ALL IS WELL IN AMSTERDAM

Had a real disaster happen last evening.  I had just about completed this blog on the trip from London and first day in Amsterdam and I hit something and the whole thing went away.  I hope the space people are enjoying it - it was funny! I will now try to recreate but I'm not feeling funny right now just determined.  Poor me😥

So again,  we left London at a very reasonable time.  This time we only had 4 bags, 2 back packs, 2 purses, and a miscellaneous bag.  We were dropped off in front of the St Pancras International train station.  It is a lovely facility and proceeded to check in on the Eurostar. We went through the security and got to the other side with plenty of time to spare.  

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They called our Amsterdam departure plafform and off we went.  Found our seats, everything was going smoothly!  In just a few hours we would be in Brussels where we would switch trains and arrive in Amsterdam around 6:00 .  Just in time to grab a bite to eat.  We had plenty of time between connections so - NO SWEAT!  Remember that!

Over the bridge, under the sea, to Amsterdam we go. The Eurostar magazine had a couple of pages with easy instructions on making connections in Brussels.  Yippee!!!  We got off the train and followed the instructions and ended up in the lounge for the trains that would take us to Amsterdam.  No problem. We had almost two hours so decided it would be prudent to find a WC.  I left Sharon with the bags and proceeded to find one.  Even though at this time everything was in Dutch, the universal signs for men and ladies should be around - right?  I walked and walked and walked and could not find any sign of a loo anywhere.   At least 1500 steps later I was returning to tell Sharon my sad story when I looked directly across from her position and there they were - the signs.  Right by the elevator.  Women's loo was down a level. I pointed to them and told Sharon I would find them and than return so she could use them.  i took the elevator down a level, no signs to be seen.  I looked at someone whom I thought would know and he directed me down a set of escalators and signaled me to turn right and yes, there in front of me were the loos but it cost .50 Euro to get into the restroom.  Are you kidding me!  By this time things are getting a little desperate.  I took all the change out of my purse and no where did I have a .50 euro coin.  I had every other euro coin.  As I was staring at the coins in my hand a man came out of the exit gate and I thought perhaps while it was open I could sneak in.  No!  Instead this man just grabbed some coins out of my hand and without saying a word , went around the corner and put the change into a machine which than spit out a .50 Euro and he handed it to me.  Relieved,(aren't I puny)) I went back to tell Sharon where to find the loo and how to get change if she needed some.  That little adventure put another 1000 steps on my pedometer, I'm sure.  Next time I will have Sharon go first!

Now we are waiting patiently for the platform number for our train to appear on the screen.  Sharon likes to go check it out periodically and I just sit.  As the time approaches she once again goes to stand under the screen but this time asks a very nice business man who just happens to speak very good English which train platform we were leaving from.  He is on the fast train to Amsterdam and when he looks at our ticket he tells her we must be on the slow train and directs us to platform 18.  Off we go.  Confident because we have been assured by a very nice business man. It is now about 3:30 and our train is due to depart at 3:52.  With plenty of time to spare we are at the platform in front of a train which is due to depart at 3:36.  This just doesn't seem right so I ask a youong woman who is sitting next to me if she speaks English and she acknowledges that she does. I ask her if the train sitting here will be leaving shortly so another train can come in and depart at 3:52.  She looks at my ticket and says , "No,no, this is not the right train".  We needed to be on a  THALYS train - the fast train to Amsterdam.  ( He may have spoken English but he sure didn't know the train system).  Sharon and I looked at each other, the young woman said don't worry she would help us.  She ran up to a RR employee who wouldn't answer her question so she said , get on this train and I will help you.  We got on the train with her (please remembr we have 4 suitcases, two backpacks, 2 purses and a miscellaneous bag) .  the train starts to roll  and while we are standing in the train this young girl is showing our tickets, explaining our dilemna ( I think that's what she is doing) and everyone is shaking their heads.  Finally it is decided we needed to get off this train at the next station and one of the young men (doesn't speak English) volunteers to get us on the right platform, and on the right train.  We head to the station with him and he looks around and finallly points us to a platform and we race down it to get on the train.  ( For those who haven't traveled by train in Europe, they are on a schedule so they don't stop long in a station).  Whew!!!  I show my ticket to someone as we board the train and he shakes his head and says " NO, NO., wrong train".  This is not going well. This one is going to Antwerp.  We and all our bags get off the train, almost without incident. Sharon hit her head but better her head than her feet or legs.  We need them to get to our next train where ever that is.  We again look desperate and I'm waving my ticket and asking for help and some man tells us to go to the railroad  office, We kind  of know where we are going which is obvious to him so he runs ahead and points us to the now evident office.  We go in and neither of the two men there speak English or even get out of their seats to help us.  Finally the younger man gets out of his chair looks at the ticket and somehow communicats that we have to go to the Central Brussels Station.  He points to the train standing there and we hop on with  our 4 suitcases, 2 back packs, ,2 purses, and the miscellaneous bag.  We go back one station  to Central Brussels and there we saw across the way a train with the word Thalys on it.  Of course it was not on our platform so we had to race to see if this could perchance be our train.  We ran down the platform into the station and saw the board which had the platform that the Thalys train was leaving from and saw that it was indeed going to Amsterdam.  We ran to the platform and asked someone where car 17 was located.  They pointed in the diretion and we ran that way. We didn't see it so  we asked again and someone else pointed us back in the other direction.  We ran back and all at once saw the number 17 on the car and there was a RR personnel standing in front of it who told us yes this was the train listed on our ticket and to not  worry there was plenty of time.  She obviously didn't know where we had been or what we had done.  We were back where we started and we made the departure time of 3:52.  All that happened with in the span of about 25 minutes.  We are so grateful to be on what we know now is the right train , all we have to do is find our seats.  We are lucky enough to have been able to place a suitcase apiece in the luggage racks but no room for the other suitcases.  So we are pulling them down the aisle, looking for our seats, when I notice that the numbers are getting smaller, not larger. I look at Sharon and say "turn around".  We did so probably hitting peopole with our backpacks as we execute the 180 and head back to our seats which are occupied.  That's why we undoubedtly passed them up the first time.  They get out of our seats and we get help putting our bags up in the overhead and sit down and just burst out laughing.  We could not believe we had actually made it.  Our nonrefundable, nontransferable tickets were going to get used!  Happiness is sitting down, drinking some water, catching our breath and looking forward to arriving in Amsterdam just in time for dinner.  Exactly as we had planned. ( if you are tired just reading this imagine how we must have felt, and than imagine how I must have felt after this whole discriptive paragraph disappeared infront of my very eyes last night.)

Not our train, but a nice one!

We are in Amsterdam and note the time!

We arrived at  our new home. Keys worked like a charm.  We only had one flight of stairs to go up with our bags and we were in.  Theo had informed me that there were two bottles of wine in the apartment and we looked for them immediately.  We needed a drink!  Thank you THEO!!!!!

We looked around and could not believe what a wonderful place we were going to spend the next four month. Very spacious!  A well stocked appointed kitchen and two bedrooms, big bathroom and washer/dryer.  The view from the Living room window is fabulous!  We are so lucky.

We decided we wanted to get out and look for a pace to eat.  We met a local who directed us to a couple of places.  We ended up at a tapa's place and had a perfect little dinner. All/s well that ends well!