Today is the day! We are packed and ready to go. We spent lots of time with family and friends this week in between running errands and getting everything together.
Packing
We are bringing 2 checked bags and 2 carry ons each. The apartment that we are moving into is fully furnished and it is suppose to be similar to an AirBnB in the fact that it will have silverware, dishes, bedding, etc. That said, our suitcases were quite full. A few of the unique things that we brought are below.
- Deodorant- They mainly have the spray deodorant there so I brought enough to keep me smelling good for a while!
- Vanilla extract- We were told that vanilla extract is about 25E in Europe (at least so in Spain) so we brought a small bottle so we can share some American chocolate chip cookies with our new friends.
- Everything but the Bagel seasoning- We love this and use it all the time on vegetables with a little garlic in the oven. We also brought a few other seasoning such as taco seasoning etc. too.
- Cerave Skincare- I brought a face wash, lotion, etc since I am not sure what brands are the best in Europe. I learned too much about different brands on tiktok in the last few months to throw all of the knowledge away!
- Ziploc Baggies- I am not sure the situation in Amsterdam, but when I studied abroad in Vienna they didn’t sell Ziploc! They used these little twist ties that don’t really work. My roommate Beth and I looked all over for them and when she found some in London she brought so many home.
- Advil, Tynerol, Nyquil- We have heard that is it difficult to get these over the counter so we brought some just in case!
Family & Friends Sendoff
We spent lots of time with family in friends in the weeks leading up to our departure. We had our favorite margs at Broken English, tapas a Ba Ba Reeba, and Cinnamon Rolls from Ann Sather. Shout out to my roommate Maureen for the gorgeous moving sign and for both my roommates for sending us off with donuts and mimosas on our last day in Chicago.
Flying during a pandemic
I think that I might have to do a separate post on this, but it is very strict to fly right now. To get into the Netherlands you have to be a resident or a citizen. We had to fill out Health Declaration, get a PCR test 72 hours before arrival, and a Rapid test within 4 hours of boarding. I am writing this as we are waiting to board our flight, but we are currently the only 2 people in Business class out of 38 seats available due to all of the rules and regulations. I am curious how full the flight will be!
We are hoping to sleep, but we will have to have our masks on the entire time for the flight. When we arrive we have to quarantine for 7 days and have an intense COVID test to break our quarantine. It is the swab that feels like it is going all the way up to your brains lol. This all has to be done even though we are already being vaccinated. Despite all of this, we had fun checking out the business class lounge! Stay tuned for more pictures of the business class experience.
COVID in the Netherlands
Currently, the Netherlands is quite strict in their lockdown and has extended it for another 4 weeks. This includes a 10pm curfew, no restaurants (even outdoors), and you have to make an appointment to go to non essential retailers. For example, we will need to make an appointment at Ikea and HEMA as we need to get a few extra things for our apartment.
❤️Melanie
Smiles from Miles Away 