Christmas Travel 2014, connection at Schiphol

After being on the plane some 16++ hours, we have reached Amsterdam (where we take another plane to Nuremberg).



It was drizzling in Amsterdam when we arrived. And it rained even more while we waited.



We had 3hours, and with not much to do, we just went around Schiphol and looked at the shops.



First we went to change some money. We were traveling to Prague somewhere in between and had no Czech Crowns. The exchange is not so good but better to have some in hand before we arrive.



We had them changed at two different places and had a better deal at one of them (see above photo). On top of that, the cashier granted my request for smaller denominations (It is that big a deal because Czech people almost never give the right change. Some return the right change when confronted, but others just lie in your face and deny it.) So even with a not so good rate, I'd rather change my money here than in Prague.



Miffy goods. I absolutely love Miffy. :X My first Miffy merchandise was bought in Hong Kong, was the first time I was introduced to this super cute bunny. XD It was when I traveled to Japan that I found out Miffy was Dutch! I thought Miffy was Japanese.=_=



Soft white miffys.



Some pretty Dutch goods. I love collecting tins and this one looks rather nice. I didn't buy it though as it was our first leg and I was already carrying a lot. (next time I'm thinking of taking only 1set of outer clothes (this is a challenge!:O) and bringing an empty luggage).



I want this tin (I forgot what's inside, probably cookies), I hope cookies, It's kinda small though for 9,90.... I'm always debating whether to buy or not, it's frustrating. Haha. XP

Chocolates.



And then another chocolate store with a really warm interior.



Knitted goods. Do you think I'll be able to knit more complicated patterns??:3



A lot of food places, this was one of them.



Cool seats with a socket right next to the table. How convenient.



Although you can always find charging/laptop zones like this one here:



Another food court above, which we decided to check out.



Although after having had 3 meals on the plane, we weren't really looking for food.



Here's how it looks inside, however.





Refreshments.



There was a bridge in front of the food court that overlooked the busier lower level.



Thick glass panels on the bridge.



The shops below:







Starbucks with its nice warm ambiance.



Here's how the rest of Schiphol pretty much looks.



As we were walking back to our boarding gate,



..we came across this:



which was titled so: ('Two incredible sitting black snowmen' by Tom Claassen)



How many times have I been to Schiphol but only saw this now!



Walkalators to our boarding gate.



The sun had come up and the raining ceased...
The weather is always so glum you can't really see the sun.






See you next post.
x


--

My post was read by Schiphol:

Sketches - View from the Nihonbashi in the old days

The inspiration..



Started sketching and this is how it looks.



At first I was going to draw the bridge but later I omitted it.;D

I used my Miffy ,echanical pen.X3 I got this from Hong Kong from only HKD$15! :D



I was tinkering with my phone and it was tempting to use some puri apps! XD



I continued the next morning. I did the top part with Mount Fuji. The aroma of the coffee filling the room... hmm.:3



I finalized the lines with ink. I usually use waterproof pigment ink but since I wasn't using watercolour I used Pilot Frixion pen, the kind that you can erase.:D It works great.



I filled it with colour.



And here is the final result!



Voilá!

Do you like it better with colour or without? X3

Insta-Curry. いただきます！＾＿＾

I finally got the chance to use the Instant Curry I bought a few weeks back!:D



I popped it into the microwave (as instructed on the package).



Ack~~ couldn't wait to open it.



and here it is. [It smelled heavenly.^_^]



You have no idea how hard it was to keep my from digging in as I take these photos...:P



And a closer look...can you almost smell it?



いただきます！！＾＿＾

~

Here is a look at my anime calendar..



And another...



[Tomorrow is the 21st-- the day I turn a year older. Not something to look forward to eh? xD Lol.]

~

Last week, I bought this little bunny pouch.



And it is perfect for bento boxes.:D



The bunny bento box I bought last year.



The pouch can fit all these.:D



How it looks with stuff inside..



~

Bought a polka-dotted notebook last week, thought it was really nice.



It has an elastic band to keep the pages in place.



Perfect to write on with my Miffy pen.



Ah. My weakness for cute little things.



It's a huge notebook too = more stuff to write.xD



It's available from Paperchase.



On the back it also includes this clear flap to hold a couple of cards and whatnots.





This is one of the photos I took of Tokyo.:D [see the Rainbow Bridge and Odaiba?:P]



Oh, I wish I could go to Japan again soooon.

~

It's been ages since I last touched the games on my psp! [due to lack of time, and also because when I start playing I can't stop and play for hours endlessly.]



But I am still far from completing the game.. I have only just started on this game.

~

This is the Gosick novel-version. #1. Have not started yet. Lol.



Too much text, Haha. My mind should be completely clear as I read.



I think I will try one page first. Although I reckon I will spend more time flipping through my dictionary than actually 'reading'.

But it is worth a try.:P

~

Have started to download a new anime called 'Ikoku Meiro no Croisée'.

The illustration is incredible, and the main character is soooo cute too, it looks much like Gosick, which I also loved when I first saw it.