You Must Have Two Desserts

By the time readers you get to the end the title of this posting will be more clear. However, it also serves to speak to the day which was divided into two exploring segments.

I didn't get much more rest in bed than I had on the plane the previous night, but it surely was more comfortable. By 4:30 I decided to give up. After all, at home I would still be up running around -- hard to adjust the body clock in 24 hours. Came down to breakfast and was immediately approached by a man asking me if I could answer a question. Apparently he and his drinking buddies were having a discussion and needed someone to settle it. He spoke English but was just drunk enough to not make much sense. I got a bite to eat and a cappuccino and seated myself far away from these guys. However, I could hear them, "Oh it's 5:00. Maybe it's time to go to bed!"

I wandered over to Schiphol Plaza to scope out my where I should be for my early morning flight tomorrow morning. Airport was still very quiet at this time. I spent some time exploring the art.

The base of this is a world map. The poles come up from each of the continents and one can push a button and see a video from a city on the continent. For example, the North American choices are New York City and San Francisco.

This sculpture is called Sun Rider and is the work of  Arthur Sprocken.

The above is called Polyester Knot and is the work of Shinkichi Tajiri.

I headed outdoors to find out where the 300 Conexxion bus to Haarlem stops. I enjoyed this view below when I stepped out the door.

Went back into Schiphol Plaza and back to Grand Central Cafe. I had a another cappuccino and a croissant with cheese. Then I came back to room and crawled back into bed, looking for a nap and hoping the weather report of sun by noon would be true.

Woke up at 1:30 PM and yes, the sun was shining. I got a train ticket and headed for Amsterdam Central. I had in mind to go have a meal at the Sea Palace restaurant, a place that has been on my list since last summer. However, construction caused a bridge closure and I ended up on the wrong side of canal and really didn't want to back track a lot to find another way across the canal. I knew the Amsterdam library had a very nice cafeteria, so I headed there.

I got a sandwich and a piece of cheesecake. However, when I was paying for it, I got the idea I had done something wrong.  Turns out I was supposed to have two desserts for 2.75 euros, apparently some kind of special -- so I went back to the dessert station and picked up a second one. This truly is a problem I've never encountered before.

Enjoyed wandering around here looking at exhibits within the library, including the banned book exhibit. This type of exhibit is something my university library does this time of year, too.

Headed back to the train station. Noticed a new sign since last summer.

Now it is very easy to see what trains stop at Schiphol without having to read all the fine print for each individual train on the schedule.

The Netherlands railroad is truly helpful, for when I got to platform 14 I found two staff there to answer questions, and they were kept quite busy by tourists.

Love the hats!

Off to find some supper and then will curl up on my bed with the BBC. There are some good things on tonight. What a treat to have TV that really has some interesting programs. I'm beginning to go days at a time without turning it on while at home.