(no subject)
Day 24 - 31 October 2008
I woke at 5:15, showered, and headed out. The hotel reception was supposed to be 24 hours and I was supposed to get my 10 euro deposit back for my key, but when I went downstairs, it was locked and no one was there so I left the key and said goodbye to my 10 euros. I hopped on the tram to take it to Centrale. We were on the street heading to Centrale when an ATM employee told the driver a girl had been run over by a car and the street was closed. So, he turned to the left. Most of the people got off and walked, but I figured he'd just have to go down a few blocks and come back up. I didn't want to walk with all my luggage. He kept getting further and further away and seemed to have no idea where he was going since he kept asking people for directions. I was already going to miss the 2nd bus that would get me to the airport on time. Finally, I saw a metro station and I got off. But then I had to wait 10 minutes for a train. It was only one stop, I noticed later, that I could've walked in less than 10 minutes. I got to the bus station to watch the bus drive away. I asked a taxi driver the price to Malpensa and he said 17 euros but he's already got a customer. I asked another and the guy said take the bus. I said it already left and he asked me my flight time. I told him and he said take the next bus, it leave in 5 minutes (not really true, but close). I got on the 6:50 bus that would take an hour with traffic to the airport for an 8:45 plane. I pushed by a lady on the bus (who bitched, but I didn't care) to go up to the departures. The monitor said check in at desk 6 but I didn't see anyone there. I asked an employee and he said yes, desk 6. I went back and saw that all the way at the end there was one lady there. I checked in and had to bring my bag to another place to leave it (for security, I guess). I walked quickly to security and got through with about 10 minutes to spare so I grabbed something to eat, and made it on the plane about second to last.
I arrived in Dusseldorf and went to claim my bag. I went to the bathroom first, and when I came out, there was only 1 bag left on the belt and it wasn't mine. Then a few minutes later, the belt stopped. My bag wasn't there. I went to the AirBerlin lost baggage office and filed a claim. They said that if they find it and it makes it to Dusseldorf before my flight (in 3 hours) it'll be on it with me. I went up to the departures area and waited to check in for my flight to Miami. I was sitting next to a British soldier--A.K.--who had missed his flight home for his last leave before shipping off to Iraq on November 11th. Needless to say, he was angry. Every single second counts for him because it may be the last time he ever sees his friends and family. He looked at me to spark a conversation and says, "I missed my flight." "They lost my bag." "Life isn't easy. YnahImean?" We chatted a bit about the military and bring a soldier. He showed me pictures of him and his mates and told me about what he does. He's the one behind that large gun on top of the humvee. I told him he's the first one that gets picked off by the snipers and he said whatever happens, it happens for a reason. He bought me a cup of tea and we chatted until it looked like time for me to check in and head through security. The reason he missed his flight was because of being held up at security, so I didn't want to do the same thing. He took a picture of me as I was walking towards him after trying to call Jose and that picture and my name are all he knows of me. I was glad to have met him because I always have such a great amount of respect and gratefulness for those in the armed services. I said goodbye to him and wished him luck and told him I hope he makes it home safely from Iraq.
I went through security and got to my gate. I called Jose again but the lazy bum never woke up to the phone so I left him a message and got on the plane. I spent the whole 9 hour flight listening to this girl talk to anyone who would listen about this guy she moved to Germany with and how awful he treated her and blah blah blah. You moved with someone to a foreign country after knowing him 3 months, wtf do you expect. I didn't sleep at all. I watched 27 dresses and What Happens in Vegas without the sound because I didn't have earphones. I got the point and even read some lips from time to time. The plane info screen kept saying we'd arrive in Miami at 5:45, but once it got to be 5:30 and we were about as far away as Atlanta, I realized they assumed we turned our clocks back like everyone else the previous weekend. I wish I could've been in Jose's arms an hour sooner, but he wasn't going to be at the airport until 7:30. We landed at 6:45 and I called him and he was parking. I went through passport control and waited to see if my bag made it on the flight. Once all the bags stopped coming out, I figured it didn't make it. Too bad because it meant I couldn't give Jose his surprise tonight. I went through Customs and came out to see him waiting for me. It felt so good to be back in his arms. We savored the moment for a while and then headed north. We stopped at the place in Pompano that his teacher plays music at on Friday nights to eat. We chatted with him and the band for a bit before heading north. By the time I shaved my legs for the first time in almost 4 weeks, it was midnight, meaning I'd been up for 24 hours. But, of course, after so much time away from him, I didn't want to sleep.
