Not the kind of surprise I was expecting....

I'm in Amsterdam now for TechEd EMEA. Everytime you visit a different country there are lots of little surprises - even if you 've been there before. Take for example yesterday, when I got off the plane. As any one would expect, the first thing you do after a 10 hour flight that ends with a 30 minute taxi is head for the restroom, so I did. As I entered the main restroom in the shopping area in Shiphol airport, there was a large picture of their air traffic control tower with the unnerving caption "Surprising Toilets! " You know, after that flight - in an economy seat - the last thing in the world I wanted a surprise from was my toilet. I almost left right there - I could hold it for another hour until I got to the hotel - I really could.

Anyway, it turns out the surprise was all of the "surprising" information and paintings about the airport and Amsterdam that you would find on the walls of the restroom. The toilets, although a bit different than their North American counterparts, were thankfully unsurprising. If you really want to learn more about the airport, go here - they sell great cheese there.

Oh, and I didn't have to wait.....