Actually I started this at the airport but then I got tired and decided to quit. Actually I thought I had all kinds of really funny stuff and it just wasn't leaving the finger tips. Instead I sat down and started aimlessly at the wall. Or read a book. Some might ask what is the difference between staring at a wall vs. staring at a book? The answer is simple. When you read a book you have to turn the pages. (My kids would love this joke). Speaking of books I was finishing Verne Harnish's Scaling Up, and if I can figure out the code I'm going to cut and past a link to it so that when you buy your copy I'll get 1/200 of a cent for the purchase.
There we go... just click the link below. You won't be sorry.
My trip left with two of the three (The third was in school as a 7 year old should be) leading ladies in my life dropping me off at the airport. As you can see, the little one wanted to help. From what I'm told she didn't quite understand that she was going home, and daddy wasn't. Nevertheless it was nice to give her one last hug good bye. As I walked in to the airport the gate agent told me my flight would be delayed, but that I'd still make my connection in Chicago. Now... due to a number of circumstances that are likely outside of my control, that poor girl was very wrong. After a delay in leaving, requiring a 2nd pull tug (who names these things?), and then what I believe to be an extraneous U-turn we arrived at the gate as my next flight was closing the gate. I raced like the Flash (Google that) to customer service and they worked on putting me on the next available flights while I received message after message that my flight to Amsterdam was delayed for mechanical reasons. After all was said and done I got to my gate and saw the photo below. I can't help but wonder if I had pulled my Flash run across the airport first prior to stopping at customer service. Oh well. If I had done that you'd never see all these great pictures I took from inside an air plane (Don't Google that, I'm the only one who takes in plane photos...)
While waiting around for my new plane to London, Heathrow where I was sure I'd run into Emma Watson I was able to watch the O'hare fire department douse a burning dumpster fire. I didn't actually see the flames, but I do wonder if perhaps the amount of people sent to put it out were really necessary. If you follow me on the Facebooks, and let's face it you do otherwise you wouldn't be reading this blog, you'll remember the photo of the empty seats next to me after I decided to freshen up for the long flight. Well... the seat on the aisle belonged to a man who actually took the time to freshen up AFTER he got on the plane which to me really is the better time. The three minutes I spent in the public restroom could have been all mine in the quaint, but private, air plane lavatory. As a courtesy notice, smoking on fights is not allowed, just in case a flight attendant never mentioned that before. Or that messing with the smoke detector is a $2,500 fine... which makes me wonder if any one has run the numbers and still decided to tamper/smoke in the lavatory.
If the picture ever loads here is a view from inside Terminal 5 at Heathrow. I'm not sure if you fine readers have ever been to Heathrow, but I'm pretty sure it is the largest airport in the U.K. (Am I serious?) I was in Terminal 2 and I had to take a bus to get to Terminal 5 which had to be a number of miles away. Also, the busses drive on the opposite side of the road which seems like no big deal at first, but then gets really disconcerting when you think the driver is turning into oncoming traffic.
Toilet paper makes a great bookmark. I just wanted to share this photo because as I read my book (Did you order your yet? Use the link above) I realized that this particular piece of toilet paper could quite possibly be the best travelled piece of TP in the world. It has travelled by foot from the pool in Jupiter, FL, to my house in an undisclosed location, to GR, to O'hare, Heathrow, and now Amsterdam. I almost feel that I need to take it on a boat ride so it can experience all forms of travel, especially as it will take a train later this week. At any rate, don't over pay for bookmarks that you'll lose or damage, use toilet paper and you'll always have a good book and a spare square when you need it. (that's a free travel tip right there)
As I write it is getting late and it is getting harder for me to finish... this is me leaving Heathrow and I can't tell you how excited I was to leave London. ON the flight I was given a bag of crisps which looked and tasted an awful lot like potato chips. Also, I flew British Airways from Heathrow to Schipol and if you have a few more minutes please Google Virgin Airlines British Airways prank. Actually I just did and I'm sure they are all great, but one in particular involved capping the tail of a British Air air plane in a fashion that required a crane to remove it. However, Virgin had rented all the local cranes prior to putting the cap on so the prominent airplane at Heathrow(?) was covered with a Virgin Tail for a full 24-hours.
My kids love Harry Potter and for some reason (Maybe I was desparate) I took this photo thinking it looked kind of like Privet drive. I did not see the playground or the tunnel where the Dementors attacked Harry and his cousin Dudley. (Oops, did I need a spoiler alert?)
Does that other plane look just a little too close? This was after I saw it fly over us.
I'm so close! I finally arrived in Amsterdam roughly 8 hours later than planned and here I am waiting for my luggage while my sister gets stuff done. After dropping off my luggage and picking up a few bikes we took a walk for dinner where I took this beautiful picture of a canal. I'm still looking for Henrietta, hopefully she'll be in the canal tomorrow on her way to the market.
Sarah took me for pancakes. This one happens to be a pancake covered in bacon and cheese.
Hagelslag!
Mom wanted a photo of me on the balcony with polish pottery. This counts right?
That's it for now, I need to rest. It is 12:24 here and 6:24 at my undisclosed location and tomorrow starts at the Apple Store... after coffee. Nighty night.