‘Stuck’ in Amsterdam

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”       —– Andy Warhol

Chris & I began our trip to Indonesia on October 23rd. We had an 8 hour layover in Amsterdam and as it turned out, we ended up staying 4 nights longer than anticipated. I was not aware that in order to enter Indonesia, my passport would need to have 6 months or more validity prior to expiring from the date of entry. My passport expired 5 months from October 23rd and I needed 6 months or more in order to enter the country. Chris encountered the same problem and as a result we were kicked off the connecting flight from Amsterdam to Jakarta.

At the time it caused a bit of a stressful situation because we were informed that we would need to contact the US Embassy. This would be a new experience for me and I wasn’t sure that temporary passports or emergency passports were even issued.

Now if there is ever a city to be ‘stuck in’ for a while, then I would highly recommend Amsterdam. This was my first trip to the beautiful city and let me tell you, I ate well, I slept well and I thoroughly enjoyed being a tourist there. I have absolutely no complaints, except for the cold weather. I reside in Phoenix and it was immensely cold for me in Amsterdam.

Here are a few images of my time getting to know the city.

Central Station

On the train from the Airport to Central Station

At Albert Cuyp Market

Smiling through the FREEZING weather, with Chris Burton Jácome.

My hair is a mess in this photo! And ten minutes after this photo is taken I literally fall asleep in an empty chair. This is our first day in Amsterdam after our 12 flight from LA. This photo was taken at the Hermitage Museum, where we went to see the Van Gogh Exhibit.

What a blessing to be ‘stuck’ in Amsterdam!

Sincerely,

Lena Jácome