Netherlands nomad
(Flight from Shanghai Pudong to Amsterdam Scihpol: International Airspace. Clockwise from top left: my meal with star shaped carrots, clouds, circuit board of fields over (possibly) Kazakhstan, mountains of western China.)
After a one-hour delay on the runway, my flight has ascended into the air from Shanghai Pudong airport. I am currently tucking into a miniature bag of smoked almonds above the clouds, courtesy of KLM Dutch Airlines. My shoes are off, my slippers are on and I thought I’d make use of this flight time to ready tomorrow’s post. This weekend ended rather frenetically with Ying and I attempting to do some of our favourite things before I leave and also to organise the flat and my belongings. We have the added surprise that we may be moving flats in a month (well, Ying will be as I intend to stay in the UK for longer). I have left chaos in my wake, though some of my detritus will be coming across with Ying on Friday when he journeys to the UK for meetings.
Over the busy weekend, we managed to spend a few hours dawdling along the canal side on Ping Jiang Lu in Suzhou, as well as visit our favourite udon noodle restaurant, have a sneaky trim, buy Chinese tea and go flat viewing. I have heard Ping Jiang Lu referred to as the ‘Taikang Lu of Suzhou’, that being a narrow network of homes, studios, craft and design shops and bohemian cafes, far from the high sheen, high octane cityscapes that surround it. I visited the same place in winter, but Ping Jiang Lu was a decidedly lacklustre collection of shuttered shops and closed cafes. Sunday was a different matter – the sunny afternoon had tempted all manner of camera wielding visitors, and of course the usual airbrushed beauties, posing for professional portrait shots on the waterside.
Unfortunately, due to my foolish oversight with the flight day, Ying and I never did get to see any of the Expo. We were supposed to be there yesterday. However, since it runs for six months, I am certain to see it at some point. I think Ying was in part relieved by my mistake – we heard the queues for each pavilion are still two to three hours long, even on a weekday with even longer waits at the weekend.
I’ll put this post up before I settle down to bed in Glasgow – if I
a) make it past the volcanic ash cloud,
b) make my connection in Amsterdam after this delay and
b) remember.
Note: I wrote this yesterday before my Glasgow flight was cancelled! I have not made it past requirement a), b) or c) but just in case you’re wondering where I am… I’m in the Netherlands waiting on news. The latest so far is that it is 07:06 local time and I have been re-booked on a full flight to Glasgow at 10:30 today. If nobody cancels, I have to queue again to rebook. More as it comes…
– Today Rosie is stuck in Schipol Airport –
safe journey, all the best!