After months of planning, I finally left Lancaster PA on January 23, 2017 at noon to leave for the Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC. Fortunately, my neighbor, Pastor Jose Rivera,
kindly offered to drive me right to the airport. This was a relief as I had 2 pieces of luggage and a carry-on. He brought along two young men as traveling companions. I was surprised to learn that one of the young men, Michael Quinones, was a classmate of my daughter, Theresa, at McCaskey High School.
The ride went quickly and before I exited the van, Pastor Rivera and Michael took time to hold hands with me and pray that I would have a safe trip! This gave me so much peace and confidence that everything would be ok!
I had never been to Dulles but I was surprised how uncrowded and quiet it was. A porter helped me to the Etihad Airways counter where I was told it didn't open until 6:00p.m.! Crazy! I had a 2 1/2 hour wait. Fortunately I enjoy people watching. A number of people were waiting who were going to India.I talked to a woman who was going to Mumbai and I found out she was from Clarion, PA! This is where my daughter, Joan, went to college. We were able to bond about stories about Clarion and the Cook Forest. I also noticed several women wearing the pink knitted hats from the Women's March held on Saturday. Since there were areas of the airport that had no passengers, I used the space to do a series of exercises designed by my trainer, Josh March, of Empower Training Systems that can be done anywhere with no equipment. I really feel this helped my muscles prepare for the long 12 hour flight. Here is where I was able to exercise:
Etihad Airways' stewardesses have some of the most elegant uniforms. The one that was closest to me was Alexandra. See how they wear leather gloves and a beautiful beret as the guests exit!
The 12 hour flight went much better than in the past. I watched Deepwater Horizon, since it was recommended by my friend, Michele Quigley, Then I watched 3 episodes of a New Zealand TV show called "800 Words". I highly recommend it. Before I knew it, I had landed in Abu Dhabi. Here is the welcome sign.
I noticed there was a smoking cubicle and realized you really have to be addicted to close yourself up in the box filled with cigar and cigarette smoke.
I also noticed something new- sleeping lounges that you could pay for if you needed to rest between flights.
My daughter Bridget picked me up and I was happy to see the Sheik Zayed Mosque lit up in blue. The unique lightning system was designed to reflect the phases of the moon. Soft undulating clouds of a bluish gray color are projected onto the white marble external surfaces of the mosque including the façade and domes. Each day appears a little different from the next as the lighting cycle commences with darker clouds when the month is in its early stages and the moon is a small crescent. As the moon progresses through its cycle and becomes full, so does the lighting effect become more brilliant. There are twenty-two light towers to achieve this creative effect. For more information see:http://www.szgmc.ae/en/
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