Arrival at Amsterdam

I finally arrive at Amsterdam Schiphol at about 8 a.m. in the morning after a 15-hour flight by KLM from Jakarta with a 30-minute layover in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. After a hectic day, departing from Soekarno-Hatta only a couple hour after I got my visa and my legalized birth certificate from the Netherlands Embassy in Kuningan. My parents are joining me for the first two weeks in the Netherlands and the three of us spend our first two days in Amsterdam with my aunt. We were first picked up at the airport and then settled ourselves at the Bakkerswaal area in North Amsterdam and decide to explore the area after some rest and lunch.

We decide to start off by going to the Amsterdam Centraal - basically the central station of Amsterdam. The Centraal is basically the center hub of the city and fortunately, many of Amsterdam tourism spots are nearby as it is only separated by canals and bridges. The city is build in a way similar to a side of a spider web, making it a unique set of urban spatial planning. We walked around the Dam Square, located right in front of the Centraal Station.

We actually went out pretty late in the afternoon -- many of the places of interest were already closed, and the city was quite crowded that we're unsure whether we have enough time to explore the places. Still, being a tourist as we are, we decide to ride on a Hop On Hop Off bus around the city and see the exterior of many notable buildings around the city. We also rode on a boat through the canals of Amsterdam - the were plenty of bridges and a waterway to explore. Being second to Venice, Amsterdam has about hundred kilometers long canals. We passed through the canal rings of Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, and Herengracht. The sight was really beautiful and we enjoyed the ride despite the fact that it was a pretty windy day outside.

After some walking tour by ourselves we decide to go back and rest, for tomorrow we're going straight to Rotterdam. Although it's unfortunate that we didn't actually visit a specific building or area, the sights were pretty enough to answer our curiosity. We then had dinner at Burgerij in Amsterdam Centraal before crossing the river to Bakkerswaal by a free ferry, as the road were under construction. 

Double DeckerTwo ground beef patties with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, barbecue sauce and a generous amount of cheddar cheese. Had this one with the complimentary wasabi mayonnaise and this was a great burger overall. The set comes with a big bowl of salad and fries.

I'm excited about this new beginning. To more trips to come!