Am I there yet?

It has been nearly 24 hours since I left sleepy Rockridge and headed to SFO. If ever there was an indirect way to get from Point A to Point B; this would be it.
San Francisco, to Portland (five hour layover)
Portland to Amsterdam (five hour layover)
Amsterdam to Madrid.
Over 25 hours of travel time.


This morning I said goodbye to Mike and Laura in their bed and my mom drove me to the airport. After a tearful goodbye I made my way through security and boarded my plane for Portland. Our plane arrived 20 minutes early which solidified my plan to take a "long lunch". I figured I'd rather spend my time tripping around the city instead of hanging in the terminal, sucking up recycled air.

I boarded the MAX train and crossed over the Willamette River. It was around 10am when I finally got off at the Skidmore Fountain exit and I thought people would be out and milling around. I headed towards a bunch of tents which ended up being a street fair. Most shops were not open yet and the homeless were still in their sleeping bags all over the place. I was starving and didn't want to spend a ton of time searching for a place so I settled on a falafel and went to wait for the next train back. I was slightly bummed that I didn't have enough time to go where I really wanted, which was Powells Books. Short of sharing a bench with a bunch of young street kids, it was all I could do to awkwardly eat my falafel while juggling my purse and heavy backpack.

My flight to Amsterdam was fine. I lucked out MAJORLY with an aisle seat and FYI; Delta Airlines rocks! Each seat has a monitor with a selection of new release movies, so I just caught up on all I've missed these past few months. Every few hours they would come around with a snack or a meal, and beer and wine were complimentary the whole trip! Sadly, I only slept a few hours and now my clock is all out of whack.

I de-boarded in Amsterdam and am now sitting outside my gate, waiting for it to open up. I have another long layover here and the first thing I did (after getting through passport security and hitting the restroom) was grab a Heineken at the airport bar. (When in Rome, right?)

I sat in one of these cool Heineken chairs. Those few minutes to take a few seconds to breathe and appreciate where I am came at a great time. Plus, my perch ended up being the perfect spot for people watching all the ins and outs of Amsterdam. From my careful observations I deduced:
- Women in Europe simply have a higher pain threshold. Everyone was wearing sky-high heels.
- Men in Europe aren't afraid to wear skinny pants (including slacks with suit jackets)
- If you don't have an iPad, you should be ignored.


 After I had my fill, I continued exploring and checked out the shops and hit the ATM. Now I've got some new coloful money burning a hole in my pocket!

In another hour or two I'll board for Madrid, my final stop and I can't wait. At this point, I've given up on sleep and am so nervous I am going to pass out and miss my flight so I'll just hit the hay hard when I get to Madrid. I can't wait to see the family and give everyone besos!