We touched down in Amsterdam early in the morning and met our private transfer at the airport. This was Tadd's first steps on European soil; he was quite excited to say the least. After getting to our hotel we spent the first day sleeping. Traveling and time changes are hard on the body, so we took advantage of the quiet room and napped to our heart's content. The next day is when things really kicked off. This sailing was a bit atypical from what people can expect on any other sailing because it was the SH Diana’s inaugural sailing. Maybe there were some kinks that needed to be sorted out before sailings were opened to the public, but I was happy to be a guinea pig on this adventure. The majority of the passengers on board were other travel agents like myself, or employees of Swan Hellenic, the ship’s operator. Before boarding we partook in the traditions of a ship's maiden voyage. We met the owner of Swan Hellenic, watched as champagne was broken over the bow, and sipped on some cocktails while the press made their rounds and spoke to staff and company bigwigs. We left port while dinner was being served and watched the meandering countryside of the Netherlands pass us by as we made our way to the North Sea. The sun hadn’t quite set by the time we hit open water, so we made use of our private balcony as the sun slipped behind the horizon. It was a great send off to a once in a lifetime trip!
