Coming into land at Schipol, Amaterdam

Almost worked so smoothly. The only hiccup was when I took the wrong route at Gatwick North terminal and went into the short stay carpark by mistake and had to pay to get out.

Flight was short and very interesting, leaving the UK via Ipswich and over Orford Ness, seeing from 20000 feet where we'd been just a few weeks earlier.

Good journey into Amsterdam and only a little hesitation finding the hotel - The Grand - and it is grand. A huge room with complimentary minibar containing wine, beer, spirits and mixers. Nesspresso coffee maker too.

Had a short walk before dinner to explore the area and find the tourist information. Bought some self guided walks and found out about bike hire and bike routes.

Dinner was excellent, ate outside as the main bar area was full of Dutch watching their team play in the World Cup. They won 2-0 which sent the locals home in a good mood.

We completed the evening with a walk around the canals which were lit up. Great ambience and a warm night. Very special architecture around here.