The plane flight from Amsterdam to Lagos featured one of the electronic maps that traced the plane's flight. I sat in my seat and did not pay much attention to it as we flew over France; nothing about the path over Spain interested me. Crossing the Mediterranean I started to watch more closely. Soon I was leaning over Emily looking out the window. The Sahara Desert, how amazing would that be to see stretching below the plane? I saw only clouds. Finally, as the plane descended into Lagos we broke the cloud cover and I was glued to the window. Green, not forest green, but jungle green, steamy and dense below filled the window. The green was broken be slender ribbons of water and on the horizon I could see the red dirt of the city. Small fires and columns of black smoke spotted the city.

Jacob thought the bare ground around the runway looked like Oklahoma. I did too until I saw the rusting 747 Cargo plane next to the runway. We anxiously waited for the door to open at the gate. I think we were all nervous about what was on the other side of that door.

The terminal was very clean and modern, and it was fun to read the advertisements as we walked towards the baggage claim area. We joined the big line at immigration and then I got really nervous, and just before I melted into a complete puddle of nerves a woman signaled us to follow her. She was the “expeditator” from the embassy. Gina asked later how the expeditiator knew it was us. I think that as the only nervous white people in the airport we probably stood out quite easily.

Gathering 10 huge bags took a bit of time but soon our caravan of luggage carts was headed out of the terminal. We stepped outside into the heat and a mass throng of people. There might have been a road in front of the terminal, I’m not really sure. I just kept my eyes glued on the lady from the embassy and Gina and the kids in front of me. We walked to a barricaded section to the left of the terminal where Tom and Terry Burns were waiting for us. A big sigh of relief and soon were headed off to Behind 1004 Federal Estates.

Well we have finally arrived in Lagos, Nigeria after months of talking about it. We left Seattle under gray skies and misty eyes and arrived in Amsterdam with even darker clouds and rain. We tried to be savvy travelers and pack just one suitcase for all of us for the four days we were in the city. Bad plan. Very bad plan. After 6 days in the same clothes because we only packed shorts we looked like weary travelers. Amsterdam with children is a different experience than it was a long time ago when it was only Gina and I. We still had an amazing time. Jacob slept through the Van Gogh Museum on our first day. Jet lag is bad on adults and absolutely murder on kids. We spent the next morning looking for warm jackets and dry places to stand. We certainly enjoyed the complimentary umbrellas and the trams. On Saturday we got out of the city and visited the windmills in Zaanse Schans. Jacob had a great time climbing around the windmills, but he wasn't real happy about trying on the wooden shoes. While we were out we recharged the kids gameboys so Gina and I could enjoy a "ristafle" dinner. We peddled a paddle boat around the canals, stared in awe at Rembrandt's "The Night Watch", enjoyed bami from the vending machines, and ate fries covered in garlic sauce. Emily was ok with the fries, impressed with the chocolate, and not having the Dutch pancakes at all.