The State of Air Travel & Made It to Scotland!

July 06, 2022

Air travel is fun these days. Or not.

My advice is: try not to go anywhere right now, at least not if it involves an airport.

Started my day at Amsterdam's Schipol (affectionately pronounced "ski pole") Departures 2 terminal. Thank God it wasn't Departures 1, which had a much longer line, out the door and down the street. After a mandatory detour through Departures 3 for no apparent reason, I found the right line to get in a line. I may have cut in - not sure. The self-service terminals were not being used to move the line along, again for no apparent reason.

This sign was rather ironic, given that we were packed like sardines and shuffling along like slow cattle. Moo.

I made it through bag drop! This next line was for people waiting to be allowed up this flight of stairs to stand in another, much longer line for security.

Skipping ahead several steps, I made it to the gate. Now I'm waiting in a line for a shuttle bus to take us to the plane. Almost there...

Total Schipol experience from entrance to gate: approximately two and a half hours. And I know I was lucky!

Landed in Inverness! Woot woot! No more airports for a whole... week 😐

Unfortunately, my sister-in-law Pat flew from Dallas to Heathrow the same day, only to get stuck there when British Airways canceled all flights to Scotland that evening. No warning, no nothing. Had to spend the night in the airport, with her luggage taken hostage. What a mess. Sounds like the current state of air travel is too many passengers, not enough airport staff.

But I'm in Scotland!!! Time for a few well-earned comforts.

Herb is super excited to be in Dornoch, home to his favorite golf course and the birthplace of Donald Ross, who designed most (?) of the golf courses in Rhode Island, among many others.

Getting ready to show his golfing buddies a good time next week with a tour of northern Highlands courses.

While Herb golfed the first morning, I wandered around the town, glad that I'd brought some layers to wear on this voyage. Brr. It didn't take me long to find more flowers to share.

"THE BEST hot chocolate" from Cocoa Mountain was like drinking melted chocolate. It was delicious and so thick I thought I might keel over.

Behind-the-scenes view of the Dornoch Castle Hotel and Whisky Bar, which we've visited a few times.

I've been looking forward to seeing these blooming foxgloves all over Scotland.

(Digitalis pupurea, for the horticulturalists).

I amused myself for a while at the charming Dornoch Museum, learning about the miracles of Saint Gilbert (love the illustration where the cathedral tools are building the tower all by themselves) and other local lore.

This replica of the Dornoch "imp" reminds me of the Winter Warlock in Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

I headed down a path through the Struie golf course, thinking I was on my way to the beach, but eventually realized I was on the wron road and turned around. Still enjoyed a lot of scenic views and heckling from the local gulls, who are an especially noisy lot.