Travelers Regrets
I really don't want to do this kind of thing ever again. Out of 32 days away, I have 6 airplane travel days, 4 car travel days, 2 bus travel days, for a total of 12 travel days. Over 1/3 of my time is spent in travel. Also, I spent 3 nights in Vienna, 1 night in Tirana, Albania, 2 nights in Korce, Albania, 2 nights in Bilisht, Albania, 1 night back in Tirana, 3 nights in Stuttgart, 1 night in Prague, 14 blessed nights at camp where I did not have to repack my suitcase, 2 nights in Prague again, and 1 more night in Vienna.
Tired yet? I didn't really sleep well until I went to Stuttgart, and then camp.
And did I mention I hate travel days?
It started out auspiciously: I forgot my sunglasses. So I bought some at the Pasco airport. Boarded my flight to Minneapolis and landed without issue.
Then the flight to Paris was delayed, and delayed, and delayed... And finally canceled. It seems that no one wanted to fly with am oil leak, including the pilot. I was rescheduled for the next day. Now I have 7 flight days, and the three nights on Vienna turned into one night in Minneapolis and 2 in Vienna.
Woke up the next morning to find my flight to (now Amsterdam) had already been delayed by 2 hours. (are we paranoid yet?). But it was due to weather 2 days before, making the crew late.
Arrived in Vienna to no luggage. But Austrian airlines have me a nifty travel pack with Toothbrush, paste, soap, shaving cream, tampons, and a white t-shirt. About 22 hours later, I emailed them asking where my suitcase was. They found it in the Swissair holding area. I got it just in time to repack it to go to Tirana, this time with 4 pair of socks and underwear and 3 shirts in my carryon.
Arrived in Tirana with luggage (excitedly! But it's only one flight so...). Arrived in Korce to find my new sunglasses (remember them?) already broken.
Side note: Do not rent a car in Tirana unless you are experienced at aggressive driving. Which our driver is, so we all survived. As well as the car.
Back in Tirana, I looked at my flight to Stuttgart, and discovered I had one hour to change planes in Vienna... Coming back into the EU. That means passport control. Luckily, our flight took off 10 minutes early. But I also had to get off the plane and board a bus to the terminal, climb up stairs... And passport control was really easy. I boarded another bus to the correct terminal. There I had to go through security again, where they tagged my nail file as a possible knife. I hustled to my gate, to find no one boarding. I thought I'd missed the plane. But it was delayed 2 hours to check the engine out because it hit a bird on the way in. I think that's the only reason I made the flight.
Side note: even the larger planes can fly with only one engine... But they don't take off like that just in case they hit another bird.
Three great nights in Stuttgart with my German girl and her family, in which I actually slept. And a nice boring pair of flights to Prague, where a friend met me at the airport to show me how to get to my hotel by transit so I'm not being gypped by taxi drivers.
Only one night in Prague, but the next day is a bus ride to camp, and I won't lose my luggage. Except I almost left my carryon with the bus.
After 14 days at camp with 12-15 year olds with the occasional older kid, I boarded a bus to Prague and spent 2 more days there. At this point I wished I had booked flights in and out of Prague instead of Vienna, but it's too late now. So, one more night in Vienna at the hotel airport, which at least had great food and an elevator system where you choose your floor before getting on, and it takes you there without stopping for more passengers.
Looking at my flight home, I'm getting really nervous about the 1 hour 25-minute layover in Amsterdam, where I officially exit the EU. The stewardess assures me it is not a problem. I told her it would be a fitting end to this trip, staying an extra night in Amsterdam. I had packed all my clean underwear and 2 mostly clean shirts in my carryon, just in case.
It wasn't actually a problem, as long as I peed on the airplane (in the bathroom, guys!!). I traveled long corridors and wound up in a crowd of people awaiting passport control. The saving grace was that there are people moving short layovers to the front of the line so they can actually catch their flight. But, by the time I qualified to move to the front of the line, I was already there (and had to wait for a few people with even shorter layovers). When I found my gate (by hurrying through more long corridors, and I don't hurry so fast anymore!) I boarded the plane.
My luggage didn't make it. After spending a good 15 minutes (and those numbers increase every time I talk about it) waiting for it in Seattle, the helpful agent told me it was still in Amsterdam. Oh well, at least I can skip baggage claim in Pasco.
In Pasco, the agent said it was due to come in on the flight the Wednesday, but when I went to the airport the suitcase was still in Amsterdam. So now we filed an official claim form. When the flight was due in today, I waited with baited breath, but they never called OR emailed that it was there. (To be fair, they may have texted the land line.) So I called them, but the phone number given didn't work. Then I called the 800 number for Delta, fearing that the suitcase was lost forever. (Which is how I've been acting all day. I even started to list the contents, but I just erased that file!) That agent put me through to the desk in Pasco, and the helpful man there said it was there, and the office was closing in 20 minutes. That is exactly how much time it takes to get to the airport IF it isn't rush hour, which is was. But it's summer. AND I GOT ALL ELEVEN LIGHTS in Richland, and 3 of the 4 in Pasco. I got there exactly at 6 so the guy didn't have to work too late.
That trip is now officially over.
posted by Marion @ 6:46 PM
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