A very jetlagged me is writing the following post. I cannot begin to describe how jetlagged I am. However, powered by coffee and cola I proceeded to get out of Schiphol and stroll through Amsterdam during my day-long layover between my CUR-AMS and AMS-CGK flights. Walking throught Amsterdam was a lot of fun and brought back a lot of memories from my undergrad days.
Coincidence of coincidences, we meet in Schiphol the director of the institution that we are to visit the day we arrive in Jakarta. He will be away on a business trip, but his staff will receive us.
So far it has been - except for the jet lag - generally a positive day in Amsterdam I must say. The weather was nice, which allowed me to do a stroll through the city from Central Station down to Spui through Kalverstraat, then onwards through Koningsplein to Leidseplein and Museumplein and then back to Central Station via Rembrandtplein. Me and my cousin, who lives in Rotterdam but came to visit me in Schiphol to see me for the day, stopped and sat at various cafes in the environs to fuel up on the coffee necessary to fuel my jetlagged body for the trek. We had lunch at the Hard Rock cafe right off Museumplein just for the sake of indulging in some gimmicky Americana. Sinful, I know, but we really felt like a break from the Dutchness. I guess especially my cousin could have used it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
After taking the train back from Schiphol Airport, my cousin and I said our goodbyes and he went home. It was also nice to see my auntie again who also lives in the Netherlands. Her hair has grown beautifully long over time. Looking back to the MD 11 from KLM I must say there have been some improvements. It looks like the MD11 seats are being upgraded, and the plastic molding in the back of the headrests suggests that a personal video system is in the works for these aging KLM birds.
Ordering special meals was an interesting experience, I recommend everyone to do it once.
The air in the KLM MD11 is as dry as ever, and the lighting is far from the sophisticated hues you can see in f.e. Virgin Atlantic. I hear that some other airlines have the practice ” misting” the air in the aircraft to make it less irritating to the eyes and throat. This would be much welcome in the KLM planes too.
I will keep you posted on what kind of material KLM will be using on the AMS - CGK flight, and how the on board experience is going to be.
