The trip TO the trip

(12:15pm Atlanta)

My flight to Philly from Atlanta has been delayed...by an hour. So it is a good thing that I changed that flight back to an earlier one (a couple of months back, American changed my flights so they were closer together, and I was worried that would become a problem if one of them was delayed)! I forgot how much I hate to travel--the actual travelling part. THREE DOLLARS for a coke zero at the airport! But, I did get the delightful Biscoff cookies on the plane (yeah, I know you can buy them, but they taste better on a plane).

I realize from the hot guys in uniforms boarding the plane that I'm travelling with some sort of athletic organization, so I look them up--it is the Philadelphia Union soccer team--who just lost to Atlanta the night before. Sitting surrounded by soccer players, I'm reminded of the movie "Alive" where the rugby team goes down in a plane crash in the Andes and are forced to begin eating the dead bodies to stay alive (I think Ethan Hawke is in that one). This is not a good sign!

Very nervous about getting to Amsterdam...dealing with transportation, etc...but PSYCHED to be there (and finally getting to the Anne Frank house, which is my first stop!).

(2:08pm Philadelphia)

Finally made it to Philly. I sit down to eat my Subway sandwich and get an email that something is up with my train ticket to Brussels--there is some sort of construction going on on the tracks, so my train will be going to a different station. UGH! Stop changing things!! I don't even really understand what has happened...do I need a new ticket to make sure I get to Brussels? I need for SOMETHING today to go the way it is SUPPOSED to! Next flight at 6:40pm...

(7:20pm/1:20am Philadelphia/Amsterdam time)

This is the first time I've been on an international flight that wasn't full! I actually have a whole row to myself...but because I splurged for the exit row seat, the arm rests don't fold up, so I'm still gonna have to sleep sitting up, lol. We left the gate on time, but it took about 30 minutes to actually leave the ground. Wifi isn't working for me on the plane, and the movies are shitty...I just wanna eat my dinner and (try to) fall asleep. I wound up switching my train to Brussels to a Thalys train--faster and direct...but more expensive. But at least it goes directly to Brussels and I won't have to figure out how to get there from that other train station. I bought this thing on IndieGoGo called a "power siesta" that allows you to sleep on the tray table...but it made my neck hurt, so I still didn't get much sleep :-(

#philadelphia #atlanta #americanairlines #soccer #lackofsleep #cannibalism #travelheadaches