Wednesday, May 9, 2007
I’m sitting at the aeroporto en Barcelona, Termina B having made it through all the checks. The bus for the airport was only a few blocks from my apartment, cost €3.90 and was very painless. (€1 = $1.40 or $1.00 = €0.7)
I have never flown Vueling Airline and had purchased a ticket over the internet. It was only $67.00 to fly from Barcelona to Rome. What a deal! Until check-in. It turns out they have a total baggage weight limit along with a carry on weight limit. The look on my face must have agony when she told me that I had to pay an extra €140 for the baggage that was 19kg over the limit. I told her that my ticket was less than half that and I weigh almost 100 kg. In Spanish I believe she thought to herself, loose some weight you fat American pig. I asked for some options and she said that if I reduced the smaller piece of luggage by 7 kg, I could carry on the smaller bag. So I stuffed 7 kg of dirty clothes into the larger piece. Is this making sense to you? (neither I) Now I’m checking one 28 kg huge bag. I was then told that I was only 8 kg overweight. She printed a form and told me to go somewhere else and pay the fee and then come back and she would give me my boarding pass. Did I mention that I was 3 hours early to the airport? When it was all over, my cheap ticket cost an additional $67. They saw me coming. I hope my return trip to Chicago on Swiss Air is not as $painful$.
So what to do with an extra 2.5 hours at the airport! Tons of shops and food courts. I was pleasantly surprised that a café con leche y croissant was only €2.75 which was cheaper than Starbucks in downtown Barcelona.
Maybe I’ll practice my Italiano so I can impress my daughter.
Grazie/prego = thank-you/ you’re welcome
buon giorno/serra mia bello figlia = good afternoon/evening my beautiful daughter
grazie della serata = thanks for evening
questo treno va a Trastevere? = is this the train to Trastevere?
sona pensionato = I’m retired
a domini = see you tomorrow
parlo poco I’italiano = I speak a little Italian
bello cappello = beautiful hat (some ladies at the train station in Rome told me this)
del vino rosso/bianco per favore e due bicchiere
Buon giorno! It’s almost 4pm and I made it to Rome. OOHAA! Somewhat painless and simple, so that was good. Sitting in my apartment overlooking the street a couple floors up. Loads of trees amongst the many many apartments. Did a quick walkabout to get my bearings. (and to see if I could find the place again) The owner had met me at the train station, sort of, and he personally walked me to their place. Very nice. Large room, my own bathroom, unlike Barcelona, and two black cats that are checking me out. Time to unpack and shower before Jamie arrives.