Week 2 080224/sa

Sunday, February 24, 2008

I'm still trying to get all my pictures organized and uploaded so bear with me. I'm trying to write a quick blog to go along with each picture album.

We finally embarked the plane for Amsterdam on Friday night at 7:00pm and arrived in Amsterdam seven hours later at 8:00am. What an experience. The company sent us first-class and boy was that a treat! We were treated like royalty. We were definitely pampered beyond anything we could have expected. I think it must have been a little taste of heaven.

Our group included 5 ET employees. Two of the guys are here alone and the other three brought families...so in total there were 5 guys, 3 wives and 4 children. You can imagine the enormous amount of luggage we were toting around with us. It was a mess!

We finally arrived in Amsterdam airport and had to transfer to the train. Fortunately, the train depot is right in Scheoppel Airport, but we had to wait a couple of hours to catch a direct train. No way we were going to change trains! They only stop for about two minutes and you should have seen us trying to throw 32 bags, 3 car seats, and no telling how many carry-on bags through the doors before they closed! I'm sure we looked like a band of cartoon characters moving at the speed of light with our eyes glazed over from the jet lag and having no idea what we were doing!
Finally, assured that we didn't leave anything too valuable behind (like one of the kids) we settle in for our two hour ride to Almelo--all the time dreading the reverse of our last feat--getting all of this off the train. I just prayed we once again got all the kids off without any missing appendages. I don't think any of us had the energy to chase down the train if we didn't.

As it were, by the time we arrived we had devised a system–like one person in charge of the children and Hank and the guys formed a line and shuffled out the luggage. That worked pretty good! We were met at the train by one of the guys' team leaders and an employee who came over with the January group. It was then that we learned we'd have to drag all our luggage about a quarter of a mile, down one staircase and up another! One thing I did learn–next time I'm shipping everything, even if it means I do laundry every night! Note to self: one change of clothes, PJ's, & a toothbrush!

Check out the picture of the car they sent to pick us up! It was one step up from a Volkswagen beetle! It was so pathetic it was funny. We had to sit around for a while until they could find someone to send a "bus" for us (actually like a 12 passenger van). They told us this was the biggest vehicle they had in the Netherlands. Someone definitely needs to work on logistics for the other families that will be arriving here in April!

On the way to the apartment, they advised us that everything is closed on Sunday so if we wanted to eat the next day we would have to dump our luggage at the apartment and run off to the grocery immediately before it closed!

See the pictures we took from air as we arrived in Amsterdam to our arrival at the apartment. http://picasaweb.google.com/roamingakers/Amsterdam