After visiting Krakow and Budapest in mid-September, I had an afternoon and night layover in Amsterdam before my return flight to the U.S.
I landed at AMS from BUD on Saturday at 1:30pm and left Sunday 9am. I only had carry-on, so I went straight to the exit hall. I had booked the Sheraton Hotel at the airport and was really happy with my choice.
Hotel Sheraton Schiphol: Easy access from the main exit hall. While it took me a bit to find the correct ramp up to the covered walkway (across from Burger King), it was otherwise straightforward. Once up the ramp, it was only a couple of minutes' walk to reach the hotel. The room was brand new, with a great bed and pillows and nice water pressure. The AC took a few minutes to kick in but worked well. But toilet seat was quite high for me (I'm 5'6").
After dropping off my bag, I returned to the main airport hall and went down one level for the train. I purchased a ticket to Amsterdam Central (~7 euros). The train was very crowded. The weather was still sunny and a bit warmer than I had planned for, but the forecast indicated rain later, so I carried an umbrella in my Nano daypack, and brought my raincoat.
The last time I was in Amsterdam was 25 years ago when I spent a couple of hours there between trains. I remember the canals and the crazy bikes, but it was hopping and busy on this Saturday afternoon. I just strolled around, stopped at a café for some food, and later had a stroopwafel. I really struggled with all the smoking around me.
ANNE FRANK HOUSE: I had a 6:30pm ticket and found museum to be nicely done. After the study tour at Auschwitz few days before, and after reading all the books in preparation for the trip, the tears finally came. Maybe I had been holding it all in for a while. It really felt like I had lost a friend. At the end of the tour, I stopped at the bookshop and got a new copy of the English version of the original book, along with a few bookmarks.
DINNER: I had a reservation for 8pm at De Reiger (thanks for the suggestion from someone on this forum). It was only a block away, which was great as it was now dark and raining. The restaurant was packed on Saturday night, and it took them a little bit to seat me. Service was super slow, but the food was good. Limited menu, but the food hit the spot. All tables around me were Dutch speakers.
Then it was a long walk back to the train station. Although it was dark and super rainy, I felt safe. I took the train back to the airport and was so thankful to have that hotel right inside the airport.
DEPARTURE: I left early the next day and skipped the hotel breakfast. I used the Sky Priority access route, just scanned my boarding pass, and it was a breeze. I was able to access the lounge through Priority Pass and enjoyed breakfast there. When the gate opened, I got a text from KLM saying they needed to check my passport. So I headed there early. The agent scanned my passport, and that was all.
Smooth flight to SFO, and I was so happy with my bulkhead seat! It had been some time since I last had a long daytime flight.
I'm really glad I broke the return trip with that long layover in Amsterdam. Next time, I will head to one of the smaller towns nearby.