Let the adventure begin

I am sitting in our room in a quainte family owned hotel in Amsterdam, while sunlight streams though the huge windows overlooking a tree lined canal. We arrived here around 10:00 AM Amsterdam time, which was really 4:00 AM in our internal clocks. We were both tired and hungry but could not check into our hotel until after noon. After dropping our luggage at the hotel we set off to find a restaurant.

The Best Laid Plans

Don and I first began talking about taking a European River Cruise in early 2012. Neither of us had ever taken one and they seemed so relaxed and comfortable that we were both intrigued. We also decided that it just didn't make sense to travel all the way to Europe for only 8 or 10 days when it takes several days just to get over the jet lag and the 6 hour time difference. So we decided that we should fly to Europe a few days before the river cruise would begin to ensure we would be able to fully enjoy the experience. We also talked about staying longer after the cruise and discussed where we would like to visit. By summer 2012 we had decided on a river cruise and booked passage. Then it was time to conduct research about places to stay and visit both before and after the cruise. We decided to spend several days in Amsterdam before the cruise and to visit several places in France before flying back home. It was exciting for me to explore the possible places to stay. Researching possibilities is part of the adventure for me and I try very hard to ensure there are no nasty surprises. Sometimes though, even the best laid plans can be thwarted by unforeseen events.