Amsterdam - Day 1

Day 1 started in Treaslane, 9 miles from Portree, where we live. This time we took a bus to Inverness, the nearest airport from Isle of Skye.

Unfortunately we were not able to book online. The service was fully booked..When I spoke to Citylink, the bus company, I was told that if we turned up on the day, we may get seats. We turned up and got seats!

The views on the way were stunning and energetic:

It reminded me of this quotation...

"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

Cullin mountains

Isle of Skye, a misty isle.

An auspicious day! Love rainbows.

We even saw a rainbow, seen often on Isle of Skye and other parts of Highlands.

Something unexpected happened at Dornie, just beyond Elean Donan Castle (worth a visit if you are in the area). Some passengers from the bus stop couldn't get on the bus to Inverness. And they had booked. The driver was on his mobile for 40 minutes, on and off, apologizing profusely every 5 minutes. He was organising transport for passengers in Dornie!

We arrived in Inverness, a small but wonderful city, and a gateway to the Highland. It is also the home of Loch Ness Monster. Many people are still looking for it! Take a cruise on Loch Ness if you are in the area. Combine it and visit Elkhart castle. A memorable day out!

We had a quick lunch at Morrison's Supermarket, a generous cheese omelette, beans and chips with coffee for two, for 12 quid! A bargain! And filling. Plenty of energy from protein, and some carbs, until the evening!

Half hour bus journey to Inverness was very smooth. The bus stopped in front of the airport. It  took 30 minutes, price under 6 quid! Free for mature travellers with a Scottish Bus Pass. Lucky over 60s! A taxi would cost about 20 quid. Expensive!

Half hour bus journey to Inverness airport.

Small and efficient airport - free wifi for 3 hours.

The check in at the airport was quick, less than 5 minutes! 
Free wifi at the airport and a place to charge your smart phone. Great Scottish hospitality!

Great for charging smart phones and laptops or camera batteries.

We flew with KLM. It was a smaller plane. At first, it felt like a 'cattle' plane experience like on EasyJet flights. When looked closer, the seats were comfortable and there was more room. On top of that, we got a complimentary, delicious, sandwich (organic seeded bread!) and a drink. Great Dutch hospitality and service with a smile!

Amsterdam airport, Schiphol, looked confusing to start until we understood the logic of the way the layout was organised.We found 'I Amsterdam' in few minutes where we collected our City Cards, a cheaper way of visiting the attractions including museums and boat cruises. Also, you don't have to queue! I get a bit impatient! See my blog of yesterday.

Modern, vibrant airport.

We collected our City Cards. Friendly staff

A half hour journey took us to our airbnb apartment in Hilversum and had a lovely evening.

Comfortable train journey - cost about 7 Euros

Drinking beer with our wonderful airbnb host Hanney

A sandwich and some wine, talking to Clemencia and finishing this blog.

Exited about day 2 tomorrow. Time to go to sleep! Just found this...

“I think Amsterdam is to Holland what New York is to America in a sense. It’s a metropolis, so it’s representative of Holland, but only a part of it – you know, it’s more extreme, there’s more happening, it’s more liberal and more daring than the countryside in Holland is.” – - -

-      -  Anton Corbijn