Netherlands & Belgium 2022 - Day 12 / Amsterdam Schiphol

Travel in the Covid Era feels so extra complicated!

Yesterday, I did the online check in and it went smoothly however I could not access my boarding passes in the KLM app because I had to upload my vaccination documents.

So...  available, but not available...  whatever.

I wanted to upload them, however I could not because the form also asked for my ArriveCan confirmation which I did not have...  why not? Because as of tomorrow, the day we fly, ArriveCan is no longer mandatory.

So, what the Hell, I completed my Arrive Can application and promptly received an email saying that my application would not be processed because on the date of the flight, the documents are not needed.

Classic left hand not communicating with the right hand, but eventually someone clapped because I just happened to check again a few hours later and there they were.

I was not really that concerned because technically every person on the flight was in the same position, but the absurdity of it all was laughable. Still, I wanted to have all my ducks in a row because Schiphol  Airport is a hot mess now a days, with line-ups stretching for hours and even snaking outside the terminal! 

According to their website, they predicted October 1 to be "a normal day" traffic-wise, but.... is that new normal or old normal? 

We arrived at the airport a little over 4 hours early as recommended and waited in front of the departure boards for about 30 minutes waiting for our Gate Letter...  once we got it... The Great Line Up was underway. I set the timer.

Thankfully, it was not snaking out the door, but it did seems to snake all over the airport! As soon as you think you are done, you turn a corner and see just how much longer you need to go.  I will say however that it always kept moving and so we didn't feel that "stuck".

At one point, we went up an escalator into what I can only describe as a huge holding pen, with the lines moving back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.  Frank joked when the line passed the point where people were entering the room that we should tell them we got there 3 days ago! ha!

About an hour in, we took a selfie to capture the moment; it also happened to be our 19-year anniversary!

All in all, security and passport control took about an hour an a half and when we reached the other side the feeling of relief was palpable.

All worries behind us, it was time for some airport booze!

Then, time to fly home.

Great vacation! We were very satisfied; can't wait for the next one.

Today's map: