was a job passed from generation to generation with the oldest inheriting.  The windmills of Kinderdijk  This was just floating. It was stra...