Europe Trip 1 – Leg 2
Amsterdam to Barcelona Spain 12:15 PM local time Holland (3:15 AM PDT)
WHEW! Finally here! Flight itself became rather bumpy as we headed down near the Mediterranean.
The most notable aspect of the flight was… uh.. wow.. the flight attendants! All of them blond (KLM is a Dutch airline after-all) and they were wearing the types of uniforms that the American flight attendants used to wear in the 80′ or early 90’s. Dresses and high-heels. Beautiful and fit without exception. But, I want to backup bit.
Arriving in Holland was fascinating. It is the largest airport I’ve every seen. As in really huge. It makes O’Hare look like a crop-duster’s FBO. We landed in terminal A, and then had to make our way out to terminal C. Gates 64 and 72 in Terminal C. It was a 15 minute hike. Unfortunately, the amount of time I had between flights meant I had to rush. Having promised to send postcards from Holland.. I did my best to keep that promise. It was tough. Found postcards in one shop, had to go to another to get stamps… and then had to find a postal box. All the while I was addressing them and trying to write a little something on the cards while waiting in line for Customs to clear us into the EU. This was also the first VISA stamp in my new passport…. (even though I’ve been to Canukistan already using my documents).
OK.. so getting through EU customs was a breeze. I was more closely questioned by US customers getting ON the plane in the US! But it made for a sprint to the gate, since I only had 30 minutes before the plane left. No time to really do much in Holland but.. look at the dikes and massive fleet of KLM aircraft all over the airport.
Once on board the Boeing 737 they closed they door and we were on our way. I just say.. the starboard engine made the most horrendous sounds on run-up and takeoff I’ve every heard from a jet engine. I full expected it to come apart. It sounds like it had a loose connecting rod or two. Once a cruise and the captain pulled back on the power it really quieted down. Thank goodness for the noise-canceling headphones.. it really helped me ignore the racket from that one engine.
In stark contrast to the video screens, music and such on the first plane, this one had nothing. Nothing but seats. Although it did have more leg room, and they felt a bit wider (yeah American seats!).
Flying final over Barcelona was striking. The Mediterranean waters, the beaches, numerous cruise ships appear to make Barcelona the port of call. It was really quite a sight to see. I look forward to getting to the resort, checking in and hitting the beach for some cocktails .
Right now, for me it’s about 4:00AM local time. I’m feeling it too. My boss’s plane is still 2 hours behind me. Unfortunately he has the hotel info, and my contact here in Spain has not yet called me back. So.. here I set at the airport… killing some time. 🙂