Northwest Flight 55 from Amsterdam to Minneapolis departs from gate E-20.
Just after passing through Passport Control is the main security
checkpoint. The metal detectors in Europe are set differently and are a
different type than in the US. That means for me I don’t have to take off
so much stuff when going through the machine. I like that a lot. Then there
is secondary screening at the gate. This one is much more like the US and
thus much more inconvenient. Today all went well and I’m ready to board,
which should start in about 10 minutes.

The flight will be about eight and a half hours long. Dinner service takes
about two hours after takeoff. Breakfast is served about an hour and a half
before landing. That leaves about five hours in the middle. I’ve got a good
book, Brave Companions by David McCullough. I started the book on the way
over and am about half way through. I also have some 900 pictures to decide
what to do with.

I left the hotel at 9 am and headed to the Amsterdam airport. I had some
problem navigating through Rotterdam and had to backtrack twice. A
navigator would be helpful. I need to look for a good GPS that works over
here. I’d like to be able to specify the route in advance rather than the
GPS deciding the route. The computer doesn’t always know to plan around
traffic choke points such as the Ring around Antwerp.

The departure area is filling up. I’m ready to load up, kick the tires,
light the fires, and get out of here!

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