It was only a forty minute flight. We spent just as long waiting on the tarmac for the luggage to be squeezed in and the take off slot to become available. Still the BA crew managed to feed us and ply us with whatever drink we wished for - definitely one of those times when a mug of coffee was more appealing than a glass of champagne for me.

We picked up our rental car and drove into the city along anonymous motorways until we reached the suburbs, when the character began to reveal itself.

My Hero was carefully looking out for pedestrians - of course - but also trams and cyclists too.

Our lovely hotel is converted from twenty-odd houses and warehouses, stretching from one canalside to another. We smiled when the little hotel souvenir was pointed out to us - a bicycle repair kit!

There will be more from Amsterdam and other parts of the Netherlands in the coming days, but for now, we have a concert to go to - yes, the piano concerto with “all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order” See you later!