The alarm went off at 6:30a.m. and the luggage was due outside the door by 7:00a.m. At 6:50 I received a not so warm and welcoming call to get my luggage outside. Breakfast was continental and I suppose I was suppose to be seated, but I helped myself. I observed people that were seated in my dining area. I noticed one couple and assumed that they were American.
In the lobby, I noticed the same couple and asked if I could sit in an empty seat near them. This was Beverly and Robert from AK, which we would introduce ourselves later on the bus. We chatted for a while in the lobby while we waited for the bus. I noticed many others also waiting in the lobby - a mixture of couples, mainly middle-aged to elderly. There was a large group of "Europe 2008" which looked like a teen youth group trip - but they were not part of our trip. The young man that got on the bus behind me seemed to be traveling solo and his name was Nick, according to the check-in lady. When I got on the bus I met a man, later to be 85.5 year old Glenn, that commented on my shirt and said his tie would go well with it.
It was 1.5 hours to the ferry and Beverly and I talked most of the way with her sitting in front of me. We stopped once before the ferry and I had a chance to change money to Euros and observe some of the people on the bus. There was one woman in particular that looked my age that I noticed right away. Something about her. At the stop, she ordered a very large beer. Her face looked old and weathered although I thought she might be younger than me. She had dark skin likely from tanning machines. Her eyes were like saucers. She was the only one I saw drinking. The ferry ride to Calais, France was another 1.5 hours in duration. I moved around a few times on the ferry to avoid the people around me or the loud obnoxious Tom & Jerry cartoon that was playing with English subtitles. I watched people that were on the bus throughout the ferry. The woman that I noticed on the bus was the first to hit the bar. I later saw her stumbling around with an older man. I met Theresa and Sim, a mother and daughter that was celebrating her 21st birthday. Beautiful people, with large contagious smiles.
Back on the bus, I hoped and prayed that fate wouldn't have me "share" my room with that woman. That would be my worst nightmare! I hadn't noticed that there were other single women travelers as well. Apparently the other women had. As it would come to be, there were five single women - the woman (whom I will refer to as "Betty"), Christy, Tania and Catherine. On the bus, "Betty" had her own seat, as did I. She was several back on the other side of the bus. She slept most of the trip and blatantly ignored the tour guide, Katia. She even had her shoes off and put her feet up on the window and on the man's head in front of her! When she was awake, she was becoming more belligerent.
We spent hours in traffic and construction in Belgium. At the rest area, it was my first opportunity to experience paying for the bathroom! 30 euro, the first of many charges and the least expensive. The restaurant we stopped at was very limited in selection. I met Judy and Duane at dinner, a very nice couple from Minnesota. It was their first time to Europe as well and Judy was shocked that I was traveling alone. I was aware of Judy and Duane as they had introduced themselves to Tim and Trudy also from the US in the lobby before we left on the tour. I found them entertaining to watch/eavesdrop - although is it truly eavesdropping if you hear them when you aren't trying? After dinner we were back on the bus en route to Amsterdam. Taking pictures from a moving bus is quite challenging for me and my 5.0 mega pixels.
"Betty" was no awake. She was becoming very loud and obnoxious. I had a difficult time understanding what she was saying due to her accent. She was conversing with Nick behind her. She was cussing a lot and was quite disrespectful. She received a call on her cell phone at which time she started saying how BBBOOOORRRIIINNNGGGGG the trip was and swearing about the tour guide and how she could do her job. Off the phone she continued to chat up Nick. I heard her mention that she was sharing and if she had to share with someone she didn't like, could she share with him. A lump was in my throat. I felt ill, but this could be my reprieve. He could say yes and then I wouldn't be STUCK with her! Maybe there was hope yet! I tried to tune her out after she moved her seat to sit next to him. I did hear her ask inappropriate questions about his fiancee.
