Travel Diary

Sunday

It’s really part of Saturday as it didn’t actually stop.  At this point, I was headed back to the hotel. The cold was wearying and my feet hurt as usual. The main concern was not to get sick. My vacation wouldn’t be ruined at this point, but I did have important activities once I returned home--like singing Gs and A flats for extended periods of time.

At the hotel, I found the door locked. Uhh. Places seem to all do this to provide extra security. I rang the doorbell and the concierge came. I explained that I was picking up my bags and he let me in. Once collected, I had hoped to stay and relax a bit and use the Internet and chairs. But they seemed completely shut down and it didn’t look possible to hang out in the hobby. I left ... back out into the cold boring night.

The bus stop was located south of Trinity College. It took a little walking, but I found it. In time, I was joined by a couple others and the bus came in 20 minutes. It would cost seven euros to reach the airport--a lot cheaper than a taxi. We rode on, picking up passengers here and there. Finally, the airport was reached.

And it was pretty deserted.

But it was open. I sat down, trying not to fall asleep. That was my biggest fear. I simply could not afford to rest and miss my flight. It had never happened before, but I didn’t want this to be the first time. If that happened, the train FUBAR would seem like a mild mishap. Time passed, but slowly.

I walked around to kill time, though I did have to carry my bags. When then counters finally opened around 4:30 am, I got my ticket, then waited upstairs for the security lines to open. It was a lot more sitting and waiting and fighting back sleep. When the lines opened, I was quickly past check and then I headed to the gates.

The first flight was a quick one, but I did finally get some rest. Next thing I knew I was in Amsterdam once again, but the flight had been delayed so I was concerned about the next one’s departure. Thus, I walked very briskly go the gates, working up a mild sweat.

When I got there, I found pretty much what I expected--a lot of people waiting for the boarding. Although this gate had yet another security check. I guess it doesn’t hurt to be too careful. Bags were scanned and passports checked. Then in time, we boarded. My seat was different this time since I elected for more legroom instead of economy plus. It was practically unlimited legroom. I could stretch them completely out and have room to spare. It was also the area where a flight attendant sat for takeoff and landing, and as she was quite pretty, it was all good.

It was a fast flight. True, it was 10 hours, but with the meals, entertainment, and the sleeping, it all went by very quickly. When we started down, I saw right away how nice the weather was that I was returning to: sunny skies and what I presumed was a warm day. It was exactly that.

Customs took a little bit of time, but it wasn’t as bad as for non-citizens. Their line was crazy long. Once outside, I took the shuttle to my car and the valet had it waiting for me. The long 36-hour day had finally ended. I drove on home.

And went to a rehearsal that night. The fun never stops.

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