Our first evening in Amsterdam turned out to be quite the spaced out experience, if you know what I mean. Walked around the area for a quick tour of nearby destinations. Nothing is too far out from the DoubleTree, pretty central location. Apart from the train station adjacent, the water tours all leave from the embarkation area just minutes away in front of the hotel. Buses are also right in front of Centraal and the fact that everyone speaks English is a blessing. Dinner was at a cute Polish place on the square nearby and a little bit of frolicking had us meandering towards the cafes where space cakes are available. Perfectly legal in Amsterdam to have some on location or buy some to take away so space cakes to go it was. Lets just say a perfectly quiet night turned into some crazy drama in the morning, and it wasn't me! Said drama involved calling in the manager, somebody having to consume a lot of cookies and soda to spike up their sugar and even a call to a doctor for some assurance. And after all that, I stayed in the hotel all day worried I was going to be hit by a delayed sensation...but nothing! Thankfully so :) Made some major plans for the rest of our time here and hope to stick to those, minus any space cake fiascos!

First impressions of Amsterdam - loved the cow mooing while on their airport train system, the whole airport was a hustle bustle. We stepped out for a bit an then realized we could get tickets for the train inside so that's what we dod - took the rain to our hotel. Part of the crowd there was for the same trade show the husband was attending so that explained the lost look on many faces of other nationalities :) The train ride wasn't too long before we hit Amsterdam Centraal - their main train station, and our hotel was walking distance from it really. You should have seen the smile on my face when I saw the Starbucks attached to the hotel - yeah, typical American me, addicted to their hot chocolate, what can I say. Pretty unique looking DoubleTree Hotel - was definitely psyched to get their warm brownie as we headed up to the room. I will say this is one of the smaller hotel rooms I have been in - very space conservative but clean and functional. Was a bit upset they did not have a coffee machine until I discovered it was hidden away in one of the desk drawers. Not much of a view - we had the rail lines and bike stands for scenery but cant complain - overall very comfy. I had to nap for a bit given the travel and time change involved. Hope you enjoy the pictures of the trip so far. 

Decided to accompany the husband on a trip to Amsterdam and Stockholm so while he works away, I can wander away! I was very excited to be able to do this - it is my foray into Europe if you will, and I can't wait to see which other destinations I end up visiting. I had heard quite a bit about Amsterdam but not so much about Stockholm yet I was equally delighted to be able to make the most of this opportunity. Living in Atlanta makes flying out to various locations pretty easy. The airport here is the hub for many airlines and has great connections. Looks like it will be 6-7 days in Amsterdam and then 3 days in Stockholm. I was also happy to find an Amsterdam tourist card deal called I amsterdam city card that mad sense to purchase. You can do it on arrival. Unable to find something similar in Stockholm but that is for later. Looking forward to it and excited for the new experiences!