USA: Getting ready for takeoff and a loo with a view...

(photo © kiwidutch)

I’m starting a travel log of our recent holiday in the USA, and small side trip to Canada.

I didn’t manage to make a ” live” journal whilst there for two reasons: First as any traveler will know from experience, we were far too busy meeting people, seeing places, eating new foods and having fun ( not that I don’t find writing fun), but it’s not really possible on a practical level when visiting a beach, eating out, on car journeys or in a museum.

I also have not yet mastered the impossible art of writing and taking photographs at the same time, so I have taken a zillion photos, have notes already jotted onto the laptop ( off-line) a few brochures and my memory to guide me and am getting into gear a.s.a.p. after the holiday (that’s now). Secondly, the whole world is not yet wifi, or even internet connected and my internet connections during the trip were few and far between, so whilst I can certainly live without the Net, I can’t run a daily live blog without it.

Traveling to New Zealand during the Dutch Summer School holidays last year gave us a nice long relaxed holiday but did have one downside that only kicked in afterwards. We didn’t know that a long Dutch grey winter, followed by an insipid Spring, then travel to 6 weeks of a New Zealand winter, coming back to a fairly “summer-less” summer in the Netherlands and then a good old grey-dark-wet Dutch winter again would have such a physiological and physical effect on us. Hubby and I were excessively cold all the time, bone weary, more grizzly and ragged, when we knew we shouldn’t be and didn’t want to be. I already have a sleep problem, it was definitely worse, as was my asthma.

Somewhere in dark December 2008 we realised that a large absence of sunlight during the preceding year was probably a major contributor to our general mood and energy levels. We have therefore been looking forward to this summer trip to the States all of 2009.

It’s a balmy 27 degrees C when we leave the Netherlands, more or less the same temp that it has been for ages now, if you disregard the odd cooler day glitch. We have been enjoying visits to the park, beach and walking , it certainly got us into the holiday mood. Meanwhile enough of the talking and lets get to the traveling…

No, sadly I can’t fit you into my suitcase but I can take you along with me in for a virtual tour…

(photo © kiwidutch)

If you have to wait in Schipol Airport, after going though customs etc, Go upstairs to the food court area, at the back by the windows to the right is a small children’s play area with climbing frame etc, and at the very end of these are restrooms. I can’t of course vouch for the Gent’s next door,but the Ladies has what I think is the coolest loo view ever… the cublicles are of course closed off as usual, but the floor to ceiling glass windows mean that you can stand and wash your hands whilst watching the planes on the apron and on the runway, landing, taking of and taxiing… what a wonderful bit of brilliant creative planning on the part of the airports designers.

(photo © kiwidutch)

First we fly from Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport to Zurich, Switzerland….

It’s not easy to get a photo out of the thick windows, but spot the patterns of the canals.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

We fly to Zürich , change terminals and then make ourselves comfortable for the longer flight from Zürich to Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)