Planes, Trains and Automobiles!

"Whoa!"
--Jen Robinson

The Journey Begins
Friday, September 26, 2008

5:00am MST
Wake up.

6:00am MST
Uncle Bob picks me up.

6:30am MST
Get to SLC airport and check in.

7:00am MST
Mmmm...the smell of Cinnabon! But I settle for french toast in the restaurant instead. Yummy!

8:30am MST
I believe that's about the time the plane took off. I can't be sure. I was already passed out asleep (I trained myself to do that sort of thing at my last job when I traveled all the time ;). I didn't wake up until after the 1st beverage service.

3:30pm EST
The plane lands. We all get onto a "PeopleMover" that takes us to the terminal from the tarmac. For those of you who have never had the adventure of riding on one of these apparatus, let me try to explain. Picture this: A double-wide Humvee on giant tractor tires that goes up and down like a scissor lift. Inside it looked like a ferry boat-seats down both sides and two rows, back to back in the middle with floor-to-ceiling poles every few feet, like a subway train. I will try and get a picture in a couple weeks when I return.

4:00-5:00pm EST
Dinner, last cell phone calls, board next plane. JFK to Paris. 7+ hours of flying time. Full plane, a melting pot of sorts. There were many languages being spoken. It was awesome! The smell in the air was a little less than to be desired but there wasn't much I could do about that. I checked my bag at the gate because there was no more room in the overhead compartments, thanks to the new $50 charge for second bags. Hmm. So when you check your bag at the gate, they are supposed to bring it back up from the belly of the plane for you to continue on your journey--WITH your bag. Keep that in mind.

6:00am Paris Time
Bonjour! The plane lands. The flight was long, but thank goodness for sleep and personal TV's--you get to pick from TV shows, movies, music and games! And on the transatlantic flights they are free!!! I got off the plane ready to reunite with my suitcase (my laptop was inside! ahh!). No bag. Yes, you heard me right. No bag. So I stay calm and ask for assistance. The man at the gate was even nice enough to go down under the plane and look for me, but still, no bag. He told me it must be on the carousel. So. Ugh. I checked in for my final flight.

7:00-10:15am Paris Time
I go through customs. Run to look for my bag. There it is! Yay! Phew! I go through the 5-checkpoint of the international security line just to get flagged by the x-ray lady. I know just what it is they want to see. Without saying anything I pull out my bathroom bag that I keep my scissors in. The searcher-man declares they are permitted in my luggage (as I knew they would be) and I begin to close my bag. Just as I begin to do that I feel a weird substance on the bag and see that ALL of my shirts have what appears to be bleach stains!!! ALL OF THE SHIRTS I OWN! Oh my. This poses a problem. What will I wear for the next 2 weeks!?! I finish my trip through security, shed a few tears, pull myself together and march back through customs and down to baggage services. I file a report (which took FOR-EV-ER). I go back through the 5-point security and get flagged AGAIN by the x-ray man. This time the bag inspector tells me my scissors are "forbidden". Hmm. That's funny, 'cause last time they weren't. Just so all of you are aware, weapons ARE allowed in the cabin of all flights. They are called scissors, not to exceed 4" in length. Yes, even serrated scissors. So, after all that, I had just enough time to run to my flight.

10:40am Paris Time
Paris to Newcastle-upon-Tyne flight takes off. I sleep. The whole flight.

11:15am GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
Cheerio! Newcastle, UK. The adventure begins! See Day 1.

DAY 1
*Mission to find shirts commences. This is harder than you think. I take the Metro into Newcastle from the airport. Apparently Newcastle has the ONLY mall in all of England. Plow through the Northern Rock Football (no, really, it's soccer) fans. 6 hours searching for shirts, you'd think that I'd find plenty...think again! I don't understand their style here. I want t-shirts with sleeves, I find the following: shirts that are sleeveless, or see-through, or ruffled everywhere, or lacy, or neon or have hideous bows on them. Huh. Maybe I'm not girly enough for this country. That's fine =).
*This is what I see outside: Cobblestone, bricks of all blah shades, British taxis, "coaches" (a.k.a. buses in the U.S.), and small golf cart sized cars. Pre-teens smoking in public (you didn't even see that in Cali!), people walking down the street with open containers of alcohol (again, something you don't see in Cali!).
*I took the train to Durham. First built in 1057 A.D. It is a beautiful little town. It reminded me of Disneyland--just the closed-in small theatrical set feeling, I suppose. They were, however, real buildings with real people. There are trees everywhere! I need a tree/berry identifier, maybe one that tries any and all of the fruit that they bear ;). There are rolling hills here, like San Diego, and it's perfect beach weather! But without the beach and without the tall buildings...and medium buildings...and houses everywhere...anyway, I think you get the picture. (There hasn't been any rain yet either! Woo hoo!
*I managed to stay awake until 8:30pm! Yay! I might actually have success at the whole time change and getting on the schedule here! It is a 7 hour difference here from Utah.

DAY 2
I sleep in. Think about getting up but decide to remain in my snugly bed in my junior suite (yes, thank goodness for complimentary upgrades because even this room is small!). Take a nap. Repack. Walk 30 minutes back to the train station, up hills, around corners, not in the snow, with shoes on. Miss the train by 1 minute. Darn. Make the next train to Newcastle. Make the connection to Carlisle. Oh wait! I forgot my book on the last train! Run back hoping to find it. They wouldn't let me back on the train to look so they had to send someone to do it for me. They find it! Good thing too, I had to wait another hour for the next train. Board and ride to Carlisle. Walk 200 yards to the Ibis Carlisle Hotel. Veg. Eat. Write. Blog.

Stay tuned for more adventures from the Motherland! I don't know when I will be able to post pics. As it is I have to pay £1 (or about $2) for every 10 minutes I use the Internet here in the lobby. I might just have to post the when I get home. It's a shame, I know!

Love, Jen