Slamming on the breaks in Scotland
Posted by Megan Roney on Sunday, June 24, 2012 Under: In Flight Stories
I was feeling pretty down on my flight to Aberdeen after reading an article in the Lufthansa magazine in which various celebrities from Jane Goodall to Jamie Oliver of Food Network's the Naked Chef shared their feelings on what our world will look like in 2050. They spoke of the loss of species, destruction of the environment and starvation and dehydration. Not exactly the lightest reading.
So I sighed in relief and awe as our plane broke through the clouds and we hovered for landing over the greenest land I had seen in a long time. Sunlight shown through thin areas of the clouds and highlighted the green checkerboard below us.
"It's so beautiful here," I exclaimed to the Scotsman sitting beside me.
"It's alright," he said humbly. "I hope you have your rain boots, though. In Scotland the weather can go through about three different seasons in one day."
I didn't have rain boots and didn't anticipate the chilly weather I would encounter here. I've already had to break into my winter suitcase and probably won't have any need of the many shorts and tank tops I've brought along. It has been raining pretty steadily since we arrived, and I'm also in need of an umbrella. Luckily the front desk lent me one of their gigantic golf umbrellas bearing the Park Inn logo. I was nearly picked up by a strong gust of wind while walking to the grocery store, but I did stay dry.
I'll have to make a shopping trip soon to better prepare myself for this country. But after window browsing this afternoon, I think it'll be best if I wait till after I get paid. The man on my flight did warn me about that, though.
"Aberdeen is a very affluent city. Lots of well to do people working for the large petroleum companies," he said. "And yet, we still have this itty bitty airport," he gestured out the window as we landed at Aberdeen Airport. "The first renovation they should do is extend the runway," he advised.
I had to agree that our landing would have been a bit more comfortable if the pilot didn't need to slam on the breaks to stop. My new friend said no plane had crashed from stopping short, but Prince William had driven a plane off the edge of the runway when a pilot let him take over once.
"They had to let him go," he said quietly of the pilot. I already felt like local gossiping about the royal family with a true Scotsman.
So I sighed in relief and awe as our plane broke through the clouds and we hovered for landing over the greenest land I had seen in a long time. Sunlight shown through thin areas of the clouds and highlighted the green checkerboard below us.
"It's so beautiful here," I exclaimed to the Scotsman sitting beside me.
"It's alright," he said humbly. "I hope you have your rain boots, though. In Scotland the weather can go through about three different seasons in one day."
I didn't have rain boots and didn't anticipate the chilly weather I would encounter here. I've already had to break into my winter suitcase and probably won't have any need of the many shorts and tank tops I've brought along. It has been raining pretty steadily since we arrived, and I'm also in need of an umbrella. Luckily the front desk lent me one of their gigantic golf umbrellas bearing the Park Inn logo. I was nearly picked up by a strong gust of wind while walking to the grocery store, but I did stay dry.
I'll have to make a shopping trip soon to better prepare myself for this country. But after window browsing this afternoon, I think it'll be best if I wait till after I get paid. The man on my flight did warn me about that, though.
"Aberdeen is a very affluent city. Lots of well to do people working for the large petroleum companies," he said. "And yet, we still have this itty bitty airport," he gestured out the window as we landed at Aberdeen Airport. "The first renovation they should do is extend the runway," he advised.
I had to agree that our landing would have been a bit more comfortable if the pilot didn't need to slam on the breaks to stop. My new friend said no plane had crashed from stopping short, but Prince William had driven a plane off the edge of the runway when a pilot let him take over once.
"They had to let him go," he said quietly of the pilot. I already felt like local gossiping about the royal family with a true Scotsman.
In : In Flight Stories
After a while of traveling in foreign countries, you begin to realize that it's not just your luggage that can get lost. When you don't speak the language, you loose your ability to speak. If you can't decipher the written word, you loose your ability to read. And if you can't read the signs to know where you're going, you yourself can get lost. It can be a bit overwhelming, and at times humiliating, but I'm sure even Odysseus experienced frustration on his adventurous travels. This blog is my account of my travels. Hopefully, my blunders will assure others that they are not the only ones lost in translation.
