Yesterday may have been the longest day ever. Or was it two days? Because we left on Wednesday, arrived on Thursday morning and now it's Friday but really...where are we? It was a long, long travel time to get here. Chris and I drove to Indianapolis, where my sister lives, on Tuesday afternoon so that my niece Rebecca wouldn't have to fly to us by herself. Thus, we had a rather convoluted routing -- Indy to Boston, layover in Boston for three and a bit hours, Boston to Amsterdam, an hour and a half there, then onto Glasgow. By the time we piled into a taxi at Glasgow airport yesterday around 11 am, we'd been on the road for 17 or 18 hours, 11 of that in the air. And Rebecca was the only one who'd managed to get any sleep on the way and she only managed a quick hour and a half nap.
Despite all that and the fact that we felt we were walking through jello all day, the air still seeming to hum and bump with air travel, we had a good, if uneventful day. We're staying in the great little rental flat on Dowanhill Street, the same one we took last year and it's a great idea, especially with a kid in tow. We were able to chill out and turn on the TV for her yesterday to watch the British version of Deal of No Deal. These sort of things are surprisingly comforting to an 8-year-old.
In the afternoon, our big social engagement -- and really, the overall goal of this trip -- was met when my Uncle Douglas walked over with my Grandma to meet Rebecca. Oh, and us, too, I'm sure. We all then hoofed it a block or so over to Byres Road, where we found a little cafe in one of the beautiful little back lanes and sat for an hour or so having coffee (Rebecca had lemonade) and getting acquainted.
It really went very well, although I did have to play interpreter a bit. I don't know that it was any easier for my Grandma to understand Rebecca's rapid American speech than it was for Rebecca to parse her Glasgow accent. But, at the end of the day, when I asked Rebecca what her favorite part of a VERY long day was, she replied, "Meeting Granny P and Uncle Douglas." So it must have gone well.
After a bite to eat at the University Cafe -- where Rebecca sat at the same narrow "kneesie" tables where her Grandma and Grandpa courted -- we were back at the flat and struggling to stay awake until 8 pm, which we deemed a decent enough hour to crawl into bed. I was certain we'd all snooze for a zillion hours, but it's now five in the morning and I've been up for an hour or so. Good thing today's lazy schedule will allow for a nap!
On the roster today is a trip to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, a favorite visiting spot when I was a child and now reopened after a massive removation it's Glasgow's #1 tourist destination. There are enough dinosaur bones and cool exhibits to offset all those BORING paintings for a kid. We'll probably pop across the street to the Museum of Transport afterwards, although it's hard to impress internet-raised kids with an old trolley.
More updates -- and some photos -- when we return!