Trip to Amman - Epilogue
Monday, August 28th
Well, Monday had been reached even before I boarded the plane, so I will continue the story here.
After an uncomfortable flight (the young man I was sitting beside seemed to grow sideways when being asleep, which he unfortunately was for most of the flight) I easily managed to change planes at Schiphol Airport. The lady at the travel agency had been right - 50 minutes was actually more than enough time to make the transfer.
As on the way from Düsseldorf to Amsterdam, we had a Fokker 50 for the flight back from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf.
Fokker 50
A short time before take-off there was a strong smell of jet fuel, and when the flight attendant came by the couple across the aisle asked her about it, but she said that was due to our being above the engine, absolutely normal, no worries, and that it would disappear in a minute. Which it did. Neither did we catch fire or anything. 
They handed out the same non-vegan cookies as on the first flight. Well, this way daddy got a culinary souvenir as well, and not just aNarki.
At Düsseldorf airport I waited at the luggage conveyor belt until a young man approached me and informed me that there was no more luggage from my flight and told me where to report the loss. 
There, the man at the counter either wanted to make sure that no-one could ever accuse him of making promises he didn’t keep, or he simply was an asshole. He vaguely alluded to the possibility of my luggage appearing again, for which remote eventuality I should fill out this form here and describe my lost piece of luggage. At the same time someone from the same flights was reporting his luggage as lost one clerk down the counter, but “my” clerk stolidly refused to consider and offer a helpful comment on the possibility that this meant that our luggage had merely stayed behind at Schiphol due to lack of time and that it might be on the next flight. The way he kept talking I should have considered my luggage gone for good.
“What are you still doing here, staring at me with that shell-shocked look, woman? Begone from this place!!!”
He didn’t actually say that, but it was obviously on his mind…
I dejectedly slunk off and phoned up Frenzie (and woke him; I am so sorry), in the hopes that he might be able to get more solid information from Schiphol Airport, but they were being as “helpful” as the clerk at Düsseldorf. Maybe airport personel gets a special training? 
Well, at least this meant that I didn’t have to lug around a lot of weight on my train trip back home. 
Fortunately the problem had indeed been the too short transfer time. Or maybe my luggage wanted to see more of Amsterdam. It must have had some adventures for sure because when the delayed luggage delivery man brought it around 11pm it was partially soaked. I was sure glad that I had wrapped all of my books into plastic bags (to protect them from being rubbed against the rest of the contents of my bag with the “open” sides and suffering damage that way by rough treatment of my luggage - who considers them throwing the luggage into puddles….?)
Ah, whatever. I had my luggage, and after around 40 hours of being awake I blissfully fell into bed. 
.
Concluding remarks:
Just a few things that were not really bound by any time frame, but which I noticed and want to share with my attentive readers…
At that time a certain shoe form was the height of fashion in Iraq, so there were quite a lot of people wearing those shoes in Jordan as well, including - I am sad to say - the Kid. The shoes were longer than the foot, narrowing down in the tip and curving slightly upwards.
The thing I just couldn’t get into my head (quite apart from the fact that those shoes were ugly as hell) was this: In a country where the worst possible insult/suspicion is that a person is a homosexual…. How can totally gay shoes become the height of men’s fashion????? 
Poor, confused Iraqis…. 
Talking of confused people and footwear (Do I see you smirking at me mentioning that the Kid was wearing those dreadful shoes as well, aNarki?) there is a certain type of German male - mostly above the age of 50 I’d say, but also those younger ones that are past 50 in their mannerisms - who will always wear their sandals with socks. Preferably those fugly men’s socks with this sort of plaid pattern. Maybe they even wear socks in bed; I don’t know.
I mean, if it’s too cold yet for sandals, wear real shoes; and if it’s 30+°, for god’s sake, give your poor feet some air and leave the socks off! Sandals were made to wear on bare feet! Old German men! Always being too proper. Such an embarrassment!
…
You can imagine my shock and confusion upon discovering that aNarki is an old German man…
July 1st, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Yeah, when I phoned them they sounded like “wtf are you calling me for, I wasn’t the one carrying your luggage around”.
July 1st, 2007 at 5:03 pm
well, better all “trim and proper” than to walk around showing MY toes. i have nothing against toes in general, in fact, some toes i just love. but mine, oohhhhh you DON’T want to go there.
besides, its cleaner. i dont like dirt getting that close and personal between my toes.
and my sandals are beautiful! they have reflective strips! for pedestrian safety!
hrmph!
finished: Thud!
now: Guards! Guards!
me likey watch books. very.
July 2nd, 2007 at 8:49 am
Glad the jet fumes didn’t go all combustable!
Hey those “gay” shoes sound like the kind of shoes that Genies wear!
Maybe the young Iraqis are dressing up for “Harry Potter and the Magic Hooka” 
I wear socks to bed.
Me like Watch books too!
Want to read more about Constable Golem.
July 2nd, 2007 at 7:02 pm
aha Dorfl! he’s awesome!
i didn’t find much reference of him in Thud, have you read Feet of Clay? (obviously, duh!)
but maybe Mel can shed more light on this matter?
