We have been packing and planning for weeks, no, months, talking to adventurers about different options and possibilities. We have gotten our shots, packed our meds, weighed our soft sided duffles, and are generally ready to be thoughtful and observant travelers. After much research and discussion we chose Thompson Safaris (www.thomsonsafaris.com) for a variety of reasons, not the least of which Connie's friend, Allan has gone on three trips with them and been thrilled with every one. He has had many helpful hints and observations to share and we are grateful. There are a TON of companies out there with all sorts of offerings. We are headed to Tanzania and only Tanzania but doing a multitude of stops, ending in Zanzibar (Really, how could we not!) for several days before the long and roughly direct slog home.
We begin our journey with a stop in Amsterdam. On the docket- not much, we plan to wander, take a canal trip, visit the Rijksmuseum and enjoy a short time to catch our breath before the next leg. We have taken a Delta flight over the pond and will be resuming couple days later with a KLM flight to Kilimanjaro airport where many safari companies start and end from as it is near the Serengeti.
For our Amsterdam home we found a small hotel, Hotel Hegra (http://www.hotelhegra.nl/ ) through TripAdvisor which I use a lot, both for research and for planning. I also post a lot of reviews although go under a different name, which I will not share with you. I think it is a useful tool for traveling and sharing information.
 The hotel will be our base for two nights.