Day 1: In the Beginning
Travel
We have a long day of travel ahead of us. Kelli and I are meeting at the MCI airport in Kansas City and are leaving at 11:30 am, which means I had to be here by 9:30 to get through airport security. When I first found out I was going on the trip, I was disappointed that no one from my cohort was going with me, but I was excited to meet people from the other ESU campuses. I was unsure whom to room with, so I put an all-call out for a roommate:
Kelli and I had had one previous class together, and we both remembered each other (eventually-she has a better memory than I do). We called each other as soon as we found out where we were staying and arranged to fly out and back together. We spent an hour and a half on the phone one evening trying to find the perfect flight, with the following requirements: left and arrived at a decent hour, didn’t have too many layovers, had somewhere between an hour and half layover and a six hour layover, and wasn’t too pricey. Finally after much searching, we found the perfect flight and were even able to have seats together or near each other. We made an exception for the way back just in case we didn’t get along or were tire of one another by the end of the trip.
The Plane Ride Over
We met up with Jennifer at Newark airport; she is the only person from the Colorado campus. She had a longer layover than us, so she had already eaten dinner, but she still sat with us. None of us really know what to expect, as the itinerary was pretty vague on details other than where we are staying and locations for our various library outings. Compared to other class trips I’ve been on, where our time is planned down to the minute, our Scotland arrangements seem fairly ambiguous. Right before our plane boards for Glasgow we also meet up with Paul, one of 3 people from the Utah campus. For this trip, Kelli and I sat near each other, but not next to just in case we got too chatty. I know I’m supposed to sleep on this leg of the journey because of the time difference, but there are so many movies to choose from I want to just stay up watching all of them. Eventually, I decide on a romantic comedy. However, once I needed to sleep, I went with Beauty and the Beast and the Princess Bride, both of which knock me out because I’ve seen them so many times they are like a security blanket.
Glasgow Airport
I kind of slept and kind of ate (must remember to call ahead and request the vegetarian, Kosher meal), but definitely didn’t get out of my seat during the whole flight. We get stuck in a mile long line to get into the country. Last summer my husband and I went to the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C., and during the tour you have to pick an ID for the duration of your time in the museum. You have to know your name, how long you will be in the country, who you are with, and your business in the country-as if you were an actual spy memorizing your crib sheet. Needless to say, I was ready for everything the border patrol threw at me. They did ask me for school documentation, which I did not have, but let me slide through without it. Poor Paul got a little held up, but pointed to the group of us and we smiled and waved and the security guard, seeing we weren’t a huge threat (just a group of tired nerds) let him pass. Andrew met us near the exit and led us to the bus shuttle. I forgot we would be driving on the other side of the road until we went through around about the wrong way!
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Walking Around like Zombies
The hotel staff at the Holiday Inn was awesome and let us check-in early. Kelli and I unloaded our stuff and met up to wander around with the Dean. Everything was kind of a blur because we were all suffering from jetlag. We walked around Buchanan Street which is right near our hotel (we got to know this street very well by the end of our trip). Here we got money, saw our first kilts, and the Tardis.
We stopped in at the Gallery of Modern Art. Their latest installation was a giant room filled with saw dust.
I’m not into modern art so I don’t have any idea what it was supposed to mean nor can I remember, but I do remember it smelled just like a hardware store. We lost the Dean (she just went back to the hotel) and the rest of us walked and walked. We made it all the way to the pedestrian bridge over the River Clyde. Later on we would read someone’s travel guide about the dangers that may befall travelers who do this at night, but it seemed alright enough in the light of day.
That night we all met for our first of many dinners at Pesto, who knew Scots loved Italian food? Dinner was nice, but I was ready for bed and I fell right to sleep. One point of interest was that our room had a couch and one double bed. After inspecting the couch and finding it unsuitable, Kelli and I decided to share the bed. It was only later in the trip that we found out everyone else had 2 beds in their rooms and we were the only ones that had to share. Luckily I didn’t talk too much (I did wake up laughing) and I don’t think there was any non-consensual spooning.