Chapter 1 - Get Ya There Travel
Chapter 2 - A New Day
Chapter 3 - Anniversary Plans
Chapter 4 - Trip Countdown
Chapter 5 - Now Boarding
Chapter 6 - A Sparkly Arrival
Chapter 7 -Time to Explore
Chapter 8 - Olivia's Amsterdam Good Time
Chapter 9 - Missed Messages and Sad Goodbyes
Chapter 10 - Last Stop, Munich
Chapter 11 - Happy Anniversary

Chapter 8  

Olivia's Amsterdam Good Time
Before going to sleep, Olivia packed up as she would be leaving Paris in the morning. She hated having to wake up early and rush around collecting her belongings. She found it easier to pack up the night before she was due to check-out.

As she had done since she arrived, she tried once more to call Brian. She got his voicemail and left yet another message for him. She then turned the TV on and watched CNN for a bit before falling asleep.

It was nearly 8am and Olivia awoke to the loud buzzing of her trusty alarm clock. She got out of bed and took a shower. She got dressed and packed up her remaining things.

Olivia was excited to get to the Gare du Nord station. This morning she would be venturing to Amsterdam. The highlight of her trip to this quaint city would be the canal tour. Of course, the trip to Amsterdam would be a journey in itself.

Once again, Olivia would be boarding a Thalys train. When selling this train to her clients she (like most others in the industry) would refer to this mode of transportation as the Red Train. Thalys was by far the preferred method of getting to Amsterdam from Paris in Olivia’s opinion. Besides the comfort of the train, she felt it was so much easier to get to the centrally located train station over battling traffic to get to the airport.

Olivia checked-out of the hotel after packing the complimentary lotions and soaps from the bathroom in her suitcase. She had a large collection of hotel toiletries back home from all around the world. The soaps from the Park Hyatt would be a welcomed addition!

She got into the private car waiting outside and was on her way to the rail station. Upon arrival at the Gare du Nord, Olivia thanked the driver and collected her bags. She checked in at the Thalys terminal and was on her way.

Olivia’s seat was next to a tall, blonde man. She smiled at the man and sat down beside him.

The man looked at Olivia and said, “Hello, the name’s Clive, I come from Stoke-on-Trent, in England. Do you speak English?”

Olivia was delighted to be in the company of a British gentleman.

“I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Olivia, from New York.” Olivia replied.

The train departed and Olivia and Clive carried on their conversation. They spoke about most everything possible from politics to healthcare, their travel plans, and of course the current state of the world.

Olivia learned much about her new acquaintance. He told her about the loss of his dog recently. It was a Keeshond named Joker. He was 14 years old and had lived a good life.

Clive was on his way to Amsterdam to a breeder to pick up a new Keeshond puppy. After telling a bit about why he was on his way to Amsterdam, he inquired about Olivia’s trip. She willingly told her story about her trip, and naturally that story led into her “missing my 5th anniversary” story.

The train pulled into the Amsterdam Central Station at 2:06pm. Olivia and Clive discovered that they were staying at the same hotel. They decided to share a cab to the downtown location.

Talking with Clive was helping Olivia take her mind off her situation, which, up to now had been stuck in her head.

“I will be going on a canal tour shortly, but as far as I know I’ll be free this evening. If you don’t have plans perhaps we could grab a bite to eat?” Olivia asked.

Clive gladly accepted Olivia’s invitation and the two parted ways to their rooms.

Olivia entered her room and for the first time, she was excited about her trip. She got ready to meet her tour guide of the day. Looking at her watch she saw it was nearly 3pm so she freshened up and left for the hotel lobby.

Perhaps Olivia was wrapped up in thoughts of her new found friend, or perhaps she was just wanting to meet her guide—whatever the case may be, she failed to see the flashing red light on the telephone in her room. For now, this message would need to wait.

Arriving in the lobby of the NH Krasnapolsky Hotel Amsterdam, she saw a gentleman standing near the door. She approached the man and asked if his name was Hendrik.

The man answered quickly, “Yes, I am Hendrik Ostrander, are you Ms. Green?”

Engaging in conversation with the man, Olivia replied, “Yes, it is so nice to meet you. I am delighted to be in your wonderful city!”

The two stepped out into the street and the tour began. Hendrik and Olivia boarded the canal boat. Olivia was impressed with the cleanliness of the boat, as well as how quiet it was.

Hendrik explained to Olivia how the Canal Bus is the first boat company in Europe to run boats on eco-friendly natural gas. The gas used gives the rider a better experience as they are not troubled by harmful emissions, or engine noises. It was also better for the city in general.

Olivia noted this information down; it would come in handy to advise clients of this when she encouraged this tour.

The Canal Bus is typically something riders would use to hop-on and off of, an easier, more exciting way to experience Amsterdam. However, Hendrik and Olivia did not hop-off, they remained on the boat and Hendrik pointed out where all of the major attractions within this prominent city were.

They went past the Anne Frank House, as well as Rembrandt’s house. As they continued on, the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum were visible. Olivia would be going on more personalized tours of these places tomorrow.

After a day of seeing so much of this exciting city, it was time for Hendrik and Olivia to say their goodbyes. Olivia thanked Hendrik for spending so much of his time with her and for sharing the well-known and not so well-known sights of Amsterdam with her. He shook her hand and wished her a pleasant stay in the city of canals.

Olivia walked into the hotel and found Clive in the lobby waiting patiently for her. He greeted her in true European style, a hug and a kiss on both cheeks.

“I’m just going to run to my room and change, and I’ll meet you back here in about a half hour, will that work with your schedule?” Olivia asked Clive.

“That sounds perfect. Did you have any place in mind to eat at, or would you like to go to one of my favorite places?” Clive answered.

Olivia told Clive that she would trust his judgment in choosing a place for dinner, and went to her room.

Meanwhile, Brian and Jacqueline were having a blast re-discovering each other. They spent time together like they used to, laughing, talking, and recalling moments from their time together in law school.

“So do you think she suspects anything?” Brian asked Jacqueline.

“Well she seems a bit paranoid and insecure. I don’t think she suspected that I had any involvement with you though.” She replied.

“I have been wanting to do this for sometime now, I just hope I can find the courage to follow through this time. Every time I try to do it, I look into her eyes and fear her reaction.” Brian admitted.

“Well, this is your life and you’re not getting any younger--you need to do what you need to do.” Advised Jacqueline.

Brian responded, “yes, I know, and I want to thank you so much for your continued support.”

It was midnight and Olivia and Clive were dancing the night away at a nearby disco. In less than 24 hours the two had become quite friendly.

Earlier in the evening they enjoyed a wonderful meal at a traditional Dutch restaurant. Being a gentleman, Clive took care of the dinner bill. Normally Olivia would have insisted on paying for her own meal, but she was so wrapped up in the evening that she didn’t even offer to pay.

After their meal, Olivia and Clive strolled down the streets of the city. They came to Industry. A Large split-level club in a small alley just off Rembrandt square. Clive told Olivia how he and his ex-girlfriend used to go there and would have such an amazing time. The music sounded pretty good from the outside, so Olivia agreed to check it out.

Finally around 1:30am, Olivia took notice of what time it was.

“Oh my, when did it get so late? We should probably head back to the hotel.” Olivia suggested.

What do you think will happen next?

What do you think of Olivia's new friend, Clive?

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Don't miss Chapter 9 in the next Explorer!