Pam's Daily Wave...

The River Clyde, Glasgow

Good Morning and Welcome to my Atlantic Adventure in Scotland😊

After a shorter than expected flight (thanks to a super strong tail wind), we touched down in London Heathrow Terminal 3 at 6am as opposed to the planned 7:30am. Although I didn't get much sleep, there was remarkably few passengers (something I haven't witnessed on a plane in a long time), and quite a few empty rows. On locating one of those rows, I took my blankie and pillow and settled in for the flight - "Flat bed" economy style 😁

It didn't seem to be long at all before the pilot announced that we'd be arriving in London shortly. As we began our descent I had some rather mixed emotions - it had been 12 years since I had left my UK home....I was excited, but also a little apprehensive as I was sure so many things will have changed. I knew it was going to be funny not being the one with the strange accent anymore.....I've gotten so used to people being surprised when they hear my Scottish accent back home in the US.

Digression Alert ⚠️

I also have to tell you about a bit of freaking out I did halfway through my flight....thanks to my pretty new Billabong back-pack with its oh so many zippy pockets and compartments!!!!

The cabin lights had been dimmed as is usual for a night flight, all was quiet and I was cozying in to get some much needed sleep, when suddenly, I decided I needed to locate my passport - now, why I felt the urge to find it at that very point, in the dark, halfway across the Atlantic Ocean is still a complete mystery to me, but, once it was in my crazy little lady-brain, I had absolutely no choice but to start looking for it.

So there I was, fumbling around in the semi-darkness, trying to be quiet as possible, panic setting in rapidly as I couldn't locate the elusive passport. Fortunately I had an exit row all to myself, so I emptied my bags and worked my way through everything - this is when I realized that I really did overpack my hand-luggage (as always JB, you were right 😉💗). And this is when I discovered how many hidden pockets my new back-pack had!!!!! After 20 mins of near panic, I was about to give up and was already trying to work out how I was going to sort this out when I reached immigration and even more importantly how I was going to explain to my parents....and JB that I was in travel limbo, when I discovered yet another hidden pocket wherein lay my elusive passport (I felt rather like Indiana Jones uncovering the hidden hiding place off some ancient treasure!)....what a relief 😮‍💨

Once that episode was over, there was no way I was getting to sleep, (hence the completely sleepless night). The rest of my flight was spent in the company of a good book.

Digression over 😊

And...it was weird - walking into arrivals at Heathrow suddenly being surrounded by everyone speaking with English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh accents, was a little strange, I suddenly felt really far from my Hatteras home.

Once I got my bearings....which trust me, after a four hour drive from Hatteras to Raleigh, then a night flight to London Heathrow with no sleep....getting my bearings was no easy thing 🤪 It was time for me to find a good British breakfast. In days of old, when I travelled extensively, I would always head to the British Airways Executive lounge, where I could have a shower, relax and eat, but I no longer have any of those perks, as I don't fly often and I certainly wasn't paying for a business class ticket to enable me access to said lounges. What I did discover though was that there are now a few "Lounges" that you can buy a day pass for, that have the same type of amenities that, once you have paid the fee (which was super inexpensive when you consider the services available to you in the lounge area), - wifi, food, drinks, TV, super comfy lounge chairs/sofas and little pods that you could sequester yourself with your breakfast, recharge your phone/laptop etc. read a book, or take a little undisturbed snooze, were free.......I knew where I was going to spend the 4 hours until my flight to Glasgow!

But first I thought I should get some British cash....which apparently is no longer made of cotton paper, it's now made from a polymer, and feels really odd to the touch.

Then, it was off to check into the lounge....After a shower, it was time for some food.....which was awesome! It may seem a little odd to have baked beans with your breakfast, but it's standard fare in the UK, along with my sausage, bacon and potatoes 😋

My yummy breakfast...

Afterwards, I cozied into my little cube/pod and wrote for a while (I may have snoozed a little 😴) Before long, it was time to be on the move again - this time to Glasgow. Back on board, I felt so much more refreshed having had a shower, eaten breakfast, relaxed comfortably and then taken a stroll around the stores (finding some delicious chocolate I haven't seen in 12 years!!!!).

As it was now daylight, there was plenty to see as we took off, and I recognized some of the area just outside London where JB and I lived at one point. Once high above the clouds, it was time to write again...after a while, as we flew over Scotland, I could see through the clouds to the fields below....there was my homeland.

Glasgow

As we began our descent into Glasgow, the city with its myriad of streets came into focus - I even managed to capture a photo of the River Clyde, that winds its way through this old city. On landing, I was off to find my luggage (hoping it had made it safely from RDU via London), then it was time for a quick Starbucks as I waited on my stepsister Fiona, who had very kindly offered to pick me up and drive the hour south to the coastal town of Ayr, where my parents live.

The River Clyde, Glasgow

On the road again...

As I type this last section up, it's 3 days later.....I've been a tad too busy catching up with Mom and Dad, and getting some sleep (I just love jetlag...yuk!), to finish this blog and get it posted, so please accept my apologies for the delay.

I'm also extremely happy to say, that Mom's surgery has gone really well, and it's now recuperation time 😊💗.

I'm going to sign off for now, as I want to plan a trip to Edinburgh whilst I'm here. But don't worry I'll be back on my blog again soon to keep you updated with my adventures.

Until Next Time...

Take care, Stay Safe and....Stay Tuned 💕

Love and Hugs,

Pam

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