30 Hours in Amsterdam

and I'm scarred for life! Not really but my innocence is definitely lost. :)


I also confirmed (for the millionth time) my longstanding suspicion that I should not be allowed out of my house without some sort of common sense checklist.

So anyway, I found out last week that I would be going to Amsterdam for a work event.  And here's what I learned:

Lesson #1:  The red light district is quite literally the red light district.  And there are scantily clad women dancing under these red lights all along the street.  And it's possible to watch clients go in and come back out (in 10 minutes or less).

Lesson #2:  Clubs in Amsterdam stay open until "late".  I got back to the hotel at 3am.  I am waaaaay too old for that!  Thursday morning was paaaainful.

Lesson #3:  When traveling in Europe, passports are not necessary.  So even when you are already running to the train station in the rain, there's no need to return to your apartment, grab your passport and then literally run to the train station.

Lesson #4:  However, when traveling in Europe, credit cards are highly recommended.  Without a credit card, it is difficult to pay for your hotel.  So when you check out, and your hotel bill is 150 € and you only have 100 € in cash, you will have to borrow 50 € from your boss.  Sigh.

I also experienced two firsts on my trip!

First #1:  The European cheek kissing deal - I've been dreading the European cheek kissing since I arrived.  I'm honestly horrified that I'll end up smacking a co-worker or client on the lips.  Thankfully, my first experience was completely awkward but no lips were involved!  That's success in my book.

First #2:  The electronic boarding pass - I didn't have access to a printer so I braved it, checked in online and sent my boarding pass to my blackberry.  And it worked!  Hello 21st century!