Arrival in Norway

Here at last! So I have been up now since Saturday at 8:30am and it is 10:20pm on Sunday (or 3:20pm Texas time). Oh Boy, do I have stories to tell you about my adventure to Norway. Most of the action occurred at DFW. My parents picked me up at 10:30ish and we went to lunch, my last chance at chicken fingers and a diet Dr. Pepper. Mmmm…what a last meal! Well then we arrived at the airport around 12:20, thinking we are way early. My flight did not leave until 3pm. Well after checking in I find out that my carry on is regulation size for AAlines, but not KLM. So I have to switch everything from the black suitcase to the little blue one. I go back up there and now my carry on weighs too much. What!!! Ok so I pull out on e laptop (yes I was carrying 2) and put it in my purse and then my carry-on is proper weight and I can take it onto the plane. I swear it is a game. I still had the same amount of weight, only distributed between my purse and the suitcase. Oh, whatever.
Ok so now they are sending my luggage through and I have one piece to many, which is an extra $150. And then the two others are overweight, which is another $100. At my calculations that is $250 total, but I got away with a bargain and only paying $200 extra. The next game was to pay for my luggage. I stood in line behind people who checked 6 bags and then had 4 more to carry onto the plane. I mean really, a little excessive. So I get to the counter and she swipes my card and we are done. I walk away, then she comes running after me because I don’t have my boarding pass or my receipt. So then she reissues mine, and voids the luggage receipt, I pay again. But this time the printer will not print, so then she voids it again. So she re-swipes my card (yes that is $600) and reprints my receipt and I am now on my way. I have checked and I only got charged the original $200.
On to security! I have liquids, a camcorder, a purse, a small suitcase and two laptops. I knew I was going to be the slow one in the line. But there was no one in line so I did not hold anyone up. After I got through, I turned and waved good-bye one last time to my parents and set off to find the gate. It was a short wait and soon I was on the plane. I get on and find my seat, and just my luck I sit next to a very handsome man who DOES NOT speak any English. Have you ever sat in silence for 9hrs, it is a long time without talking. I dozed a little in between meals, but there was no real “sleeping”. You get a crick in your neck and your hands fall asleep and you are trying to share an armrest, while not touching the person sitting next you. Also I was very conscious of not letting my mouth fall open, oh that is so embarrassing.
After two awful meals and a lot of sitting, I get off in Amsterdam. It was foggy and I could see absolutely nothing. I went through customs, super easy. Got my passport stamped, and then sat for an hour before I caught a bus to get on another plane. You are not going to believe this, but I got onto the city hopper plane with a bunch of boys from Houston. I got to sit next to handsome man named Kirk. He is here with his oil company for a month of training. Yes I got his phone number, and yes he has called twice. Ha ha!
Nora and Summer picked me up from the airport. It was so nice to walk and stretch. Summer was very excited to see me! We got into the jeep and drove in and around hills and mountains, lots of trees, and for all I know we drove in circles to the dock to go to the island. I am staying on the island with the family for a couple of days.
Once I settled in we had lunch, ham and cheese sandwiches with salad. And then it was nap time, Par (pronounced Pear, he is Nora’s father) and I took a nice long nap. I took a shower and then slept till 5pm. When I got up, Summer and I played outside. I helped move mattresses up into the barn. (The island home sleeps 15, once the barn is competed it will sleep 30.) And we rode around on the Ranger (a large 4 wheeler), we swam and then we ate dinner. We had barbecued chicken on the grill, salad, and oven toasted French fries. So far the food is excellent! We just finished up with dinner and it is 11pm. It looks like dusk out, but it is not dark. The weather is beautiful, and I am thoroughly enjoying a change of pace. Things are slow around here, anything goes. Well time to close, on with tomorrows adventures!