Safe and Sound

Well, I made it in one piece!

My adventure started at Dulles international and getting through security was easy enough.  The flight left on time at 6:10 and I managed to sit in a row of four seats with only one other person. The flight attendants on KLM were actually the loveliest people and made the flight enjoyable. As did the free wine and unlimited movie section. I watched Horrible Bosses and after a few glasses of wine I managed to sleep for almost 3 hours. Soon enough I was landing in Amsterdam ready to start my 6 hour layover. I landed at 7:45 in the AM and was giddy that I had landed in Europe. As I wondered through the Schipol Airport I sort felt like I was walking through a fancy mall with massive amounts of tax-free alcohol and instant spas. I decided to plant myself in a “children’s play area” that had some chairs low on the ground that were covered in cushions. I laid down, clutching my things and got in a 2 hour nap.

I woke up needing coffee and a snack. I stumbled over a place called the Dutch Kitchen that looked like a better version of Le Madelines. I went up to a cooking station and ordered some mini pancakes that came with butter and honey on them. Absolutely divine is the only way I can describe them. Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. I got tea and sat on these oversized benches and explored some new music I had on my iPod for an hour or so. The next three hours were spent napping in various places, more tea and waiting. Finally on the plane and 45 minutes later I was in Glasgow!

Greeting me was an eager woman in Customs making sure I was going to return to the states and not plan on causing problems in Europe. This woman was not exactly sure what “summer camp” was and why people from Europe would be doing it in the states and how I would know them. After that was over I was then greeted properly by Emma, my Scottish friend I met at camp this summer that has been so kind to host me for the first 3 weeks of my trip. The first thing we did was meet her good friend Samantha who lives with her boyfriend in Glasgow and had lovely snack of chorizo and tomato salad (not to mention they were both lovely company!). She lives in a lovely flat with high ceilings and nice color walls.

We walked around Glasgow City Centre for a bit and met her other good friend Ben at a place called Lucky Number 7. I ordered meat pie with creamy mash and peas and was pleased! The meat pie is a classic British dish and I got it with steak and onions. Dessert was even better, called Eton Mess which consists of meringue, fruit and ice cream.   We had beers and wine at a pub in town that was doing a trivia night and playing America’s top 100 but all dance remixes.

I slept like a baby and Emma’s home in Dundee last night and woke up to blueberry pancakes and a French press. So far Emma and her mum have made me feel just at home and we have some great things on the board for my trip!

I am so relived and grateful to finally be here and I know there is so much to come. At the moment I am thinking about having a side blog about all the food we are going to eat on the trip, what do you all think? I am a food fanatic and I feel like half of these posts might be filled with the details of my meals.

Anyways signing out! Emma is cooking dinner and we are watching some “Scottish Cult” TV show called Eastenders and laying low while I get rid of some of this jetlag.

Jackie

COUNTOWN
Emily: 19 days !!!!!