And then...the ultimate last surprise...
By now Jenny and I were anxious to get to the airport and head to London. We were held up for quite some time outside the airport. Everything was shut down to accommodate the great Catholic world leader, Pope Benedict.
We inched closer only to find more roads closed and more people also anxiously awaiting.
It was getting dark. Our plane was to leave at 9 pm...
Bartosz finally succeeded in getting us within what normally would be considered a reasonable walking distance. We said our goodbyes and headed toward the airport with the rest of the crowd, suitcases and carry-ons in tow. We stood with a crowd outside the iron gates of the airport, listening to the fanfare and seeing the lights from the tarmack as the Polish people said their last goodbyes to the Pope.
We looked at each other and an odd feeling overwhelmed both of us. Such a large group of people, all waiting with suitcases and their belongings, waiting for the iron gates to open...it strangely seemed like a recent visit to Auschwitz! Even though logic dismisses it, obviously the visit had left a deep and lasting impression on us.
It was a bittersweet end. I would miss Bartosz and his kind and generous ways with us! But we were to meet another of Jenny's friends in London. That could only promise other new adventures!
We finally made it in and were able to somehow find a line to join hundreds of others. We waited and waited. And waited some more. 9 pm came and went and there we still stood. Announcements in Polish were impossible to catch...but something about a flight delay...no...what was that? Cancelled? CANCELLED??? WHAAAATTTTT???
Now, normally, my hardy experience in travel would kick in. Someone would get an earful and I would be on my way to a first class seat on the next plane out. Someone would be calling their boss before they were done with me.
But wait. I didn't speak the language, for starters. We were in the wrong line to find out what to do. Plus, this was RYAN AIR, the world's CHEAPEST airline I had ever encountered, and no, we hadn't bought the insurance! Things didn't really work the same way as what I was used to. PLUS, I was on vacation! I didn't really care to get upset and all worked up over ANYTHING!
All of this translated into a result that just wasn't quite expected. Yes, that's right, not only was our flight CANCELLED...we couldn't get out on another plane for...3 more days!!!!! You have GOT to be kidding!! Apparently, the next day was some type of holiday and the flights were all booked. All the flights the next 2 days were overbooked. Here we were...and our next flight after our London stay was to be to Barcelona- on Tuesday. !!!!!!!! If we missed that AND London...oh my. What a mess to our stair-step European itinerary.
After much discussion and explaining, the best they could come up with was a flight out of a town about 2 hours away, which would require a train trip at 4am into a town I couldn't even pronounce! And it wouldn't leave until Tuesday morning. What were we to do??? There was no direct flight to Barcelona from Krakow. We had to take a plane to London. Thankfully, at least this was an option that would work, albeit in a roundabout way.
Jenny and I always try to make the best of everything. Though we were a bit concerned about how to get from point A to point B...thankfully, Bartosz came to our rescue. We were able to find his cell phone and he came all the way back to the airport to retrieve us and our meager belongings. Exhausted and tired, he found room for us in his spare bedroom to bunk down for the night. We would figure the rest out tomorrow....
PS, ours was the ONLY flight cancelled out of all the flights leaving Krakow that day. Well, I guess I didn't have to be sad to leave Krakow, at least for a little longer!
We inched closer only to find more roads closed and more people also anxiously awaiting.
It was getting dark. Our plane was to leave at 9 pm...
Bartosz finally succeeded in getting us within what normally would be considered a reasonable walking distance. We said our goodbyes and headed toward the airport with the rest of the crowd, suitcases and carry-ons in tow. We stood with a crowd outside the iron gates of the airport, listening to the fanfare and seeing the lights from the tarmack as the Polish people said their last goodbyes to the Pope.
We looked at each other and an odd feeling overwhelmed both of us. Such a large group of people, all waiting with suitcases and their belongings, waiting for the iron gates to open...it strangely seemed like a recent visit to Auschwitz! Even though logic dismisses it, obviously the visit had left a deep and lasting impression on us.
It was a bittersweet end. I would miss Bartosz and his kind and generous ways with us! But we were to meet another of Jenny's friends in London. That could only promise other new adventures!
We finally made it in and were able to somehow find a line to join hundreds of others. We waited and waited. And waited some more. 9 pm came and went and there we still stood. Announcements in Polish were impossible to catch...but something about a flight delay...no...what was that? Cancelled? CANCELLED??? WHAAAATTTTT???
Now, normally, my hardy experience in travel would kick in. Someone would get an earful and I would be on my way to a first class seat on the next plane out. Someone would be calling their boss before they were done with me.
But wait. I didn't speak the language, for starters. We were in the wrong line to find out what to do. Plus, this was RYAN AIR, the world's CHEAPEST airline I had ever encountered, and no, we hadn't bought the insurance! Things didn't really work the same way as what I was used to. PLUS, I was on vacation! I didn't really care to get upset and all worked up over ANYTHING!
All of this translated into a result that just wasn't quite expected. Yes, that's right, not only was our flight CANCELLED...we couldn't get out on another plane for...3 more days!!!!! You have GOT to be kidding!! Apparently, the next day was some type of holiday and the flights were all booked. All the flights the next 2 days were overbooked. Here we were...and our next flight after our London stay was to be to Barcelona- on Tuesday. !!!!!!!! If we missed that AND London...oh my. What a mess to our stair-step European itinerary.
After much discussion and explaining, the best they could come up with was a flight out of a town about 2 hours away, which would require a train trip at 4am into a town I couldn't even pronounce! And it wouldn't leave until Tuesday morning. What were we to do??? There was no direct flight to Barcelona from Krakow. We had to take a plane to London. Thankfully, at least this was an option that would work, albeit in a roundabout way.
Jenny and I always try to make the best of everything. Though we were a bit concerned about how to get from point A to point B...thankfully, Bartosz came to our rescue. We were able to find his cell phone and he came all the way back to the airport to retrieve us and our meager belongings. Exhausted and tired, he found room for us in his spare bedroom to bunk down for the night. We would figure the rest out tomorrow....
PS, ours was the ONLY flight cancelled out of all the flights leaving Krakow that day. Well, I guess I didn't have to be sad to leave Krakow, at least for a little longer!
posted by Gluten Free Gourmet at 9:22 PM
1 Comments:
Finally I got to fully focus on your "adventure within the adventure!" What a story! Oh how we can turn lemons into lemonade if we choose to! It's great to be sharing a part of your life adventure as we travel "together."
B & P
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