The good news is we made it, in one piece, without any major mishaps and with all our luggage. But that leaves out a lot of details and I couldn't possibly do that.
We left Newark airport Saturday night on a plane bound for Iceland, as we had a stopover in Reykajvik. We left on time and had no problems boarding or with take off. It was a beautiful view over New York City as we left and I think we flew up over upstate New York and then Canada. After a five hour flight we landed in Reykjavik airport, which I have never been happier to see as I spent most of those five hour flight fighting airsickness, which I had forgotten I often get on planes. It wasn't pleasant. I have never been happier to land in Iceland, or actually get out of the plane period.
And a few words about Iceland. I'm sure it's a lovely country with lots of charming features and considering I was groggy, nauseous and it was six'o clock in the morning, I might not be the best judge of things. However, let me tell you about landing at Reykjavik airport. You finally get low over Iceland and see the long stretches of land and the small, I mean small, villages that dot the country side. But then you keep getting lower and lower to the ground and you still haven't seen the airport, or for that matter a simple runway. You just keep flying in, getting ever to the mud flats you are skimming until suddenly you touch down and miraculously, see a runway underneath you. So then the plane taxis until finally you stop and the doors open. But do you enter the terminal. Nope. You are greeted by the frigid morning air of Iceland, which was 8 degrees Celsius when we landed (Did I mention it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit when we left America?). And so you descend onto the tarmac, down a staircase just like a diplomatic official, except replace the military salutes with the stumbling and yawns of the other passengers in the plans, and board a bus which takes you all the way around the terminal, to the other side of the building and then you enter the terminal. On one side you see the same mud flats you almost landed on and on the other side you see the tiny, but charming terminal. Yes, they sold those knitted sweater with the recognizable Icelandic patterns on them. No, I did not buy one. I bought medication for air sickness. Iceland was charming, although I was very happy to take off. It was a short flight to Schiphol.
When Holland came into view I did tear up. This could also have been attributed towards dehydration, lingering nausea, hunger and sleep deprivation. But it was amazing to fly in over the path work quilt of farmland, snaking roads and shimmering canals, as it was bright and sunny. Except for a slightly bumpy landing, we were smoothly gliding and then with a rough bump we hit the ground and bounced a little, our entrance into the country and no one questioned the fact two minors were entering the country alone. Our grandparents were waiting for us at the airport and after eating a little we drove towards Drunen, the town where most of my family lives. We are now staying by my Great- Aunt and Uncle, and will remain there for at least a week, possibly more. It's nice to be back (understatement of the year). My Dutch has vastly improved. Even within the full day and a half we've been here I can feel my brain relearning lost phrases and picking up on new slang that has developed since I last visited.
It's late here, almost nine o'clock, even though the flat land means it will be light until probably eleven tonight. I apologize for the mismash that this post was. A lot happened in two days. The next few should be more organized.
We left Newark airport Saturday night on a plane bound for Iceland, as we had a stopover in Reykajvik. We left on time and had no problems boarding or with take off. It was a beautiful view over New York City as we left and I think we flew up over upstate New York and then Canada. After a five hour flight we landed in Reykjavik airport, which I have never been happier to see as I spent most of those five hour flight fighting airsickness, which I had forgotten I often get on planes. It wasn't pleasant. I have never been happier to land in Iceland, or actually get out of the plane period.
And a few words about Iceland. I'm sure it's a lovely country with lots of charming features and considering I was groggy, nauseous and it was six'o clock in the morning, I might not be the best judge of things. However, let me tell you about landing at Reykjavik airport. You finally get low over Iceland and see the long stretches of land and the small, I mean small, villages that dot the country side. But then you keep getting lower and lower to the ground and you still haven't seen the airport, or for that matter a simple runway. You just keep flying in, getting ever to the mud flats you are skimming until suddenly you touch down and miraculously, see a runway underneath you. So then the plane taxis until finally you stop and the doors open. But do you enter the terminal. Nope. You are greeted by the frigid morning air of Iceland, which was 8 degrees Celsius when we landed (Did I mention it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit when we left America?). And so you descend onto the tarmac, down a staircase just like a diplomatic official, except replace the military salutes with the stumbling and yawns of the other passengers in the plans, and board a bus which takes you all the way around the terminal, to the other side of the building and then you enter the terminal. On one side you see the same mud flats you almost landed on and on the other side you see the tiny, but charming terminal. Yes, they sold those knitted sweater with the recognizable Icelandic patterns on them. No, I did not buy one. I bought medication for air sickness. Iceland was charming, although I was very happy to take off. It was a short flight to Schiphol.
When Holland came into view I did tear up. This could also have been attributed towards dehydration, lingering nausea, hunger and sleep deprivation. But it was amazing to fly in over the path work quilt of farmland, snaking roads and shimmering canals, as it was bright and sunny. Except for a slightly bumpy landing, we were smoothly gliding and then with a rough bump we hit the ground and bounced a little, our entrance into the country and no one questioned the fact two minors were entering the country alone. Our grandparents were waiting for us at the airport and after eating a little we drove towards Drunen, the town where most of my family lives. We are now staying by my Great- Aunt and Uncle, and will remain there for at least a week, possibly more. It's nice to be back (understatement of the year). My Dutch has vastly improved. Even within the full day and a half we've been here I can feel my brain relearning lost phrases and picking up on new slang that has developed since I last visited.
It's late here, almost nine o'clock, even though the flat land means it will be light until probably eleven tonight. I apologize for the mismash that this post was. A lot happened in two days. The next few should be more organized.