To the cinema!

Do you ever do something and think 'wow, I haven't done that since before the pandemic'? Well, Pedro and I went to the movies yesterday.  (And I realize saying 'go to the movies' is very American)  Pedro really wanted to see the new Thor movie (I agreed-Thor is awesome) and didn't want to wait for it to stream online. So, we looked up the nearest theater, or *cinema*.  We found one right downtown, so we decided to go for a late night showing.  I'll admit, it was a small thing that we we were really excited for once we bought the tickets. Enjoy the little things, right?  

I was racking my brain, trying to think of the last time we were in the cinema, and from what I remember, it was Avengers Endgame. That was 2019!  Bonus, this will be the first cinema trip in the UK.  Of course, when I went to buy our train tickets on my app, I saw the dreaded red caution symbol...strikes. 

S: Hey Babe...

P: yeah?

S: We probably should have arranged transport before the tickets...

But it was no big, we still had the busses. We made it to the cinema with 20 minutes to spare, so I was excited to see some Scottish commercials. When we entered, we looked around, but only saw what looked like a lounge with an escalator.  It still had that movie theater vibe, all dark surroundings with neon lights and posters, but it was a small lobby with no halls for the theaters so we were a bit confused.  An employee found us looking lost and checked our tickets.  She told us our theater was on the 5th floor and there would be a candy counter up there as well.  So we got on the escalator, and peeked around at each floor, thinking it was cool to be in a multilevel cinema.  There was a VIP section, the 4DX theaters, a Starbucks, a small restaurant...and funny enough, I don't even think this cinema was considered fancy.  But to us, it was all new.  

Around the 3rd floor, I thought riding the escalator was taking too long, so we walked up.  We got to the 5th floor (theaters 5-18) and immediately saw a wall full of candy, with bags to fill to our own liking.  There was also a small concession counter on the opposite wall, with a hallway full of theaters ahead of us.  I'll admit, we went crazy with the candy.  But I'm still going through it as I write this, so it was worth it.  I got to try all kinds of UK candy as well as get some of my favorites.  Once we got to the theater, I checked and we still had time.  We found our seats, and I almost lost my drink sitting down.  It's my own fault. I was expecting those stadium seats that flip down, but they were actual cushy chairs. I've always sat down on the edge to 'ride' the seat down, so I basically just ended up falling hard against the seat and laughing at myself.  Once we got situated with our candy and such, I looked at the screen. But it was blank. After staring at a blank screen for 10 minutes, I was thinking, do people here just sit before the movie without commercials??  Even before they dim the lights for the pre-movie theatrical trailers, we usually see commercials for cars, phones, and other things.  

P: Well, that's America for you, capitalism. 

S: I just wanted to see funny Scottish commercials about Irn Bru!

Oh well. We still got to see an movie and have a good time.  Another new experience in a new country to check off the list!