Home!

I'm home!  And it was a pain in the ass too.

I had a great breakfast buffet at the hotel!  I took the hotel shuttle to the airport.  We left at 8:15 and I got through all the security and passport and walking and made it to my gate about 9:25.  So yeah, it took about an hour to get through everything.

My gate was at the end of the terminal (of course), and there was 1 other gate there, so Iberia roped off the very end and they started pushing us through passport checks/boarding pass checks an hour ahead of time.

I had an aisle seat at the rear of the plane.  At first they closed boarding and the girl in the center seat moved to an open seat further up.  Then that person showed up, so she moved.  Then those people showed up and she had to come back to her center seat. I was a little annoyed at this point, because we sat there an extra 10-15 minutes because we were "waiting on some passengers."  Apparently we could wait today, but not yesterday when a bunch of us were running to make the plane.

So, we get to Chicago.  At least one airport has a fast line for people who only have carry-on luggage, but apparently it's not Chicago.  The line wasn't too bad, though. 

Got through customs, got past the baggage claim, and then you have to go through arrivals to get to your next plane.  So I'm wandering around arrivals, and eventually see a security-type guy and he tells me the train is broken to I have to take a bus to the next terminal.  And there's the line.  It was really long, and it did not move very fast.  I was glad I had a 2 hour layover!

So I get to the correct terminal, then I have to go through security again.  I came in in the middle, and that line said Pre-Check.  So I followed a sign to the right and went through security way down at one end.

Get through security and now I have to figure out where my gate is.  There's gates H, J, K, L and I check and I'm at L22, which is at the opposite end from where I am.  So I follow a sign that says Terminal L, but then the signs stop and I don't know where to go.  I keep going into K, and eventually find a damn map, and it shows that I'm way down the wrong way.

So I find my way to Terminal L.  Now I have to find the section with Gate 22.  I've been checking the Departures boards as I go, to make sure the plane is on time.  I'm around Gate 20 when I get to another board, and now it says Gate 10A.  So I have to go back into a completely different branch to get there, where I had already been when I was buying water.

I get to Gate 10A and there's a plane for Salt Lake City there.  We wait, and they board and then nothing happens.  It gets to our boarding time, and nothing happens.  Then we get told we're moving to Gate 6.  So we all move down there.  And wait.  And then the Captain gets on the intercom and tells us that a plane didn't work and they had to get everyone off and onto a different plane and then that sort of cascaded so everything was late.  Our plane was on time, it just couldn't find an empty gate.

So we wait, and then we get sent back to Gate 10A again.  At least now the Salt Lake plane is gone.  Overall, we ended up being about 45 minutes late, so it wasn't too bad.  And I'm home!

It's been a long, crazy day Part 4

So now I'm set. Basically I'm taking the same flight, just tomorrow. And I get a hotel voucher!

This has happened to me before. I was in Chicago, going to XNA, and the airline decided to cancel my flight, because there weren't enough people on board. Seriously. I got a hotel voucher for 50% off. This was an American airline of some kind.

The last time it happened, we missed our connection because there was a storm system nearby, and the pilot didn't want to land at XNA, so he went back to where he'd flown out of.  Seriously.  We made it to Atlanta just in time to see our plane to Paris leaving the gate.  There weren't many connecting flights to Slovenia, so we had the choice of spending the night in Atlanta and catching the same flights tomorrow, or taking a late flight to Paris and catching the same flight to Slovenia tomorrow.  I told them to get me to fucking Paris.  They put us up in a hotel, but the AC was broken.

So those are my main experiences with delays. Well, Iberia rocks! I got a hotel room, lunch and dinner tonight, breakfast tomorrow, and a 6 minute long distance phone call.

The lady gave me directions to the hotel bus, and I started the airport trek again.  Back to the end of the terminal, down the escalators, tram, escalators, passport control.  I didn't think I was ever getting out of the airport. I was exhausted, covered in sweat, my feet and back hurt, and then the cute passport guy stamped my passport and winked at me and it was all better ;)  Gotta love the Spaniards.

It's been a long, crazy day Part 3

I get to the service desk and there's an automated number machine. You tell it why you're there and it spits out a number. There's no option for "missed flight" so I picked "customer service."  I mean, the other options were like handicap access and missing bags.

So I wait. And wait. Two American guys turn up who also missed the flight. We wait. And then their number gets called. Again, WTF!?!

I look at the machine to see if I need a different number, but no one else has really moved, so I keep waiting.  We've gone from 3 reps to 2 at the desk.

It took about 50 minutes to get my turn. The lady was very nice. But it took forever! Eventually the other rep left, 

and mine said I had all my stuff, but she was waiting for a callback because there was an error in my reservation. So I go sit back down again, this time only for about 10 minutes.

