When I finally got to Madrid (and my bags as well), I said goodbye to my friends from Sevilla and left baggage claim. Waiting outside I found Cristina, Raul, and Sam!!! From that point on, things really started looking up. We were staying with Raul in his apartment, eating Raul's food (when we werent going out), and riding around to see the city in Raul's car with Raul's gas money. I dont know if Ive made it clear yet, but Raul really did so much for us, and we really appreciate it (Sam and I both).
We visited with Raul's family often and went out to eat with Cristina's. Both families were so good to us and as we were with them on the days of the Three Kings, both families bought us gifts! I got an awesome scarf and a new wallet from Madrid (both things I really needed!) and Sam got two new toboggans (Sam was always wearing a toboggan, which is unusual in Madrid, and so both families thought he needed another to add to his collection). The day of the Three Kings was incredible with both families. Spanish hospitality rivals if not surpasses that of the South.
The Spanish schedule is very different, to say the least. As it turns out, Spaniards generally eat dinner at 9 or 10 at night. Then when they go out, they generally go out after midnight or later. Getting used to this and the 6 hour time difference proved difficult to say the least. The way our days worked while we were in Madrid were like this: Because it was the holiday season, most people didnt have to work instead went out at night. We would leave the house around 11 or later and eat with friends. Then we would go out to dance until 3 or later. I havent gotten to the point to where I can handle more yet, but most Spaniards stay out far later. When the clubs close at 2 or three in the states, the bars are just filling up in Spain. Some stay open until 7 or 8 in the morning. Needless to say, I have yet to see the morning in Madrid. All I know of the city I know through the evening and night hours. Im still not certain the sun comes up in Madrid at all. It doesnt help that the blinds in Spain are not nearly as ineffective as our own in the states. These mean business. They are heavy blinds that are let down on the outside by an inside pulley-like system. They block all sunlight, regardless of the time of day. So when you stay out until the late hours of the dawn, you can sleep until the late hours of the afternoon and never be the wiser.
Madrid was an incredible entrance to the country. Check out the photos on Facebook.
domingo, 24 de enero de 2010
sábado, 16 de enero de 2010
Entrance to Spain
I left home with plenty of time to arrive in Charlotte 3 hours before my flights take-off. I had spoken with Sam Dowell's Dad the night before and he had warned me that if I was delayed for too long I would miss my connection in Philadelphia and would then have to wait a day to get to Spain (He works at the Charlotte airport). I certainly didnt want to delay in getting to Spain and I was meeting Sam in Philadelphia to fly over together so the thought of missing my connection sounded awful. For those of you who dont know, Sam went with me for the first few days to see Madrid and enjoy Spain. Well, arriving in Charlotte well before I needed to, I sought to catch an earlier flight to Philadelphia so as to make sure that I was there for my connection without problem.
Nope.
I couldnt get another flight. Then, my crew was delayed somehow and so we had to wait for an hour and twenty minutes before we finally took off. My layover in Philadelphia was an hour and a half. When we landed in Philadelphia, I was immediately on the phone with Sam. Seeing as he was getting his flight for free through his dad, he had to make sure he was on that flight and so had arrived much earlier in the day. We actually saw each other from the windows of our planes. Unfortunately, that was all we saw of each other that day. There was another plane in our gate and so we had to wait. We pulled into our gate just in time for me to watch my plane for Spain take off with Sam inside. As I excited the plane, an assistant told me that I had been put onto a plane headed for Heathrow and that if I ran I could make it, transfer to Madrid from there and my luggage would arrive the next day. I would arrive only two hours after Sam. I grabbed my bags and ran for the gate. The gate was on the other side of the airport and I had 15 minutes to get there. I was sweating like crazy as I pulled my carry-on bag and held my computer bag. The flight left at 9:15 and I made it to the gate at 9:10.
Nope.
They closed the doors as I rounded the corner and told me that the doors had been closed and there was nothing they could do. It left on time. Early even. I was directed to a service desk where I found my first good luck of the trip. There were a number of Spanish families at the desk who also wanted to get to Madrid but were to be put up just like me. Since the vocabulary of airport trouble isn't the first vocabulary you learn as a student of languages, they were having a bit of trouble understanding the worker who should no signs of speaking slower to help them understand. I spoke with one of the teenagers there who then asked me if I would help to translate. It took 2 hours to get all the families through the line. When we finally got through, I learned I was staying at the same hotel with one family whose daughter, Jesica, and I had become quick friends. They were natives of Buenos Aires and had moved to Spain a number of years back. We all called the hotels and arranged for a transport. Arriving pretty late, we all went straight to bed. The next morning we all ate breakfast together before the family was picked up by the fathers brother who lived in NY. I told them I would go visit Philadelphia as I had never seen it before. I told them I would find a locker at the airport so that I wouldnt have to lug my luggage through the city by myself.
Nope.
