Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) — 5th Best Airport in Europe and a Good One for Layovers!!

Our plane landed early in AMS.

Heading down the stairs, we were faced with another shuttle bus.

Big big bold yellow letters read:

‘Schiphol’

Yup! We were in the correct airport! =)

We faced a short immigration queue in AMS. After clearing immigration, I glanced at the time on my phone. We had approximately 2 hours to kill before our next departure. Boarding would take place 25 minutes before departure!

Thankfully, Amsterdam Schipol Airport is quite an exciting and cozy place to do a layover in.

The restaurants have cool sitting areas.

But if you want to chill without spending a dime during your layover, there’s plenty other options. =P

There is a sprawling open-faced library, offering reading material, a big interactive screen, and a standalone piano in case any talents want to serenade their fellow chillers (I'm kicking myself because I didn't get a good photo of the piano).

The Internet Center is also located next to the library.

We picked a couple recliners to lounge on in a corner of the library.

Across the walkway, is a seating area made up of an army of green-and-grey cushioned seats. Each row of seats is equipped with an energy outlet. More for everyone!

There was also a children’s playground guarded by a big, soft doggy that 10 kids (or 1 big kid) could cuddle at one time.

And then a setup of scientific experiment displays to play with. Here, The Mann attracts electricity with his hand! Bzzz

I made a creepy sitting picture using a mirror trick effect!

Finally, my favourite convenience at Amsterdam Schipol Airport — Water fountains outside most toilets!
This is a convenience that is rather common across Asian airports, but not so prolific in European ones.

After the modernity and convenience enjoyed in Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, it was quite a letdown to board the Royal Dutch Airlines KLM-operated Airbus 380 aircraft and discover that there was neither an in-seat power supply socket nor USB charging point available!!! =O

Silly me had used up more than half of my phone battery during the layover, carelessly assuming that charging points would be readily available onboard!

To top off my dismay, the entertainment system was also an aged one. The tiny square screen was faded and failed to clearly project the images no matter how I tilted the screen. Finally, I resorted to keeping my head tilted at a certain angle to maximize my in-flight movie experience. Ah well, after a couple half-finished movies, I spent the rest of the 11 hour flight eating, walking around, and typing out the text of one or two articles for Steemit.

Not so bad after all, eh? =D

We'll finally get to Hong Kong in the next post. Stay tuned! =)