In Europe.

Monday September 26, 2011

So we are in Amsterdam. When we landed, my watch said half past midnight but the clock on the wall said 8:30 AM, so that day started quickly. Good thing I had a good sleep on the plane as we flew. The flight was uneventful. I noted that we flew at 900 km/hr (land speed) at an altitude of over 11000 metres and that the temperature hovered between -50 and -55 degrees Celsius. Glad that I was on the inside and not the outside. The sun rose as we arrived at Amsterdam so we could see the city, including canals, roads and houses as we approached. It is very green. We disembarked from the plane and found our way through the airport to the departure gate. Going through into the secure area was a little more interesting this time. In Calgary, they told us to take the laptop out of our bag but not the tablet. So I did the same here. Mistake! They had me open the bag, take the tablet out and then ran it all through the scanner again. They also required me to open my camera bag and take the camera out so they could inspect it as well. They also had mom open her purse and take her camera out so that it could be inspected. All was well and we were through into the secure area. Which is where we are now. It makes the Calgary airport look small. There are signs indicating how far to various gates. And there are shops of all kinds. Mom enjoyed the flower shops and the perfume store. We are now sitting, waiting for our flight which is scheduled to leave at 11:55. But there is no plane here yet. But we are sitting here blogging. We are connected to the world. Who woulda thought? There is starting to be some activity out the window now, so I will post this, take some pictures, pack up and be ready to board, which the sign says will start at 11:15.