July 2/3 - Dulles to Amsterdam

To commence our Ramble Down the Rhine 2018 we had to make our way thru the swamp known as I-95. Your Ramblers set off a hot but lovely Monday afternoon and quickly found a congested traffic- filled corridor to NoVA. A mattress flying off the roof of an SUV in the next lane was an early reminder to stay alert.  While hectic, the delays were minimal and we pulled into the Dulles parking lot with plenty of time to spare. Checked the big bag and we were off thru the maze known as Dulles International Airport. We quickly found our gate and did the obvious thing, headed out in search of a beer.  When boarding time came we found Lufthansa had an air of randomness to their process as Rambler Jane's carry-on bag was deemed too large for this so-called full flight since it did not meet the paltry measurement regulations in place.  Rambler Hance's identical bag sailed on through.  Your editor thinks it was her shifty gaze that gave Rambler Jane trouble.

Took a flight to Europe to watch Blade Runner

The Lufthansa flight was nice and we arrived on time (would you expect less of a German airline???).  However like the old Seinfeld joke Lufthansa can "take the bag" but they can't "keep the bag".  Yes Rambler Jane's gate-confiscated bag failed to make it to Amsterdam. After dealing with bag agents, and finding the bag was still in Frankfurt, we received assurances that they would send the bag to our hotel. Color me doubtful.  Powerless to do anything more, off we went to find our hotel. One curious thing about Amsterdam is they have lots of Tesla cabs, so of course we waited to get one.  Also, unlike NY they let you choose the cab you want. How nice.  A quick drive through the city and one thing quickly observed is how many bikes, how few cars.  To say Amsterdam has a bike culture is to say Homer Simpson likes beer. They are everywhere and everyone rides them.  It makes sense: the streets are narrow, space is at a premium and they have developed a culture of biking.  The main central city train station has a three story parking garage for......bikes.  Anywho, we got to our hotel (the Andaz), located in the central city right off Prinsengracht canal. It was very nice but different. It was filled with modern art of all types including video art in the hallways. Some quite, uh, different.  After settling in, we set out to see the town and get some lunch.  We wandered the canals and hit up a Wurst and Schnitzel establishment conveniently located next to a "coffee shop".  The polish sausage and fries were great and the tables at the coffee shop were vibrantly odorous.

Afterwards we rambled around the Centrum area of town which was a hot bed of activity circa 1650 with lots of old trading houses turned into apartments and stores.  The canal system is quite interesting and ingenious since most of Amsterdam lies below sea level by 40-45 cm.

After a tasty dinner at our hotel it was time for your jet lagged Ramblers to hit the hay. As they say here blijven wandelen ("Keep on Rambling").