We're here!

We made it! Other than a three-hour delay in Amsterdam, the flights were smooth, quiet and almost turbulence-free. All the seats were equipped with personal entertainment sytems, so we caught up on our movie watching during the flights. Even the delay wasn't bad, because the airline gave us money to buy meals with, so it was a little unplanned relaxation time.

I keep waiting for chaos to show up; so far everything has been far quieter than I expected. I'm sure part of it was our arrival time - 2 a.m. - but the noise and smells I've read so much about have not made an appearance. The taxi ride from the airport was fun; the most exciting part was when our driver shot into a gap between two trucks that was getting smaller by the second. Lines on the road seem to be only a generel guideline and after about the first minute I was rooting for our driver to use his horn even more enthusiastically than he actually was. They truly are a survival mechanism.

Breakfast this morning was a leisurely meal on the rooftop of our hotel. It catches a nice breeze and seems to be sheltered from much of the road noise. Tom's jumping right into trying new food and it's been a successful experiment so far. Our next plan is to wander the market for a bit and maybe venture out a little farther - and hope to find our way back.

I've been writing down impressions and thoughts I've had, so I'll write a longer post later, but I wanted to let everyone know we're here and doing well.