Because I didn't have an international phone plan, I couldn't access apps on my phone, and my headphones weren't working for must on the bus ride. 3 hours of looking out the window, reading, and people watching later, I was reminded of the road trips my family used to take to my grandparents' house. These were the best options for entertainment. It was nice to be present in these moments, even if they were boring or uncomfortable, and set this observant tone for the trip.
After the 3-hour bus ride, we changed buses and settled in for another ride to the Dublin airport. When we made it to the airport at 10:40pm, we suited up for another 6 hours of waiting at the airport for our flight that left at 5:45am in the morning. During this time, we learned that we couldn't check in more than 3 hours early for a flight. So, we sat in the public section of the airport, saw some people get escorted out from the airport by garda, and then the night set in. I then realized this may not have been the most ideal place to spend the night, but it was too far to turn back from.
At 2:30am, we went through security and check in. Once through the gate, we walked to another terminal and camped out at a cozy cafe area. People were sprawled out on benches, and it was then that the exhaustion set in, especially after weathering a whole day's worth of activity yesterday. When our flight's gate posted, we headed over. I think I slept 2 hours and a little bit on the short flight to Glasgow, Scotland. We were both exhausted by the time we'd landed and left the airport.
The curveball to our accommodations was that we couldn't check in until 3pm. So, shouldering the weight of our backpacks, we found another cafe to crash in for a few hours and do some homework. It's surprising to look back and remember all of these details, factoring in the sleep deprivation. At 10am, we walked to a mall, looked around, got lunch, and the mall had a movie theatre with reclining seats, so we saw the Minecraft Movie (not my favorite movie ever, I'd rate it a 3.5/10). The movie was a welcome rest from walking around with a 30lb backpack all day. It helped me to realize how grateful I am to have shelter and predictability in my days.
We spent the rest of the time in the mall, browsing stores and people watching, until our accommodations opened, and I took a well-deserved rest before dinner. It was a wild journey, and I'd like to report that the storyline from The Terminal could not actually happen today. All of this travelling, moving, and exhaustion reminded me of the ordinariness that Heaney praises in his poem,
"Night Drive"
The smells of ordinariness
Were now on the night drive through France;
Rain and hay and woods on the air
Made warm draughts in the open car.
Signposts whitened relentlessly.
Montreuil, Abbéville, Beauvais
Were promised, promised, came and went
Each place granting its name's fulfillment.
A combine groaning its way late
Bled seeds across it work-light.
A forest fire smouldered out.
One by one small cafés shut.
I thought of you continuously
A thousand miles south where Italy
Laid its loin to France on the darkened sphere.
Your ordinariness was renewed there.
Especially in the 3rd stanza, this poem reminds me of the comforts and predictability and ordinariness of living in one place and in everyday life. I think this poem expresses the same thrill of what's new compared with a longing for routine.
Anyway, Glasgow and Edinburgh were amazing! I got to see so many museums, galleries, streets, and felt at once a part of the place.
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