What Led to the Episode of Hysterical Laughing

John took me to Scotland about 9 years ago and our one major splurge was a night at Stuart Castle outside of Inverness (http://www.castlestuart.com/) with a formal dinner, including a piper. The dinner was supposed to be for any interested guests, but because we were traveling in the off season (cheaper), no one else was there. So we had a huge formal dining room, fire in a large fireplace, a piper all for ourselves, and then a five-course dinner served on china, silver, and crystal. Midway through dinner I started crying because it was a huge "thing" and I'm not used to huge things like that...John takes good care of me, but this was just a little outside of my comfort zone. I'm used to throwing pizza and rootbeer on the table.

So that is the background--an inappropriate emotional response in Scotland--for my most recent inappropriate emotional response in the First Class section of a British Airways flight to London.

Only this time, it was hysterical laughter. That went on for a long time. Thank god for the engine noise...Russell, the dashing English cabin dude, only looked at me strangely once.

Five things I wish someone had told me about flying first class:

1. The cabin is HUGE.
I was picturing the "first class" from regular in-country flights, where the seats are leather and bigger and sit two-together on either side of the plane. No, this was transatlantic. We had a whole ROOM in the front of the 747 Freakin Jumbo Freakin Jet. There were 15 or 16 seats but only 8 passengers. We could have had a dance in the middle of the room. We were sitting right in the NOSE of the aircraft, with the pilots above us.

2. They brought us printed MENUS and a printed WINE LIST.
And we could have as much of anything we wanted whenever we wanted it. And they would just keep refilling those (real glass) wine glasses...Thankfully, I didn't overindulge in that. John kept his copies.

3. They served us dinner and breakfast on WHITE LINEN TABLE CLOTHES. A large tray tabled popped out of a seat set up, and they covered it with a cloth (plus the cloth napkin, silverware, china, and little mini glass/silver salt and pepper grinders). And this morning when my tea literally all sloshed out of my cup during 5 minutes of turbulence? They just laughed and cleaned it up.

4. They gave us PAJAMAS and SLIPPERS. Like to wear and then take home.
Hello? Pajamas?!? This was in addition to the pint-size leather dop kit full of wonderful facial things and lip balm and socks and other stuff.

5. After dinner, they came and not only turned the seats into beds but then MADE UP THE BEDS for us.

Yes, James told me about the free-flowing spirits and plentiful food. But that was not enough to prepare me for the absolute spoiling that ensued. I was speechless. I was overwhelmed. I was hysterical, laughing in joy and disbelief. I was Country Come to Town.