Safe at Schipol So Far

Well, we have landed for an interim at Schipol airport in Amsterdam. The flight was way too bumpy for my taste, and the plane was not as big as it could be (they called it an "air bus" but I was not impressed with the size). We got the seats in front of the bulk head, which means we were not able to lean back the few centimeters most people are and it was a pretty uncomfortable ride. My mother gave up prime real estate to sit next to me, and then I ended up sleeping most of the way! But I warned her I was going to sleep, so that is her choice I suppose! On the way back it will much more important that we are seated together.

Luckily, we were not charged for our overweight bags because the check-in clerk in D.C. was Ethiopian. I showed her a picture of Charlie and explaned that our bags were filled with cdonations for the orphanage and that was that. Free donations. Which is how it should be, really. There is a nice "baby lounge" here at Schipol, with rounded "pods" containing cribs and seating for parents, along with a bottle warming station and a bathing station. Right next door is a lounge for slightly older kids, with slides and climbing apparatus and a forest mural. Very nice. Of course there are tons of stores, for cheeses, chocolates, and hundreds of coffee shops and restaurants. It's a great airport. On the way back, we will have to spend 6 hours here in the early AM and so I think we'll be using the baby lounge.