Day One
Atlanta, GA
March 9

I’m on my way! Hanging in Atlanta for a few hours before heading to Dublin. Wow, what a different experience from going to Europe in 1978… in some ways. Dragging the laptop and a digital camera, getting online and making plans, a car, and hanging with a group for a couple weeks. Contrast that with going solo for 2 months, absolutely no idea where I was going (except I had to go to Vienna and see the Lippizan stallions), a two month Eurail pass, a backpack, film camera, and a handwritten journal. And I swore that the next time I went overseas, the only luggage I’d have is the daypack! But here I am, dragging a ten ton laptop, a daypack, and a suitcase that is hopefully getting passed from flight to flight and makes it all the way to Dublin.

Flying is different too; more expensive, less perks, more crowded. Online reservations, e-tickets, and hoping I’m not bringing anything illegal that’ll get tossed in the trash when I go through security. No scissors with me, but I sewed for a good share of the Seattle-Atlanta leg of my journey, and almost finished a new baby gift. The airports are fancier (well, Atlanta isn’t anything to brag about, but Seattle is cool), with lots of silly stuff to buy and chain restaurants. A Starbuck’s is on every concourse, sometimes more than one kiosk. Dinner at Chili’s in Anchorage was not a meal I’ll repeat, nor lunch at TGIFriday’s in Atlanta. Give me a small town restaurant any day!

Slept most of the way to Seattle, once I got on the 2 a.m. flight. Still sleepy after running from one end of Concourse C to the other end of Concourse A to catch my Seattle-Atlanta connection. Afraid to stop and get coffee, butting in line because I’m so damned nervous I’ll miss the flight, and landing in my seat at the tail end of the plane just moments before the last few passengers get on board. I snoozed uncomfortably for the first hour or so, but after a bottle of water and some granola bars (Thanks Lael!) revived me, I sat up and worked on embroidering some baby outfits. One more to go, and that gift can rest in the suitcase till I get home.

My Atlanta stop is a whole lot more relaxed, with a 5 hour layover. The stop at TGIFriday’s after a long hike from Concourse A, to the train, and onto concourse E, was a much needed refueling stop. Beer and a meal did much to revive my flagging eyeballs! A shame there wasn’t anyway I could take Gizmo some of the leftovers, but I don’t think even he would eat French fries that had been living at the bottom of a suitcase for three weeks! A couple more hours and I’ll be on my way to Dublin!

Yesterday was a bit more frantic. I packed most of my gear Friday night, and on Saturday morning changed my mind about the purse and the passport bag. The purse stayed home, and I spent the morning sewing, cutting, and ad hoc designing a passport bag. It’s a little too generous and way too brightly colored, but with a few modifications when I get to Ireland, it’ll work. In the afternoon, I mailed this and dropped off that and visited one last time before stopping at Colette’s to shower and leave Gizmo. Poor Gizzy! I didn’t get to spend much time with him on Saturday. I know he’ll be just fine at Aunty Colette’s, and spend lots of time playing with Mazda, chewing up stuffies (stuffed animals from the transfer station) and rawhide bones, and sleeping on the couch. But he always looks soooo sad when I go away ☹

Going to the airport was an adventure in itself, as I wasn’t sure exactly where to board my Frontier flight to Anchorage. Sam drove, Colette smirked, and I tried to navigate. Then I saw a sign for Wright’s Air, and my coffee induced travel haze kicked in, and I thought I was flying on Wright’s Air. Fortunately their terminal wasn’t open, or at least we couldn’t find it, so we drove all the way around the airport, and finally found the Frontier terminal. Colette and Sam stayed with me to make sure I boarded the right plane, and finally left when ERA called an Anchorage flight, which left ten or fifteen minutes before my Frontier flight. Colette looked around to find me a travel buddy, but fortunately none appeared! Otherwise I would have gotten on the wrong plane right from the get-go!

I stepped out onto the tarmac, and was surprised by the props. I knew I was taking a puddle jumper, but I didn’t think it’d be quite that small. The bumpy, cloudy flight to Anchorage was highlighted by the small green dots of rain; reflections from the strobe light-like starboard wing light. I was disappointed to miss seeing Denali, but there’s always next time. A perfect landing in Anchorage, and I scampered upstairs to negotiate the next flight. Two beers, conversing with an Anchoragite transplanted to northern California, and finishing up some letters occupied the five hour wait. The only glitch was when I checked my bag and realized I’d tossed my boarding passes for the next three flights into the bag that was gliding down the carousel. Oops! So the ticketing agent printed out another boarding pass and I moved on through the magic sentry station.

Part II

The international flight was much more comfortable than the domestic flights! More legroom, wider seats, and we got a goodie bag with a toothbrush, headphones (we had to give them back though), and a tiny tube of hand lotion. We also got a blanket and a pillow. Plus our own storage bin! Okay, me and my neighbor had to share, but it had both our seat numbers on the hatch! We got on the plane just before dark, so by the time we were in the air, all I could see were lights. I love the way the lights look like they were made with a bead soup mixture!

The flight was uneventful; I watched the movies, and slept some, but not as much as I would’ve liked. The sky started to brighten about a half hour before we got to Ireland. I could see the farm fields below, outlined in stones or trees. Lots of tiny little rectangles laid out in a very funny little green patchwork quilt. My behind is very glad that this is the last airplane for awhile!

Tomorrow’s post will include pictures! I was going to take one of the flying corncob in Atlanta, but totally forgot to do it until we were in the air; otherwise this post would’ve had a picture. Drat!

Daily Link Log:
Fairbanks airport
Anchorage airport
Seattle airport
Atlanta airport
Dublin airport