12.04.13: Departure Day. I started writing while waiting for the taxi.

Image: Artwork at Minnesaota, St Pauls Airport.

 

3) Suitcase packed, back pack too, at 2:30 am the taxi's due

Wife and daughter upstairs asleep,

Strange how time now seems to creep

6:20 am my first flight, taking off in the early morning light

To Amsterdam, a three hour wait then away,

Once more to the USA

Minneapolis after what may seem an age,

Nearlly a three hour wait then the final stage

To Austin I'll be bound in the final plane,

And my poetic adventures begin again.

 

4) Watching the clock, taking stock

I hope I don't arrive to find, I've left something behind

Curtains open just a tad, so I can see the arrival of the taxi lad

Get my luggage stowed then on the road

To the airport and it'll be grand

Suitcase away and flight tickets in hand

 

5) Taxi arrived, luggage stowed, then we did hit the road\

At thye airport there was a wait, for check in then departrure gate

Went through customs to find, I'd left my deodorant behind

Not to be caught on the hop, I bought some more from the airport shop

At the check in the KLM lass, had only given me one boarding pass

But  was told it would be alright

To collect them in Amsterdam after the second flight

So there's nothing to fear, cos' the same thing happened last year.

 

6) Day dawning, a cold grey misty morning

First leg all aboard, luggage stored

Bit of a delay, not yet awayWaiting for control, to say we can roll

When it's right, we'll take flight

Flying high, flying proud once more over a sea of cloud

 

7) Sun out, sky bright, that's it we're in flight

Flying on track, but first a snack

In 50 minutes we land, then it'll be grand

As I expect, my final boarding passes to collect

Then somwhere quiet I'll nip, and hopefully a few hours kip.

 

8) Snack over onwards we go through the gaps in the cloud see East Anglia below

Next cloud gap I look to find, we've left East Anglia behind

Now beneath the plane, the clouds have closed in again

To Amsterdam we are going, I can hear the engine slowing

Behind me are guys chatting and laughing, going ther for fun and play

will they take delight, in the ditsrict of the Red Light

Or with a cheer, down somne good Dutch beer.

Now I can feel the plane descending, first leg of my trip will soon be ending

but not for me hitting the booze, I'm gonna find somewhere quiet an' have a snooze

 

9) Landed safe as expected, but only one boarding pass collected.

Bit of a game, procedure'll be the same

Talked with the guys on the previous flight

We spoke in jest and wished each other all the best

Then I joined the queue for gate E22

A short wait at the departure gate

Then once again I'll be on a plane

Part of the passenger quota, 

And journeys end when we descend

At St Paul,s, Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

10) Second flight, something not right

The pilot spoke on the intercome to say, there may be a slight delay

We were told, problems with the cargo hold 

Then he let us know, in Minneapolis they'd got snow

And being afunny bloke of it made a joke

Then to our delight he said everything was now right

And we'd leave on time on our flight

Be on our way to the USA

 

11) We're off the ground headphones have been brought round 

Inflight entertainment, watch, listen, play and more

Skykids, Playlist and Explore

Flight plan, where we are, wherewe've been, if not for the clouds, what could be seen.

And it also lets me know, how long this flight has to go.

 

12) I'd snoozed, I woke and lifted the window blind, looking out to find

What I thought were clouds below, was in fact land covered in snow

Flying over the land so white, an hour and twenty minuted left of my flight

Knowing the snow probably went all the way from Canada well into the USA

The only thing though I wanted to hear, was they'd kept the runways at St Paul's clear.

 

13) Arrived at St Pauls on time, Minnesota in a wintry clime

Plane parked, we disembarked,

Throuigh immigration quicker than expected, final boarding pass then collected

To Gate 9, all seemd fine

The walk there was long, then I found the gate number was wrong

I thought 'Oh heck' then a quick check

The correct one found, so there I wa bound,

Now it's rest and wait, hopefully reach Austin at half past eight.

 

14) Called to board my final flight, Iwent with eager delight

To the plane door excitement beginning to grow, at the same time it began to snow.

It seemed hard to believe Winter still had a trick up its sleeve.

Down the runway through the falling snow, faster and faster we did go,

Now we're above the clouds in the early evening sun, when I reach Austin my journey's done.

But there's one thing I'll tell, I hope it's not snowing in Austin as well