After fighting through the absolute hell that was the Madrid Barajas airport, I have arrived in Spain. Arrived without luggage and clean clothes and deodorant, but arrived nonetheless!
My group and I had the great fortune of making history in the Madrid airport, taking part in the ONLY TIME IN HISTORY that the airport had to completely shut down, thanks to a freak blizzard. Trust me, it was less cool than it sounds. We spent 24 hours waiting in line, sleeping on linoleum and generally traveling like a nomadic tribe, forming group circles on the floor as we traveled from terminal to terminal.
Here's a picture of our tribe, hunkered down for winter:
Also, there's a good chance we are now famous, as we were interviewed and filmed by multiple crews. Apparently large groups of Americans sleeping on the floor of an international airport is strange...
But, I'm in Santiago now, and it's absolutely beautiful and charming. The whole "24 hours in an airport, 4 days without clean clothes" really bonded the group together. We have luggage now, so tonight will be the first time we see each other in different clothes and makeup. Honestly, I hope I still recognize people...
2 comments:
Your relatives are here at Stonehaven reading your blog and thankful for your youth and resiliency--your grandparents would still be on the airport floor unable to get up. Andy and Eleanor are here, too, and will comment shortly. Glad you like your new city. Are your reasonable safety precautions in place? Take good care of yourself. Love,GM and GP
Andy sez:
Glad you've arrived safely, but if you wanted to be snow-bound in an airport, O'Hare comes to mind. And it's closer, tho less atmospheric.
You should now realize that your relatives are reading your blog, so keep the lurid details to a minimum.
Although you do want to give them something to disapprove of, so you're in kind of a quandary. Hmm.
Really, have a great time and keep us posted.
Uncle Andy
P.S. If you're lucky, someone besides your rural relatives will chime in. Otherwise, it's just so so sad.
And did you forget my birthday? I thought so. I thought so ...
Luv UA
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