4 planes, 3 layovers, and 24 hours later, HELLO AMSTERDAM! This is our first international trip together, and it's been an eventful journey so far.
Goodbye Arizona's beautiful sunrises!
3:30am was an incredibly early start to a long day of travel, but we were bid farewell by this stunning sunrise. Then, proceeded to have 2 tequila sunrises...at 6am -- don't judge. ;)
Flight to San Diego, California.
We're still curious what these strange islands were. They didn't look populated (from that high up anyway.) DIBS!
Layover in San Diego, then flight to San Fransisco
It was a little depressing that we had to fly 3 hours out of the way, but a $496 round trip flight to Amsterdam on WOW out of San Fran was well worth the few extra travel hours to save some cash.
Tequila number 2.
It was 5 o'clock in Amsterdam, after all.
Our first international flight ever. (To Iceland)
The largest leg of our journey, we got two surprisingly spacious seats on WOW Airlines next to a window. For all the shit WOW gets for being a budget airline, the flight attendants were cheerful and the seats were roomy/comfortable for the most part. We brought our own snacks, water, and entertainment so as not to get gouged there. Started getting a little stir crazy toward the 9th hour. I was happy to get off that flight when a booming migraine and nausea set in.Brief layover in Iceland, and then off to Amsterdam!
Our first stamps on our passports!!
Also, while in Iceland, we experienced the most unique faucets ever. A motion sensor for the water in the middle, and two high-power hand dryers on either side.
"Blow me, faucet!" - @shenanigator
Also, you get your own sink in each stall. Strange, but awesome.
Helloooooooo, Amsterdam!!
We made it!
After being ambushed by taxi drivers at the airport, we made it to The Volkshotel.
Sidebar: at one point on the way to the hotel I told our cab driver, "Yeah, it can get as hot as 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. In Celcius that's.... um... (awkwardly long pause after I realized I know nothing about F to C conversions) ...actually, I have no idea what that would be in Celcius." Derp.
Sidebar: at one point on the way to the hotel I told our cab driver, "Yeah, it can get as hot as 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. In Celcius that's.... um... (awkwardly long pause after I realized I know nothing about F to C conversions) ...actually, I have no idea what that would be in Celcius." Derp.
So anyway, the hotel. It's pretty rad! (An appropriate description and I'm stickin' to it!) I'd also call it: trendy, hipster, artsy, and loft-esque (totally a word.) Besides not being able to figure out our thermostat (and yes, definitely had to look up what Celcius to Fahrenheit was lol) the room is awesome.
We also found our way to the rooftop hot tubs to ease our tired muscles from airplane seats and carting heavy luggage everywhere. Deeeelightful.
WARNING: Watch out for the taxi drivers.
We ordered an Uber to take us to a dinner spot, but the driver took advantage of us. The ride was supposed to be about 8 minutes, but it ended up taking 36. The first thing he asked was, "Are you guys visiting?" And of course I answered, "Yep! It's our first time in Amsterdam. We're really excited to be here." He took that as an open invitation to take us the longest route possible. Fortunately, we had Google mapped it beforehand and knew what he was up to. Here's a look at his route compared to the ideal one. Nice try, you little scoundrel.
Our € 6-8 Uber ended up being more than €20. Our lesson and your warning: It's probably best to give your driver (who can quite literally take you for a ride) as little information as possible. Thankfully, Uber took care of the very obviously out-of-the-way route.
Our first day exploring Amsterdam.
Our desert-adapted bodies are not accustomed to the cold whatsoever, but we bundled up in many layers (@shenanigator in 5 layers to be exact lol) and headed to Jacketz for some grub. First of all, those potatoes were phe-NOM-enal. We definitely recommend it. I mean, look at this massive potato. Wowza!
Amsterdam is absolutely stunning.
The canals, the houses, the architecture. Just beautiful. And then there's this cute guy that I get to roam around with. :)