So I'm going to backtrack and start with Amsterdam, because that was first, and move on from there.
It has been said, and said again, that travel is not about the destination but the journey. I'm please to say that this isn't always the case. I'm sure we've all experienced a journey that was only made worthwhile by the destination; and my journey to Amsterdam was certainly one of these.
It was a 4-day weekend away with my two closest Cambridge friends, N and E, a brief window in our lives to spend time together, catching up, laughing, praying and eating (but not in an Eat Pray Love way because that book is seriously the absolute worst).
Our journey began straight after work on the Friday evening. We had to cut things pretty fine to get from work to Stansted for our flight, so there wasn't much margin for error in the plan - there was only one train that would get us through security with enough time to get to the plane. E wisely booked herself a cab to take her from work to the station, to make sure that she got there; a cab which arrived early and left without her. Thankfully it didn't go far, so she just made it in time, although the driver seemed surprised that she had expected a taxi booked for 4.45 to actually wait until 4.45 before leaving.
The next hurdle came at Stansted, with the liquids bags. Like everyone else in the world, we had booked carry-on only, and it was only at the security gate the N found out that her bag - bought from Stansted - was too large to go through the Stansted security gate. (Most memorable line from this experience was "That bag was 20x20! I'm a teacher! I use 30cm rulers a lot!") Unfortunately the security personnel were unbudging, so we emerged on the other side lighter by a deodorant, moisturiser, lip gloss and sundry other items. Luckily, our flight was delayed 30 minutes so N had time to duck into Boots and buy a new deodorant.
It wasn't until we were chatting in the boarding line that E casually asked, 'So does our airport transfer just pick us up from the gate?' I had forgotten to book the airport transfer, it seemed. By this time, we were all out of internet coverage and couldn't work out even if the transfer had been booked, whether it was included in our stay, etc....so realised we would have to take the train when we landed at 10.30pm.
Luckily, the train in Amsterdam is pretty straightforward and we arrived at the central station some time between 11.30 and 12, at which point we were too tired to work out the tram system and caught a taxi to our hotel, from someone who didn't seem able to tell us much about Amsterdam (what was a good local food, what we should do as tourists apart from visiting the red light district, etc...)
Our hotel room was at the top of a flight of stairs for which the word 'precipitous' might have been invented - I'm not sure we should have climbed up them without mountaineering equipment, let alone with three wheeled suitcases, but we made it. Discoveries upon getting ready for bed included: N had not brought either pajamas or toothbrush (these kind of things appear really important when you're really tired, we might have blown it out of proportion a bit) and finally, that instead of buying spray deodorant at the airport, she'd accidentally bought femfresh.
These things aside, we got into our pajamas and got ready for bed. It was at this point - at 1am - that N discovered that flushing the loo caused sewage to pour out of the drain in the shower.
The next morning was a brand new day, and while there was a lot of back and forth about the sewage room, we got there in the end. And I can say that, as tired, grumpy and frustrated as we were with the journey, the destination was absolutely worth it. Amsterdam is such a lovely city - canals, bikes, bridges (with lights! in the arches!), beautiful trees, tall skinny buildings, waffles, friendly people - it was such a fun and lovely holiday. We rode Dutch bikes, went on a river cruise, walked the streets and ate delicious food and it was an absolute joy. We might just need to work on our grasps of logistics before we go to Croatia...
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