As it turns out, there are no more lockers at the airport since 9/11. Being alone and having until 9 that night to wait until my flight, I decided I was going anyway. I found a train that went into downtown and took my luggage with me. I arrived in downtown and began walking, luggage rolling behind and computer bag on my shoulder. After about two hours of walking, I found a tour of the city for another two hours for pretty cheap. They even took me back to the airport afterwards. Philadelphia is a nice place. I suggest you go sometime. Not like I did though.
I got back to the airport around 4 and quickly began waiting for my 9pm flight. I met back up the spanish families and really enjoyed talking with them, feeling as though I wasnt missing anything because I was surrounded by Spanish right there. After hours and sitting and chatting, we boarded the plane. Being a nine o'clock flight, we took off right at nine without any problems.
Nope.
The plane had mechanical problems. We waited for three hours on the plane before they told us that we would have to switch planes. We went back into the terminal and waited for two hours before the new plane was cleaned and ready. We boarded the second plane and finally took off. I was one day and six hours delayed in arriving to Madrid. My luggage was one day and seven 1/2 hours delayed in arriving to the same place. Luckily I have fantastic friends (Cristina and Raul) who waited for me patiently (several times) as they watched the planes scheduled arrival times change. When I finally left the airport, my new friends offered me a place to stay in Sevilla if I could ever make it there from Leon, a ten hour bus ride. After all Ive been through, I will absolutely do it. It will be my rationalization for why I had to put up with such a crazy time at the airport. The trip has not started as I had hoped, but I am determined to make it work.
PS- US airways said they were sorry and gave me 5000 miles to use within the next year.
See you soon.
Nope.
I couldnt get another flight. Then, my crew was delayed somehow and so we had to wait for an hour and twenty minutes before we finally took off. My layover in Philadelphia was an hour and a half. When we landed in Philadelphia, I was immediately on the phone with Sam. Seeing as he was getting his flight for free through his dad, he had to make sure he was on that flight and so had arrived much earlier in the day. We actually saw each other from the windows of our planes. Unfortunately, that was all we saw of each other that day. There was another plane in our gate and so we had to wait. We pulled into our gate just in time for me to watch my plane for Spain take off with Sam inside. As I excited the plane, an assistant told me that I had been put onto a plane headed for Heathrow and that if I ran I could make it, transfer to Madrid from there and my luggage would arrive the next day. I would arrive only two hours after Sam. I grabbed my bags and ran for the gate. The gate was on the other side of the airport and I had 15 minutes to get there. I was sweating like crazy as I pulled my carry-on bag and held my computer bag. The flight left at 9:15 and I made it to the gate at 9:10.
Nope.
They closed the doors as I rounded the corner and told me that the doors had been closed and there was nothing they could do. It left on time. Early even. I was directed to a service desk where I found my first good luck of the trip. There were a number of Spanish families at the desk who also wanted to get to Madrid but were to be put up just like me. Since the vocabulary of airport trouble isn't the first vocabulary you learn as a student of languages, they were having a bit of trouble understanding the worker who should no signs of speaking slower to help them understand. I spoke with one of the teenagers there who then asked me if I would help to translate. It took 2 hours to get all the families through the line. When we finally got through, I learned I was staying at the same hotel with one family whose daughter, Jesica, and I had become quick friends. They were natives of Buenos Aires and had moved to Spain a number of years back. We all called the hotels and arranged for a transport. Arriving pretty late, we all went straight to bed. The next morning we all ate breakfast together before the family was picked up by the fathers brother who lived in NY. I told them I would go visit Philadelphia as I had never seen it before. I told them I would find a locker at the airport so that I wouldnt have to lug my luggage through the city by myself.
Nope.
As it turns out, there are no more lockers at the airport since 9/11. Being alone and having until 9 that night to wait until my flight, I decided I was going anyway. I found a train that went into downtown and took my luggage with me. I arrived in downtown and began walking, luggage rolling behind and computer bag on my shoulder. After about two hours of walking, I found a tour of the city for another two hours for pretty cheap. They even took me back to the airport afterwards. Philadelphia is a nice place. I suggest you go sometime. Not like I did though.
I got back to the airport around 4 and quickly began waiting for my 9pm flight. I met back up the spanish families and really enjoyed talking with them, feeling as though I wasnt missing anything because I was surrounded by Spanish right there. After hours and sitting and chatting, we boarded the plane. Being a nine o'clock flight, we took off right at nine without any problems.
Nope.
The plane had mechanical problems. We waited for three hours on the plane before they told us that we would have to switch planes. We went back into the terminal and waited for two hours before the new plane was cleaned and ready. We boarded the second plane and finally took off. I was one day and six hours delayed in arriving to Madrid. My luggage was one day and seven 1/2 hours delayed in arriving to the same place. Luckily I have fantastic friends (Cristina and Raul) who waited for me patiently (several times) as they watched the planes scheduled arrival times change. When I finally left the airport, my new friends offered me a place to stay in Sevilla if I could ever make it there from Leon, a ten hour bus ride. After all Ive been through, I will absolutely do it. It will be my rationalization for why I had to put up with such a crazy time at the airport. The trip has not started as I had hoped, but I am determined to make it work.
PS- US airways said they were sorry and gave me 5000 miles to use within the next year.
See you soon.
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