Sweden at Schiphol

One hour to go before boarding the flight to Philly. The second level of Schiphol promised even more shopping experiences. It also provided a lot of opportunities to see Swedish culture abroad. I stumbled upon several Swedish products while wandering around the departures area upstairs. So far, I've seen Swedish books, stores, and food. I've even heard Swedish music over the airport speakers.

Swedish crime fiction is still hot. Three different authors are represented here. 

Clothing giant H&M is almost as ubiquitous as other multinationals like Apple and Starbucks.

Raw samon cured with salt, dill, and sugar. Not too popular here. This is on sale, 40% off.

Daim, a typical and popular type of Swedish candy. It used to be called Dajm. It was changed to make it more English friendly.

I also found a library smack in the middle of the departures area. It's simply called Airport Library and it is the first permanent airport library in the world. It's made up of several couches, two long desks with iPads, free wifi and outlet plugs for charging electronic equipment. Several shelving units sit behind the desks and include books on Amsterdam and the Netherlands in different languages. I like! Right now, several people are using the library, including myself, naturally.

It's about time for me to leave Europe, so I'll say farewell until I hit the other side of the Atlantic. I will leave at 12 PM and get to Philadelphia around 4 PM, with flying time clocking in at about eight hours. The magic of crossing time zones going West. An eight hour flight takes only four going the other way. The flight is not fully booked, so no chance of a bump for me. Maybe from Philly to Houston? I would take it if they offered!

Schiphol - The Airport that Never Sleeps

It's 3 AM at the airport in Amsterdam. The check-in and departure areas are closed, but arrivals are still trickling in. Planes continue to arrive all through the night. People are waiting in the arrivals area for family and friends. The airport even contains a unique machine where you can make a banner to surprise your arriving passenger when they step out of the gate. People in the departure area are milling about busying themselves by reading, watching TV, chatting, or trying to sleep. Some shops stay open 24 hours, so there are still a few places to get something to eat. Security patrols all areas and are easily visible since many of them ride Segways around.


Like Copenhagen, Schiphol airport also has a shopping area. It's more like a mall, really. There's a large shopping area before the departure gates. I'm sure there are even more shops on the other side. I've yet to find out. I arrived late last evening, so I haven't been able to check in. It will be a few more hours until I can see what's behind the gate.

Schiphol is an airport on a massive scale. The airport employs over 60,000 people. You'll find over 35,000 parking spaces outside. Inside, there are over 100 shops. There are 32 check-in areas, 91 gates, and over 110 airlines represented. No wonder it's open 24/7.

My flight to Philadelphia leaves at noon CET, so I have quite some time to kill. Once I check-in, I hope to find some interesting sights and stores on the upper level as well. Until then, I will be walking the arrivals area and sleeping in a nook here and there. Waiting in an airport is practical but not glamorous.

Welcome to Schiphol!

Empty check-in counters at 11 PM

KLM has its base here, of course. 

Where do you want to shop? Only 109 shops to choose from.

Or make a banner for your passenger.

One of the open eateries at 3 AM

A typical breakfast offering.

How many hours is it from here?