This is the saga of my journey from Detroit to Bilbao (with Amsterdam in between). It’s a little long, but I dated every event i.e. every time I had wifi so fingers crossed it’ll make sense!
September 3rd, 2017
My parents just dropped me off the airport! It was a teary goodbye of course, but I can’t be homesick yet. I’m flying out of Detroit Metro again (ironically enough from the exact same gate as well) and it’s a red-eye. That means no line at security, no stores were open except for the Brookstone that I bought Fred, my penguin-shaped travel pillow, at and that I was free to wander for forty-five minutes. There wasn’t much to see at nine at night, I’ll be honest.
September 3rd/4th, 2017
I’m officially safe in Amsterdam! Of course, my first priority was to search out the nearest Starbucks in the airport (near my gate, thankfully!) so I could type this up. Tried to pay for my iced cappuccino with American money, but hallelujah the barista was extremely nice and seemed very used to jetlagged passengers needing a quick caffeine fix. Amsterdam’s Starbucks have a caramel popcorn frappe on their menu! Get with the program, America!
The flight itself was not that different from the last time I went to Europe; Delta will always be my number one choice for transatlantic flights. With video screens in the back of the seat in front of me, plugs for both my phone and my laptop and reasonably priced wifi (which I didn’t take advantage of because of the price of Fred), I will be hard pressed to switch.
Speaking of the flight, I went out of my comfort zone and actually talked to the person sitting next to me! Doesn’t seem like much of an accomplishment in hindsight. The woman next to me was friendly, helped me stow my carry-on, talked when we both felt like it and played games while I watched ScarJo in Ghost in the Shell. She’s flying from Las Vegas to her home country of Bulgaria and had the coolest accent! Plus she speaks Bulgaria, Greek and English! She’s lived all over, including Greece, London and, strange, South Carolina. I wish her all the luck heading back home!
The Amsterdam airport is like every other airport, except I’ve never seen so many flower shops. Tulips are sold on every corner. It’s officially an obsession.
Here’s a link to my landing in Amsterdam if you’re curious.
Update #1:
So apparently I didn’t get the memo that I had to go through customs. But I got a cool Amsterdam stamp! Hurdle number one, completed.
Update #2:
Also didn’t get the memo that we had to take a bus over to our plane…it wasn’t at our gate? I was the last one on the bus, but I made it so I’m counting it as a win. With major thanks to the very nice staff who helped explain the whole concept to me (don’t judge, I’m jet lagged!).
September 4th, 2017
Finally, finally, finally I have left planes behind me for 102 days (or less if I decide to adventure). Delta is comfortable, sure, but I need to shower. And sleep on a flat surface. Not necessarily in that order.
Bilbao is beautiful. As we landed, there’s a giant sign proudly declaring Bilbao to all arriving flights, and I’m so disappointed that I didn’t get a picture.
There’s mountains! Okay, they’re hills…but when you’re from a state as flat as Michigan, even the smallest hill or valley feels enormous. And everything is green! The wonders of living near a sea, I suppose. All in all, the sea keeps the weather very similar to Michigan right now though, as Michigan cools down drastically, Bilbao will stay an enchanting 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
I spent Monday night getting to know my host family, which they are so awesome they deserve a whole post to themselves so I won’t go into any details here!
The travel was long, but the arrival was worth it. I now know the joys of layovers (and why my mom didn’t want me to be at the Parisian airport for ten hours).
Sarah
