View from Amsterdam Central Station

Well, we took off from our separate airports, we landed safely in fog, we managed to meet at Schipol and take a train into the centre!

Fron there Elspeth and I, old school friends, took a tram to the Rijksmuseum. It was late, because the planes were late, so we explored the coffee and gift shop and the area outside the museum, including a large outdoor skating rink where beginners pushed chairs around for support. The town was illuminated as part of a Festival of Light.

On returning to the station, I snapped this poor shot, and we eventually managed to locate our luggage, buy tickets and board a double decker train to Assen.

Mandy met us there. We haven't seen each other since 1985. We are both exactly the same as we ever was! Mandy and her Dutch husband took us to her large, beautiful house in Rolde, and we managed to eat and drink till 2.30am.  Husband insisted on showing us the emergency exits from the house before we retired!

For the record, I had to drop drinking quite early. My cough is sounding less and less attractive by the day. I tried knocking myself out with old school antihistamines last night, but to no avail. Perhaps sleeping in a hotel near an airport and having a morning flight to catch didn't help.