Tears in Gatwick
Things are never that easy. I should have known that by now!
At first the airport seemed like a sweet English paradise. Sure, I could not find a workig bank machine and wandered around the entire terminal with my swervy luggage cart (this was the second one I had tried and I was NOT moving luggage carts again). Sure, the chicken tenders I ordered (which were not easy to order, since the waited did not understand 'chicken fingers' or 'chicken stripe') were rather pathetic and there were only 2 for the 4Pounds20p. Sure, the free showers were filthy and I did not have a towel, and my only pair of relatively-clean socks had fallen into a shower-puddle.
Still, I managed to find an unoccupied bench, and lying there with wet, clean hair in mostly-clean clothes (the socks were safely hidden in the shoes) I felt pretty good.
I napped for a bit, and then walked around watching the people and eating a popsicle I had bought.
I even managed to find a huge armchair outside one of the closed coffee shops where I sat down, preparing to read and not move until I had to.
I reached for my book and opened it and realized that I had not seen my Camera Memory Card When I Bought the Popsicle!
Oh, no! It had been in my purse. I checked, and yes, it was gone. Half of my pictures, The body casts in Ponpeii! The gun/pet store in Naples! Sorrento, Antwerp, Munich, Baden, Vienna - Gone!
I asked everyone, everywere. Noone had seen the card. While I pushed the cart around, asking, the bag containing a statue I hd bought in the Antique Market in Budapest fell off and shattered.
While I filled out a report my travel pillow also disappeared.
Tears. (Though I can get a new travel pillow)
Finally, I sat near the airport check-gate and refused to move until they let me check in. It was still4.5 hours before check in and the desk was not yet open, however I told them that I was not leaving this spot until my bags were safely taken.
The only good thing about standing near the check-in gate at 5:30 am for almost an hour was that I was the first to check in. Strangely enough, my shrink-wrapped bag which weighed 15.5Kilos in Budapest, weighed 20.1 Kilos here. Someone had bad scales.
I had to wear a lot of my clothes.
I asked for a window seat in the EMERGENCY aisle, so I would get more leg room. Sure, sure. I insisted - WAS it the emergency aisle? Sure, sure.
There was no emergency aisle. I HATE being trapped by the window.
Soon I will phone the airport to see if anyone turned in my cards, but I doubt I will be that lucky.
At first the airport seemed like a sweet English paradise. Sure, I could not find a workig bank machine and wandered around the entire terminal with my swervy luggage cart (this was the second one I had tried and I was NOT moving luggage carts again). Sure, the chicken tenders I ordered (which were not easy to order, since the waited did not understand 'chicken fingers' or 'chicken stripe') were rather pathetic and there were only 2 for the 4Pounds20p. Sure, the free showers were filthy and I did not have a towel, and my only pair of relatively-clean socks had fallen into a shower-puddle.
Still, I managed to find an unoccupied bench, and lying there with wet, clean hair in mostly-clean clothes (the socks were safely hidden in the shoes) I felt pretty good.
I napped for a bit, and then walked around watching the people and eating a popsicle I had bought.
I even managed to find a huge armchair outside one of the closed coffee shops where I sat down, preparing to read and not move until I had to.
I reached for my book and opened it and realized that I had not seen my Camera Memory Card When I Bought the Popsicle!
Oh, no! It had been in my purse. I checked, and yes, it was gone. Half of my pictures, The body casts in Ponpeii! The gun/pet store in Naples! Sorrento, Antwerp, Munich, Baden, Vienna - Gone!
I asked everyone, everywere. Noone had seen the card. While I pushed the cart around, asking, the bag containing a statue I hd bought in the Antique Market in Budapest fell off and shattered.
While I filled out a report my travel pillow also disappeared.
Tears. (Though I can get a new travel pillow)
Finally, I sat near the airport check-gate and refused to move until they let me check in. It was still4.5 hours before check in and the desk was not yet open, however I told them that I was not leaving this spot until my bags were safely taken.
The only good thing about standing near the check-in gate at 5:30 am for almost an hour was that I was the first to check in. Strangely enough, my shrink-wrapped bag which weighed 15.5Kilos in Budapest, weighed 20.1 Kilos here. Someone had bad scales.
I had to wear a lot of my clothes.
I asked for a window seat in the EMERGENCY aisle, so I would get more leg room. Sure, sure. I insisted - WAS it the emergency aisle? Sure, sure.
There was no emergency aisle. I HATE being trapped by the window.
Soon I will phone the airport to see if anyone turned in my cards, but I doubt I will be that lucky.
posted by Melamondiale @ 8:07 AM
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