July 3rd, 2007 at 5:18 am
Yes indeed, have read Feet of Clay. I just think that Dorfl has a lot of comedic potential.
Hope he appears in some other books!
July 3rd, 2007 at 10:32 pm
“the disc’s first ceramic atheist”
HAR HAR HAR xD
July 4th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
It’s pretty hilarious they act like it’s not their fault. I even read a blog the other day where they told the guy “we’re sorry you lost your luggage”… wow! Have you ever seen Global Bag Tags by chance? Awesome little invention.
July 4th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Lost luggage? Huh! That hasn’t happened to me, but it did to a friend of mine. Unfortunately she was on a cruise at the time and had to make do until the next port stop. where her luggage met her.
Hmmm…yes, those sound like Aladdin shoes!
Anarki,
But, but, Anarki, don’t you know that toes like to breathe? Yes, yes, it’s true. They get all stuffed up and soggy when trapped inside cloth when it’s 120 in the shade!
As for dirt, well, that’s what those nice cool foot baths are for. 
July 4th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
@ Frenzie: Hmyeah…. Thanks again for trying though, lol.
@ 13: see Lynnette’s comment later, mwahahahahaha
Yup, Watch books are good. As are Death books. How about reading ‘em in order though, and not the newest first?
@ David: not quite as curled up as that, but going into that direction, yeah.
Chikitita calls them Sindbad shoes and says she wouldn’t talk to her brother if he wore them…
Socks to bed? Only in winter, I presume?
And you guys just read your own books, k?
Other golems are playing a part in Going Postal.
@ Farrell: Welcome to my blog!
@ Lynnette: Well, yeah, I appreciated that it didn’t happen on the trip to Amman, but until I had it back I was so scared it was gone for good. I mean, it contained some of my fave clothes, books and also some of my souvenirs…
Lynnette, I am starting to be afraid that this info comes too late for 13. He hasn’t been barefoot in so many years now, that his whole feet are all puffed up and wrinkly….. and moist and rank…..
July 5th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Nope, all year round.
Hey, I love Sinbad the Sailor movies! Maybe those shoes are something that Shia and Sunni boys can all wear. They can vote for unity with their feet!
July 5th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Mel,
*sigh* It’s a tragedy, is what it is.
Not to let your toes know the joy of unconfined freedom!
Not to let them know what it’s like to slip the bonds of their sandals and scrunch up in warm sand! (Well, okay, maybe there the sand would be a little too warm.)
But there is still all that unfettered wiggling that can be done better without socks.
Ahhh, I’ve been remiss in my Pratchett’s. So many books, so little time. I will have to scrounge around for the next one on your list. Maybe this weekend. Right now I am reading “Kabul Beauty School” by Deborah Rodriguez and “Unzipped” by Lois Greiman. The first is by a woman who started a beauty school in Afghanistan after the overthrow of the Taliban. It’s very good. The second is a light and fluffy work of fiction that is, so far, pretty funny. I trade off between serious and light depending on my mood.
July 7th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Hey somebody, get this party going again!
How about some Neo-Disco with a laser show and a bubble machine? Hopefully, drinks are on the house! 
July 8th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
AAARGH!
Mel: “Lynnette, I am starting to be afraid that this info comes too late for 13. He hasn’t been barefoot in so many years now, that his whole feet are all puffed up and wrinkly….. and moist and rank…..”
I’VE TRAINED BAREFOOT ALMOST EVERYDAY FOR THE LAST 3-4 YEARS OF MY LIFE
also, when indoors, i dont do shoes, slippers, socks, etc. i like to feel the floor against my feet.
and i dont have athlete’s foot.
and i do wiggle my toes, and wash them 5 times a day (ablution) and generally i hate stinky feet. or any kind of stink, for that matter
now; bout them watch books: i like to read the newest first, so i’d “stay up to date” of sorts, and i can pick up the background stories as i go along
now, what IS it that’s stopping me from posting?
if i write about Pratchett, will anyone be interested?
hmm..
July 8th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Uh-oh, now we upset him….
*hides behind Lynnette*
July 8th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
What?! Hey now, you started it! I just tagged along.
*whispers softly* He better not give away the endings if he posts about Pratchett…only slight teasing allowed!
I’ve only read one of them.
I finished the “Kabul Beauty School”. I recommend it highly. I’ve now started “The Weather Makers” by Tim Flannery. I thought I’d take a break from the Middle East for a bit and dip into global warming. So far it’s good. It’s not so technical so even I can understand it. And so far it’s not politicized like “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore.
July 9th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Anarki, I have been wondering what has been keeping you from posting lately.
I keep my feet in cotton socks most of the time. Maybe I need to let them out for a bit of fresh air training.
If you want to post about Pratchett, or anything else of interest to you, I will read it.
July 9th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Mel: nah, me nice guy. me only fight in videogame
Lynnette: no endings, i promise!
David: i myself really dont know what has kept me from posting.. tell you what, after lunch today, i will attempt a post.
July 9th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Anarki,
Thank you.
I would hate to find out that You Bastard was eaten by a fire breathing dragon or something. It would spoil the whole series! 