It's been a long, crazy day Part 2

So I make it to Madrid.  I'm on a little hopper plane.  We had to take an elevator to ground level, then hop a bus to drive us out to the plane, and walk up the plane's stairs.  And check our bags there, because the inside of the plane is so small.  Now we've got to do that in reverse.

We're basically on time, but that leaves me 1 hour to make my flight. Ready? Go!

I got up as soon as the plane stopped. Which took forever. We had to drive all over Madrid to get to our parking spot.  Eventually I get off the plane, but I've already missed the first bus.  I grab my bag and jump on the next one.

We drive all over and eventually are let out around K terminal.  I have to get to S terminal. So now the sprint starts. Walk all the way down to the end of the terminal, and then the giant escalators down to the tram. And then the giant escalators back up...to passport control?  WTF!?!

Apparently when you change from the 2 main terminals you go through passport control. Both ways.

So now I'm in a huge line at passport control. Get through there, take more escalators up, and my gate is at the end of the terminal. I fucking hate this airport.  Get to the gate and the doors are shut. The lady tells me and another guy to go to the service desk.

It's been a long, crazy day Part 1

It started out alright.  I got up early, finished packing, and got checked out.  My driver was on time and we made it to the airport.  That's where it got tricky.   

I had been unable to check-in online, so I had to find the Iberia counters.  Got my boarding passes and headed to security.  There was a long line, but it moved pretty well.  I made it through, and my hat wasn't there.  Then it came out of the scanner by itself, not in a bin, and my Burt's Bees was gone!  I had just opened it 2 days ago!  I told the guards and they looked but couldn't find it.  Thus began my search for some kind of chapstick, before my flight.

It was a new stick, but there was a smidge left in the old one, so I didn't throw it out.  It was somewhere in my suitcase.  I found a seat and tried to feel around for it, but couldn't find it.  So I opened the suitcase up completely and still couldn't find it.

I wandered through several tourist shops, asked at various tech and kid shops, and nobody had anything.  I went up and down the terminal until I finally found that damn news/candy shop that exists in every American airport.  And then I paid almost 5 Euros for some Carmex. Sigh.

Dogs Galore

One thing we noticed in Valencia was the dogs.  Everyone had a dog.  It's not quite as prevalent here, but there are a lot.  And not just small dogs either.  I've seen some lab and chow types.

The beach entry points have signs, showing either a dog or a dog with a red slash over it.  And in between are signs of a crouching dog, with a garbage can below.

I've seen numerous dogs in the outdoor seating at cafes. And some stores have bowls of water outside the front door.

It's nice to be in a dog friendly area.

Indian food!

Well, I had Indian food for lunch, and it almost killed me - in a good way!

I saw this place last night, after supper. It's called Punjabi, and it's about a block off the beach.

At lunch today I wandered over to see what they had.  I stopped at the sign and the waiter came over to me, speaking English.  It looked good, so I decided to eat there.

First course was papadams, with 3 different sauces/chutneys.  I asked if I could get naan instead of the papadams, but he decided I should get both.  Next was a little tidbits tray.  A piece of tandoori chicken, a piece of what looked like tempura chicken, and what looked like the filling for a samosa, in a flat shape with a crust.  

The waiter saw I hadn't really tried the chutneys, so he said I should try them all together.  He scooped a little of each onto my plate and mixed them all up.  I dunked the samasa-oid in it and it was pretty good!  Mint, a little sweet, a little hot.

Next was my main dish.  You had the choice of chicken, prawns, or lamb.  Anyone who knows me knows which one I had!  I got the King Prawn Curry! After I finished my tidbits, the waiter brought out a little bitty bowl of the curry for me to try, in case it was too hot or not spicy enough.  It was just right.

Then the prawns came out in a little metal pot on top of a heating element (I think), with an oval bowl of basmati, and 2 pieces of plain naan.  There were 8 prawns in there (yes, I counted, I'm a weirdo), and they weren't little shrimpy things.  I cut them in half for my curry.  There was also a lot of onions and some other stuff.  There was a hint of sweetness too, which I liked.

So I stuffed myself with curry and dunked my naan in it, too.  I sat for a while, then I finished my water and asked for the bill.  The waiter asked if I wanted coffee or ice cream.  I had totally forgotten about that!  So I had some vanilla ice cream with whipped cream on top and a spritz of cherry sauce or something.

I sat for a while after that too, then got the bill.  They brought it out with a bowl full of those little candy looking things and a shot of what I think was mango juice.  They also brought my leftovers out in a to go bag.

