Johnny Jet's Travel Tales

Nothing beats traveling more than traveling itself - unless you're writing about it! I still experience the same thrill each time I board a plane or gaze at a 747 taking off today as I did when I first started traveling as a kid. Despite the recent events and changes in circumstances, there’s still a lot to be said for meeting friends and associates for dinner in different parts of the world or site-seeing in person or meeting travelers who are able to embrace different cultures and learn about different customs. I am delighted that Johnny Jet has asked me to write and share those experiences with you and hopefully can read some of your stories too!

Last week I traveled to Amsterdam- 767-300 from San Diego to Atlanta and then on Delta Business Elite MD 11 to Amsterdam. Have you tried those seats? Really comfortable (Delta has no first class or business class per se, so this is a good hybrid, not unlike Continental’s Business First or Northwest’s World Business Class). Flights were about 65% capacity in the coach cabin, and full in First and Biz Elite, which seems to be the case now - and with the airlines chasing our money, upgrading has become easier than previously (at least it has for me). No line at SAN for the 9:10 am departure, but I hear that if you in the “before 8:00 am” bank, then you can be in line for 20+ minutes. Concourses are now deserted, and the restaurants and shops are much quieter than previously at Terminal 2 here in SAN.

Back to those great seats on Delta - recline to 160 degrees, individual halogen reading lamps, video screen with 6 channels and pretty good food service to boot. They used to roll the salad cart down the aisle and mix that in front of you but due to cost cutting, they’ve done away with that. Also the inflight snack bar between meals is gone (they used to offer cookies, chocolate, fruit and chips set up in the galley). But the best part is still there - cheese and fruit platter and ice cream sundaes!

Got through Amsterdam baggage claim/passport control and customs in about 12 minutes. Best bet for those traveling into town with lots of luggage and not wanting to take the train right from inside the airport (NGL 6.80 / USD 2.83) to Centraal Station is the Shuttle bus which drops off at various hotels around the city. (NGL 16 / USD 6.67) The shuttles drop off at major hotels and saves you from getting from the train station to a cab and then to your hotel. And I was the only one on the shuttle each direction - they run every 30 minutes. BTW, if you want to get money, there’s an ATM right in the arrivals hall and in Amsterdam, everyone speaks English and probably is one of the best places for the novice traveler to start with if you’re uncomfortable with foreign languages. I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam - American, a historic hotel located in Leidsekade 97, and walking distance to everything. It’s a delightful hotel with very friendly staff and a good restaurant and bar on the premises. Small exercise room with two treadmills, two bikes and some nautilus equipment and a dry sauna. Right outside, you can catch a canal cruise, or walk towards the city center and the museums (Van Gough and Rijksmuseum). I actually went for a run in VondelPark (the largest in the city) and it’s about 2 blocks away behind the Marriott hotel nearby. A complete circle of the park is about 4.2 kms and very refreshing. It’s the one way I’ve found to settle in to the new time zone, land, run/exercise, lunch, nap for a couple of hours, then dinner and then a light walk and to bed. By the next morning, you’re back on track!

Met up with a work colleague, Mike and walked around the city and of course we had to eat...

Some great eats: rijsttafel or rice table. With the Indonesian influence, this is a great way to sample a lot of food from the Far East - best of in a group setting. You get a rice bowl, accompanied by delectables such as satay (chicken or beef on skewers), curry, vegetables in peanut sauce, fish in a sweet chili sauce, perhaps tofu, and shrimp crackers - up to 12 little dishes. Enjoy this with some traditional white beer or my favorite “cherry beer “! What’s it gonna cost ? NGL 62 / USD 25.83 for two of us including a couple beers each and we were stuffed.

And if you have not had a Pannekoken, or Pancake, you have to try that for lunch or an afternoon break! You can get savory or sweet ones (I had a ham, cheese and tomato while my buddy Mike had a Cajun chicken pancake) - they’re really flat and thin and the fillings are mixed in. Stop in and have some coffee, or tea or a beer with the pannekoken.

For those who want fresh baked brownies, bagels and cookies, there’s a small chain called Gary’s Muffins for an inexpensive breakfast or lunch. They also make smoothies, coffee of course and serve fresh juices. I also stopped in at a place called Soup Zeno (?) near Rembrandt’s House and had the best Pumpkin soup and French Provencal Soup - all organic ingredients, made fresh and served with some warm bread. You can order three sizes (S/M/L) and I chose two smalls, which came to NGL 12 / USD 5 which came with wheat/white or herb rolls… just the right thing if you want a light lunch.

The dollar is so strong now at 2.40 guilders to the US dollar, you can’t afford not to go. Of course, there’s a whole lot of sights to see: the museums, the red light district if you like that sort of thing, shopping and if you get a chance in the Spring or Summer I would take a Bike tour.

Next time : trip tales continued to London!