I woke at 5:15, showered, and headed out. The hotel reception was supposed to be 24 hours and I was supposed to get my 10 euro deposit back for my key, but when I went downstairs, it was locked and no one was there so I left the key and said goodbye to my 10 euros. I hopped on the tram to take it to Centrale. We were on the street heading to Centrale when an ATM employee told the driver a girl had been run over by a car and the street was closed. So, he turned to the left. Most of the people got off and walked, but I figured he'd just have to go down a few blocks and come back up. I didn't want to walk with all my luggage. He kept getting further and further away and seemed to have no idea where he was going since he kept asking people for directions. I was already going to miss the 2nd bus that would get me to the airport on time. Finally, I saw a metro station and I got off. But then I had to wait 10 minutes for a train. It was only one stop, I noticed later, that I could've walked in less than 10 minutes. I got to the bus station to watch the bus drive away. I asked a taxi driver the price to Malpensa and he said 17 euros but he's already got a customer. I asked another and the guy said take the bus. I said it already left and he asked me my flight time. I told him and he said take the next bus, it leave in 5 minutes (not really true, but close). I got on the 6:50 bus that would take an hour with traffic to the airport for an 8:45 plane. I pushed by a lady on the bus (who bitched, but I didn't care) to go up to the departures. The monitor said check in at desk 6 but I didn't see anyone there. I asked an employee and he said yes, desk 6. I went back and saw that all the way at the end there was one lady there. I checked in and had to bring my bag to another place to leave it (for security, I guess). I walked quickly to security and got through with about 10 minutes to spare so I grabbed something to eat, and made it on the plane about second to last.
I arrived in Dusseldorf and went to claim my bag. I went to the bathroom first, and when I came out, there was only 1 bag left on the belt and it wasn't mine. Then a few minutes later, the belt stopped. My bag wasn't there. I went to the AirBerlin lost baggage office and filed a claim. They said that if they find it and it makes it to Dusseldorf before my flight (in 3 hours) it'll be on it with me. I went up to the departures area and waited to check in for my flight to Miami. I was sitting next to a British soldier--A.K.--who had missed his flight home for his last leave before shipping off to Iraq on November 11th. Needless to say, he was angry. Every single second counts for him because it may be the last time he ever sees his friends and family. He looked at me to spark a conversation and says, "I missed my flight." "They lost my bag." "Life isn't easy. YnahImean?" We chatted a bit about the military and bring a soldier. He showed me pictures of him and his mates and told me about what he does. He's the one behind that large gun on top of the humvee. I told him he's the first one that gets picked off by the snipers and he said whatever happens, it happens for a reason. He bought me a cup of tea and we chatted until it looked like time for me to check in and head through security. The reason he missed his flight was because of being held up at security, so I didn't want to do the same thing. He took a picture of me as I was walking towards him after trying to call Jose and that picture and my name are all he knows of me. I was glad to have met him because I always have such a great amount of respect and gratefulness for those in the armed services. I said goodbye to him and wished him luck and told him I hope he makes it home safely from Iraq.
I went through security and got to my gate. I called Jose again but the lazy bum never woke up to the phone so I left him a message and got on the plane. I spent the whole 9 hour flight listening to this girl talk to anyone who would listen about this guy she moved to Germany with and how awful he treated her and blah blah blah. You moved with someone to a foreign country after knowing him 3 months, wtf do you expect. I didn't sleep at all. I watched 27 dresses and What Happens in Vegas without the sound because I didn't have earphones. I got the point and even read some lips from time to time. The plane info screen kept saying we'd arrive in Miami at 5:45, but once it got to be 5:30 and we were about as far away as Atlanta, I realized they assumed we turned our clocks back like everyone else the previous weekend. I wish I could've been in Jose's arms an hour sooner, but he wasn't going to be at the airport until 7:30. We landed at 6:45 and I called him and he was parking. I went through passport control and waited to see if my bag made it on the flight. Once all the bags stopped coming out, I figured it didn't make it. Too bad because it meant I couldn't give Jose his surprise tonight. I went through Customs and came out to see him waiting for me. It felt so good to be back in his arms. We savored the moment for a while and then headed north. We stopped at the place in Pompano that his teacher plays music at on Friday nights to eat. We chatted with him and the band for a bit before heading north. By the time I shaved my legs for the first time in almost 4 weeks, it was midnight, meaning I'd been up for 24 hours. But, of course, after so much time away from him, I didn't want to sleep.