Arriving in Amsterdam!

The Oude Kerke and canal.

Our trip to Amsterdam was so uneventful as to be ridiculous. There was no security line at O'Hare, we somehow got "choice" seats on our plane which meant we got to board first and had tons of legroom, we landed early in Dublin so had plenty of time to make our connection, and landed early in Amsterdam to boot. The train from the airport is cheap and really nice, and once we walked through customs we walked right onto a train which immediately left. Then the city tram was free because it was Sunday, which took us straight to our hotel. We did have to wait for our room to be ready, so we explored a bit around it, and Amy registered for SBL. We tried our hardest to stay awake so we could sleep all night (7 hours difference is quite a change!), so I hung out at a coffee shop while Amy went to the opening session. We had an amazing Indonesian dinner, and went back to our room to decide what to do next.

That was decided for us, as 4 1/2 hours later I woke up in the dark, still in my clothes. We were exhausted! So we slept. I woke up around 3 and started reading, and we eventually got up to go for a walk and find breakfast. This was the only trouble so far—Amsterdam as a city does not get up early. Breakfast places open at 9 generally, a few at 10, and I found one at 8 (but later in the day). We pretty much had the city to ourselves, though, which was peaceful and pleasant. After we showered, we started walking to the University for Amy's first session, and found a pastry/coffee shop that was open. Coffee here is quite good, although small.

While Amy went to sessions, I wandered the city. Most things don't open until 11 or later, I discovered, so I mostly saw the outside of churches and the like. After a lunch of falafel, I napped while Amy practiced her paper. She's given it now, but the session is not over, so I'll go find her shortly. I've been wandering the city and exploring some shops. The internet at our hotel is just abysmal, so I'm sitting at a cafe now. I'll try to update as I can!