So, let's recap.  The plate of the day:

1) papadams

2) tidbits plate

3) chicken/shrimp/lamb curry/korma/whatever

4) basmati or naan

5) coffee or ice cream

Cost: 12.95 Euros.  Drinks were separate.  My bottled mineral water was 1.80 Euros.  

Total Cost was under 15 Euros.

I may go back in a few days!

Fanta

I have been dealt a low blow. I've been looking forward to getting some Fanta naranja.  It's orange Fanta made with real juice and it's awesome!

Went to the supermarket, and found diet Fanta and 45% less sugar Fanta.  The guy there said that was the normal one.  It's 45% less sugar because it's got aspartame!

Nooooooo!!!!!!!!

Breakfast

Ham: 1 Euro
Baguette: 45 cents
Breakfast: Priceless

Fauna

Note to self: do not lean over the balcony at dawn. That's when the bats are swooping around.

Hotel

It's been a long day.  I made it to Alicante.  I knew this was a tourist area, but damn!  Walked out of arrivals and there were about 20 people there, at least 15 holding signs.  And a man with a black lab. A couple of signs were for tour buses.

Didn't see my name so I followed instructions and walked another 20 feet to the kiosk.  A nice British lady was there.  She said my plane was early and my driver was on his way.

My driver took my bag and we went off in a big Mercedes van, which isn't quite as big a deal because this is Europe.  He was middle-aged and played an excellent 80s mix from his USB stick.  It was great!

We drove past Benidorm.  He said they have an excellent beach, but the Brits come in for 3 days and 3 nights and party.  Said he used to live there but had to move because it never shut down.

He recommended I visit a really cool church in Altea, the town next to Calpe, so I may try that. And said I had a really nice hotel.

Got checked in, then passed out for about 4 hours.  Got up with plenty of time to spare.  The hotel restaurant opens at 8 pm.  It was a buffet and it was okay. Got to make my own ensalada Valenciana!

Update

It is 9:37 am.  My flight leaves at 11:15 am.  According to the Departures sign, I will have gate info in 33 minutes.

Travel Tip

Nowadays, many of us use mobile boarding passes.  Quick tip - don't hit the back button just before you try to get on the plane, then hold up the line because you don't remember where you saved it, and then give them the one for your next connection so it doesn't scan.

I did let people go in front of me, but that was not fun.

Madrid Airport

I am not that fond of the Madrid Airport (sorry Madrid!).  When you arrive from outside the EU, you're at the "foreign" terminal.  You have to walk, and walk, and walk uphill, and that's just the freaking jetway!

Then there's a loooong hall with a bunch of moving sidewalks, to get to the escalators.  There's like 3 long escalators to get to the bottom floor.  Then you hit the customs line.

We got here around 7:30 am so it wasn't that bad.  Then a walk, and security again.  They have turnstile things where you scan your boarding pass, which helps. And I didn't have to take off my shoes.

So, security, where I got swiped for explosives.  I'm not sure if it's random or some weird sweat thing.  Then it's another long escalator down, to the tram. 

The waiting area was packed.  I had to wait for the 2nd train to come through.  Then it's up all those escalators to get to the main terminal. 

From here it splits off, assuming you know which terminal you need. If it's more than about 2 hours until your flight leaves, then it just says HJK, which are the 3 terminals on this side.

I have 3 hours, so I looked for food.  I stopped at this pastry/sandwich place and got an egg and bacon croissant.  It's not what you think. The bacon was more like ham cut off the bacon bits of the pig.  I took it off.   The egg was more like a really chunky egg salad/deviled egg.  It was pretty good!  Frank - I ate eggs and they didn't make me sick.

So now I'm on the backside if the K terminal, which is quieter because the gates are on the other side.

More later.

Flying

Well, it started off good.  Saw a few movies, had no trouble getting out of my seat to get to the restroom.  Then there was turbulence.

I've flown quite a bit, and been in some pretty good turbulence.  This wasn't even the worst, so I'm hoping something I ate was assisting. 

We went up and down, and side to side, and I got really nauseous.  I mean, I took the puke bag out of the seat pocket and had it open in my hand.  After a while I fell asleep and felt okay after I woke up - almost 3 hours later.  We were descending and there was a breakfast box on the tray next to me.

On the way!

Holy fucking crap!  I'm on my way to Madrid, then Alicante.  The plane is an A-350, and the very last row has 2 seats across instead of 3. So of course, I got the window side. And there's no one next to me! Wow!

Dinner was pork in gravy with mashed potatoes and zucchini.  Yum!  Then an orzo cold salad thing? And a roll and brownie. 

So far, so good.

Testing

Been a while. Just testing my phone.