We arrived at the Schiphol Hotel in Amsterdam at about 10:15p.m. We were able to go out if we desired and the tour guide mentioned the "red light district". The tour guide hasn't been very impressive. She gives little historic information as I have experienced from past tour guides. She mainly gives directions which are often confusing and repeated many times. Robert and Beverly want to check out the red light district. The single rooms are announced first, and...I'm not one of them. I get my key and I head to my room. The hotel room is enormous! There is a very large bed and a huge room. There are two sets of toiletries including razor and shaving cream, toothbrush and paste and a comb! I wait for my roommate. I continue to wait. Finally, I head over to Beverly and Robert's room. I see the other three single women and they are not in my room. Christy tells me that she is sharing with "Betty". She asks if she can stay in my room if it is really bad. I tell her that I am heading out, but OK. Part of me, I didn't want to. If I was lucky enough to be the one to have my own room, why should I share? On the otherhand, had I been the one stuck with her, I wouldn't want it either.
I went to the desk to ask for directions to the red light district and there met James and Paul, whom I would later learn were brothers. They are from Australian although they look Chinese. Reminds me of my college roommate Chris that is American but his mother is Chinese. He hated when people assumed he could speak Chinese. They were fun guys and in their mid-20's. Rodney was also with them, although I struggled with wanting to call him Robert or Raymond most of the trip. Rodney was a pretty quiet guy, married and over in the area for work and/or conference. I never did talk much to him. They were heading to the red light district as well, so the six of us went together.
We met Katia in the parking lot and I informed her about the roomshare. She said that she would be changing the room assignments in the morning. There was also discussion as to whether or not she would be allowed to continue on the trip. Katia didn't seem to have boundaries and freely talked about guests on the tour with others.
The six of us headed on our adventure for the red light district. I didn't realize all that entailed. We had to get on the shuttle to the train station. We then had to buy train tickets - which I wasn't able to purchase on the self pay with my credit card (later learned because US credit cards don't have a special "chip" that others do!) so we had to pay more at the counter. We boarded the train and then got off at the right station - it was similar to the L in Chicago or the People Mover in Detroit. After the train we had to get on a bus, but we couldn't find where to purchase bus tickets so we walked instead. Rodney was the direction asker and would often ask people and we were told, "straight then left", repeatedly. No idea how far straight or when to turn left. We ended up walking past it and then turning around. I really thought that the guys would want to see some action, but they didn't. It was more just a matter of all of us seeing it and saying we had been there. The marijuana stench was strong walking around. The women in their lingerie looked used and tired. Completely unappealing, nothing like a Victoria Secrets ad ~ that's for sure. One window had two empty stools and bags of Doritos's were on them. I joked with James and Paul that had the women been there licking the cheese off the Doritos's I may have been tempted to pay the 150 euros plus....NOT. It was funny nonetheless. I couldn't get Robert to take a picture with Beverly under the neon "Sex Palace" archway to send to their adult sons. Beverly did take a picture in front of a mild window front of masks and such.
We headed back to the train station and tried unsuccessfully to use our 1-way ticket for the return! When we arrived back at the hotel, James, Paul and I walked to McDonald's across the street for some food. Seeing that only the drive through was open, we attempted to be a car, with James, "vroom, vrooming". Needless to say, we had to order at the window - maybe they were afraid we would order and run. They apparently had to kill a cow to make my plain cheeseburger, but the boys were nice enough to wait with me and then we went back to the hotel.
The hotel offered vouchers for 15 minutes of free internet usage so I logged on to email my son and check my emails. I learned that my great uncle's health had turned for the worse and hospice was involved and he would likely die within the next four days. My son had emailed me and several others asking if they had heard from me as he was getting scared. I emailed him as well as others and then ran out of time.
It was after 3a.m. when I got into my hotel room. I was glad that I didn't have a roommate, as it allowed me to be as loud as I wanted. I reorganized and picked out my clothes for the morning. I wanted to shower, but decided against it as I didn't want to wake any of the people in rooms around me as the wake up call was at 6:30a.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment