Outbound flight & Check-in

'And? Excited yet?'

I couldn't answer the question specifically after the alarm clock went off at exactly 4:00am Central European Time this morning, abruptly ending the last sleep and we left for Amsterdam Schiphol at 5:05am after a quick coffee and last-minute packing in the car.

'Rather excited. Anticipation will probably kick in when we're on the plane.'

'...or tonight, when we're at the Luxor!'

Definitely, at the latest. But first, it was a 2 1/2 hour drive to the airport. Thanks to 'Valet Parking', parking was not a problem (drop off the car at 'Kiss and Fly' and it will be waiting for us in the same spot when we return), then through check-in, security, passport control, and on the plane at 10:25am (Boeing 757 from 2013) with the first disillusionment: NO entertainment package in the seat in front of us, along with a small, potentially screaming and annoying baby-human in the row ahead. Great. 'Out of the plane and into the next plane' was our first logical thought at the time of the initial assessment of the situation. However, there was unusually ample legroom: it's called 'Main Cabin Extra' on Boeing. We didn't book it, but whatever, doesn't matter. Approximately 20cm of space from the knees to the seat in front. A blessing for anyone over 1.80m tall. And then it was a matter of bridging the 8-hour flight time somehow.

The connecting flight from Philadelphia to Vegas was less relaxed. Last row in the A321 also means you can't recline the seat. Whatever. I can sleep anytime and anywhere, so: inflated the neck pillow and snored a bit. I also slept through the 10 minutes of turbulence.

Arriving in Vegas everything went very quickly. On the driverless train to the baggage claim, then into the taxi to Luxor, the quick check-in was followed by an equally quick Big Mac dinner around the corner, accompanied by first impressions of the surroundings. Vegas is definitely a whole different level than anything I had known before.