There I was sitting standby at JFK airport, when my phone rang. Scheduling was calling to ask me if I wanted to work a trip to Amsterdam. My standby shift was in the morning, and Amsterdam wasn’t until later that afternoon, so they were giving me the option to say no. But obviously I said YES PLEASE!
Working international trips can be exhausting. Usually we have a 24 hour layover, but the flights are essentially red eyes. Meaning we leave in the afternoon and have to work all night until we land at ~7am Amsterdam time. Some flight attendants power through and go right out to explore, while others take a quick 3-5 hour power nap before heading out. I love my sleep, so I’m one of the nappers.
I was up and ready to explore Amsterdam by 1 pm. I had been once before with my mom, so my goal was to retrace some of our steps. I explored a lot of the Jordaan district first, and stopped for lunch at a cute place called Piqniq. I sat at a table for one and had a delicious sandwich and flat white coffee.
A little later I went to a cheese museum. This place I highly recommend! They have samples on samples of FREE cheese. From blue pesto cheese to classic cheddar, you’ll quench all your cheese cravings here.
I had heard a lot about this place called Winkel that has to-die-for apple pie, and noticed a long line constantly outside of it. I decided to see what all the fuss was about, and treat myself to a slice. It was definitely the best apple pie I’ve ever had! I enjoyed eating it on a bench by one of the many canals in Amsterdam.
By this time, I was ready for dinner. Ok.. I know it sounds like all I did was eat in Amsterdam. But I swear I walked like 13 miles exploring the city and taking photos, but none of that is worth mentioning more than the delicious food! I started heading to this place called Casa di David, where my mom and I ate last time I was there. It’s a very delicious Italian restaurant with big windows overlooking a canal and beautiful street. When I walked in, there was a line of people and the host mentioned an hour long wait. So quickly I turned back around and left (It was past my bed time by this time anyways). I wandered back in the direction of my hotel and figured I’d stop at the first place that looked good. I was already in the mood for Italian, so when I saw this tiny cute Italian pizza place, I stopped in my tracks.
I walked inside and like a true Italian, the owner behind the counter greeted me “Ciao bella!!” He asked me where I was from and was overjoyed that I was from TENNESSEE?!? “Where they make whiskey!” And he points at their Tennessee Whiskey bottles on the wall and shouts to everyone in the cafe that I was from “The Tennessee!” I then go to pay for my margherita pizza and he sees the First Tennessee Bank written on my card. He holds it up to everyone in the store, once again, and says “Look! Tennessee BANK!!” This man was so happy and it truly made my whole day. The pizza was so delicious and authentic, I can’t wait to go back next time I visit Amsterdam!
By now it was bed time, and I got a fantastic night’s sleep. A successful, short but sweet, trip to Amsterdam. Thanks, Scheduling 🙂
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