We made it to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The flight was pleasant enough and it actually seemed to go by quite quickly. Gerrie slept a little and I didn't sleep at all. I wastched a couple of in flight movies and three episodes of CSI. They had one of each, Miami, New York, and Las Vegas. I kind of like Miami the best.
We carried on our luggage so we did not have to go to baggage claim. Getting through immigration and customs was so easy. No forms to fill out and there wasn't even a line. When you get off the plane at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam you are in the international terminal and there are all the people going about their business heading to their flights and heading to the exit. Never seen it that way before but makes sense. So by the time you hit the passport control point there isn't much of a wait (unlike landing in Houston or Cancun where you wait for 45 minutes to clear immigration).
The flight arrived about 45 minutes early and it took no time to get out of the airport. The only problem was that I had arranged to get the lease vehicle at 11 a.m. and we were ready to go at 9 a.m. So we just cooled our heals and dreamed of going to sleep.
So I leased this brand new Peugeot 5008 SUV. It is plan through Auto Europe. Leasing is cheaper than renting and you get a new vehicle with full insurance coverage included. The program is available for non-European Union citizens who can take the vehicle for 17 days or more. At the end of your trip you give the car back to Peugeot and they get to sell it as used. They save paying the 17% VAT and hopefuly somebody gets a good deal on a car driven around Europe by some American or Aussie.
We are now headed for our hotel in Amsterdam. Dreaming of getting some sleep and hoping the GPS works.
