Traveller’s notes, or listening/not listening to the stars :)
It happened in February. I was going to go to Sweden, and just a day before saw in an ‘astrological forecast’ that for me that day (when I was supposed to go) is bad for travelling, there will be many complicated moments, but on the other hand, very interesting meetings are expected to take place. Well, I thought, I have the tickets, and I’m going anyway, besides, these forecasts, if not made specially for you, are either very approximate or just funny if not stupid J
So next day, while sitting in the airport, a lady approached me and asked whether I’m flying to Stockholm. She was going there herself and just had noticed that the gate was changed. In the plane we were sitting together and chatting J, so I got to know that she’s Spanish, lives in Riga for several years, speaks Spanish, French and Latvian, but not English. While we were chatting, I noticed that the sun regularly appears in the window from the right; besides, it looked like we were going to be late. Obviously, we were just flying around Stockholm: one circle, another, one more etc. Noone told what’s going on, and after an hour of going round the crew’s member informed that we were going to land in another airport! It didn’t matter for me, but my companion had another flight, so she had to get to her destination somehow…
After we landed we were sitting in the plane for nearly one more hour waiting for the bus to transport us from the plane to the airport. There we found out that my companion’s luggage was actually lost… and we were running here and there trying to clarify what happened and what she actually had to do. By that time the free bus which was supposed to take people to another airport had left, and there was no any direct buses/trains between them. To go through the city could take more than 2 hours, and it was exactly the time left until her flight. Taking taxi on the other hand was expensive, and still there was nothing clear with the luggage. All that time I kept sending sms to my friend who was waiting for me in Stockholm, informing her that I would be late, and don’t know for how long J Finally we found a taxi for my companion (2 hours before the plane had to depart! Risky..), and then I left for the city, leaving my warm gloves somewhere on my way.
The first thing I did after arrival was buying a ticket to Uppsala, where I had to go afterwards. The train was leaving after an hour, so I met with my friend, we went to a café nearby for a cup of tea, chatted, and when I suddenly looked at my watch I found out that only 6 minutes were left until the train’s departure… You had to see how we were running - my friend in her high-heel shoes and me with my bag! Such a marathon! And we came... precisely one minute after the train left… Well, I bought another ticket, for a train which was leaving in an hour, and then we went back to the city to buy me warm gloves as it was really cold, and to see some other things.. Then I suddenly looked at my watch and I found out that only 10 minutes were left until the train’s departure! 10 minutes were obviously better than 6, so we repeated the marathon with the same speed J and yes! - we were in time! The moment I jumped into the train and sat down it had left! Not bad, eh? I can conclude that in a train I met a Russian girl from Uppsala (she was married to a Swedish guy), who said it was a bit late for the excursion around the town, and when I arrived I had to wait for half an hour at the station for the person who was supposed to meet me.
So friends, in order not to advertise any sites here I won’t tell you the name of the one which provides quite useful and logical forecasts ;) It was just.. funny, how it all went.
I can only add that my travel companion reached her destination safely, got her luggage in a day or two, and then we met in Riga: she kindly was helping me to revive my almost-forgotten Spanish, and I was trying to help her coping with exercises in English J
Current music: smth by Jason Mraz, smth by Tindersticks, + 'There Must Be Another Way' by Noa&Mira Awad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKBI28Caw5w