Travel Hell and Lifelines

Day 2 at the airport consisted of a lot of awkward napping, people watching and mindless zombie like window shopping. Having the shops and cafes open made the time pass much quicker. The free wifi was also a great tool. As I was still on standby it was unclear when I would be leaving for Madrid. By browsing travel sites I noticed that “my” flight was now available for sale. I felt a little sick to my stomach that they would attempt selling the seats before rewarding them to the standbys stranded in Limbo.

When I saw the post I marched right over to the Customer Service desk and demanded a ticket. I had no intention of backing down; I was getting on that plane! The woman behind the desk finally caved and gave me an official boarding pass.

Around noon I sat at a chain called Vino Vollo for a glass of wine and some cheese I spent some time listening to my audiobook and wrote a little bit about my experience.

Before long it was time to board. The flight was completely packed, but I didn’t mind. We took our seats and waited to leave the gate. An hour later the same Irish accent came over the announcer to let us know that our flight had been delayed AGAIN due to another wave of storms on the coast.

Another hour passed before they offered a solution of rerouting our flight southward to avoid the storms. This would require more fuel; we would have to wait for the necessary forms to be filed and the fuel truck to arrive. Moments later lightning struck near the grounds which added an additional 30 minutes on to our wait.

Eventually the truck arrived. We were fueled and ready to go, that is, until another plane in Taxi broke down behind us and blocked our path.

3 hours passed like they had the night before. With 60 minutes left on the clock before losing our flight again the captain proclaimed our departure. As the cart towing us to the run way pulled us out I felt a sense of relief. Until we found that the bar connecting the plane and tugcart were stuck…

I directed my attention to a book. When I looked up again we were taking off. I wonder how things could have been worse; I half expected the plane to burst into flames.

I woke up in Madrid. Customs were a breeze, but baggage claim took almost 2 hours. I was just happy that my entire luggage made the connection.

I wheeled myself towards the atms to sacar Euros. I was beyond ready to leave when I saw DENIED flash over the screen. I tried multiple atms and for various amounts, nothing. I planned to sue the money for a personal remis/shuttle. The clerk attempted to run my cards as well with no such luck.

I found myself without access to funds and a huge cart of luggage.  I knew I needed to get in touch with my family, and fast, before their flight left for Oregon. I was crying and had to beg people for change. Eventually I gathered enough to purchase 30 minutes of internet access. It was starting to feel like a game show, I needed lifelines immediately.

Luckily my parents were available and tried to call the bank, which was closed for the weekend. Before I timed out I scratched down my dad’s credit card # and rushed back to the desk. The clerk at the shuttle station was very helpful and was able to successful process the $20 shuttle fee.

Before long I was standing in Arturo’s air-conditioned apartment. I was so happy to be out of the airport. I showered and passed out for 4 hours.

When I woke I resumed my attempts to contact my bank. I was getting hungry, and cranky. It became clear that my bank wouldn’t be able to do much until Monday. I understand that they want to protect their customers from fraud abroad, but a little customer support on the weekends would be nice.

Looking through my wallet I noticed my debit card for my joint act with Stu. I called him through Skype, he came right to my rescue and put enough funds in my act to tide me over until Monday or Tuesday. I don’t know what I would of done without his help or the support of my family.

I was able to get some euros. After everything I am pretty wiped. But I know it will get better soon. I went for a walk and bought a baguette and cheese.  While walking the aisles I saw a few old friends.

On the way home I stopped for a glass of wine and to get a feel for my neighborhood. I’m still not sure where I am in the city, but I have some time to figure things out.  It started raining, which makes me feel better about going to bed early. I hope to get an early start tomorrow and do some exploring. Maybe I’ll have some coffee on the terrace and read a guide book to Madrid.

Here’s to hoping that the hard stuff is over. I’m glad I survived, and I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way!