When you have a long layover and write a blog post- Schiphol Airport

I've seem to be a frequent visitor at Schiphol Airport located in Amsterdam.  This is my 6th time here in the past year. Today I have a 6 hour layover here.  I considered going back out to see the beautiful city again, but the weather today looks like this

rainy day in Amsterdam

I've decided to share some of the sights around this airport with you because....well what else have I got to do.  I left Detroit at 4:15pm Tuesday and only slept for about 30 minutes on that 7 hour flight to Amsterdam.  When I arrived here, the local time was 6 something AM Wednesday.  This means that it was just after midnight in Detroit.  I've been wandering around the airport for about 4 hours now.  My body is starting to send me messages that I should really be asleep right now, but daylight outside and a busy airport are confusing this message.  Luckily, this airport has comfy chairs for weary travelers like me to stretch out and relax.  

Although Dutch is the official language of The Netherlands, English is the primary written language for signs in this airport.   I learned from experience visiting Amsterdam this summer, that most Dutch people are bilingual and speak English.  That means that I can easily communicate with store and restaurant workers throughout the airport.  

Some people think that international airports will be very scary and confusing.  I haven't found that to be the case in my experience.  This airport has made some nice improvements since my first visit last August with lots of comfy seating areas for travelers.  In addition, there are places for shopping, a variety of restaurants, and a casino.  

Holland Casino

Holland is the land of tulips 

duty free l

lounges 

I really appreciate the complimentary services available at the airport.  I did forget to bring my adaptor so that I could charge my electronic devices.  Luckily, I found some charging stations that allow me to plug directly into a USB port.  Wifi is free throughout the airport! 

Complimentary computers available with internet access and charging stations

these little carts are free of charge.  I paid $4 to use one in Detroit