Amsterdam : Day 1

Our first day in Amsterdam started with a bit of a delay. Our flight was due to leave at 9.05, but due to low visibility Amsterdam's end, we didn't leave until 10.30, cue a lot of airport boredom... But, we were grateful our flight went at all, as two other flights to Amsterdam that were scheduled the same morning as ours were cancelled. We flew with KLM from Southampton, and it was nice, it was £70 return each, so an absolute bargain. The flight was just over an hour, so by the time we'd sat down and put our seatbelts on, it was pretty much time to get back up again... 

We flew with hand luggage only, so when we landed at Schipol airport, all that was left to do was pass border control, and then we were free to wander around Amsterdamto our hearts content. Once we were through the other side, we headed to the train station to buy our travel passes. We bought the 3-day train/tram/bus passes from GVB for €26 and they were so incredibly handy. I can't tell you the number of times we used them. They were ideal for us as we didn't have to faff around with tickets and could just hop on and hop off as we pleased.

Once we'd sorted ourselves out, and found the right train, we headed to our hotel to drop off our bags. We couldn't check in until 2pm, but after the delayed flight, the time difference, and the time it took to get to the hotel, we arrived at bang on 2. We stayed at the Ibis Budget Amsterdam City South, and it was good. I mean, it wasn't centrally located in the slightest, it was about 25 minutes on a tram to Centraal Station, but it was clean, modern and cheap - so no complaints here. 

After a very brief wander around, we headed straight to the A'DAM Lookout and the swing. (Which, involved a free public ferry across the water, whaaaat?) The weather forecast for the 3 days we were in Holland was pretty rainy, but the day we arrived was really sunny, so we decided to head straight to the swing. We didn't book in advance, we just turned up, and there were plenty of slots free. We had our slot booked (4.20) and headed for a little wander before ascending the tower. The lookout was really nice. You could see for miles, and the skybar was really pretty, but I wouldn't say it was massively worth going to if you weren't doing the swing. 

So, the swing was great fun. It's 'Europe's Highest Swing'. It's 100m tall, and you swing over the edge of the lookout building, with the water beneath you and the city all around. You're not allowed to take photos whilst on the swing, but the staff do take photos for you which you can download for free from their site. It was really really good fun. If you're heading to Amsterdam anytime soon, I'd highly recommend doing it!

Because of our excitement to get on the swing in the sun, we missed lunch. Big mistake. My sister and I are pretty big eaters, so, by the time we'd got back to Centraal we were starving. We went for a bit more of an explore and stumbled across an Italian restaurant that looked nice. I can't remember what it was called, but it was one of the 35384 pizzerias in Amsterdam, and the food was good. Nothing to write home about, but good nonetheless.

After getting up at 5.30am to head to the airport, it's fair to say we were pretty tired after all our travelling and wandering, so, after dinner, we just headed back to the hotel to sleep, ready for our second day of adventures...