Post by Kim on Oct 8, 2003 22:14:24 GMT -5
What fun would a good trip be without something gone terribly wrong?
So, I am sure you are all familiar with that feeling you have very early in the morning when the alarm clock goes off and you are just too warm and cozy in your bed that you just hit the snooze button once, twice, maybe trice, or even four times. Well, I had one of those mornings the day I was to start my journey back. How do I regret that. That second snooze cost me over $400USD
My return flight was booked in Alitalia to leave from Milan at 2:25PM. My connecting flight to Milan was to eave at 725AM from Prague. I set the alarm for 530AM. Alarm goes off, I snoozed it twice. Got up, washed off, packed up and left for train station. As some of you are familiar with Prague, to reach the airport you need to take the metro half the way and then catch a bus. The metro ride was quick. Early in the morning, it took it 5 mins to take me all the way cross town. The bus was slow. Very slow. I made it to the airport 5 mins before departure time. The check-in lady tells me the flight is closed and ready to depart. I argued, she didn't budge. I went and booked another flight in Lufthansa for about $250USD that was to drop me in Milan by 1215PM with changing planes in Munich at 11AM. Got on. Plane takes off. We reach Munich. An Spain Air plane skidded of landing path. Plane gets detoured to Newmberg and told to wait there. We waited two hours and flew back to Munich at 2:30PM. Milan connection got canceled. I got on another flight to Milan at 3:05PM. Reach Milan at 445PM. I explain to Alitalia what happened. They understand. They tell me that ALL are booked flights for the next 10 days without paying anything. Since I got one of those Internet-only deals, there were a lot of restrictions and not much they can do to help me. After they research it a bit further, they found me a flight the next day at 10:15AM but it wasn't flying to NJ but into NYC and I had to pay the difference and rebooking fee: $185USD. And not to put pressure or anything, but there was only one seat left in it. Other than that flight, There was nothing available for the rest of the week. Left with no other option, I had to take it. Oh and by the way, they lost my backpack on the way from Munich to Milan.
...And now I can say that I have slept overnite in an airport.
Since I had lost my guide back in Amsterdaam, I didn't have any information about the closest good hostel and since I had just shell out over 400 in plane tickets, I wasn't too keen on the idea of going and spend the nite in a hotel. Not in Milan. Besides, Lufthansa told me they have flight from Munich to Milan every two hours and my backpack should appear in any of them. I went to their counter every two hours with no luck. Even this morning, before boarding to come back to the states, I went and check, once more, and they hadn't found it yet.
But other than that, my trip was hella good time.
After sending the last e-mail, I ventured in a passionate mission to meet the green faery and you know how passionate we Hispanic people are. So I went and drank nothing but Absinth that nite. I had 6 shots of Absinth that nite: 2 straight, 2 lighted on fire, and two with sugar. 3 of them at one bar, and the other 3 at a different bar. AND NO FREAKING FAERY!!! I am truly, truly, so very truly disappointed. I drank nothing else. Just Absinth, six shoots within about 3 hours And I am very disappointed. The only thing I can say is that the next day I felt drunk for good 3 quarters of the day. I mean, not headache hangover, but just being clumsy and sort of out of it.
I was in the middle of this clumsy state the next day; that I went and looked information on Kutna Hora, the church made out of Bones, which was the place I wanted to go that Monday, but by the time I had all the information I needed, there was just not enough time left for it. So I went and found a post office instead, mailed postcards and the such, got some food and then just went window shopping. I found quite a few used CD stores and went in and was checking out Czech music. The highlight was the classical concert I went there. In Prague it seems customary to have classical concert in churches. The one I caught was a concertino had all string instruments: 4 violins, one bass, a cello, and a harpsichord. They performed Vivaldi's Le Quattro Stagioni, J.S. Bach's Concerto in G minor for violin and strings, and Mozart's Sonata in D major.
Pure ecstasy.
That is the only way to describe the way it felt. You know how it feels to walk around all day and then just sit down in a beautiful church filled with mirrors, murals, sculptures, and all things renaissance; and listen to a classical ensemble perform classical pieces right there in front of you. Simply, it was the best thing to do. And even more so for me, since last time I went to the symphony was about over 4 years ago and I love the symphony. LOVE IT!
I ended my time in Prague, and in Europe for that matter, by having dinner with my friend who took me to a nice Czech restaurant for dinner and a couple beers.
And now, finally, I am back in the states and already contemplating where to go the next time: southern Italy and Greece? Or maybe Portugal, and Southern Spain? Or maybe hit the Nordic area? Eastern Europe? I dunno. But I’m sure you’ll hear from me when I get there…
Chao!!
Eternally
BARATIER
My only comfort is the Night gone Black
So, I am sure you are all familiar with that feeling you have very early in the morning when the alarm clock goes off and you are just too warm and cozy in your bed that you just hit the snooze button once, twice, maybe trice, or even four times. Well, I had one of those mornings the day I was to start my journey back. How do I regret that. That second snooze cost me over $400USD
My return flight was booked in Alitalia to leave from Milan at 2:25PM. My connecting flight to Milan was to eave at 725AM from Prague. I set the alarm for 530AM. Alarm goes off, I snoozed it twice. Got up, washed off, packed up and left for train station. As some of you are familiar with Prague, to reach the airport you need to take the metro half the way and then catch a bus. The metro ride was quick. Early in the morning, it took it 5 mins to take me all the way cross town. The bus was slow. Very slow. I made it to the airport 5 mins before departure time. The check-in lady tells me the flight is closed and ready to depart. I argued, she didn't budge. I went and booked another flight in Lufthansa for about $250USD that was to drop me in Milan by 1215PM with changing planes in Munich at 11AM. Got on. Plane takes off. We reach Munich. An Spain Air plane skidded of landing path. Plane gets detoured to Newmberg and told to wait there. We waited two hours and flew back to Munich at 2:30PM. Milan connection got canceled. I got on another flight to Milan at 3:05PM. Reach Milan at 445PM. I explain to Alitalia what happened. They understand. They tell me that ALL are booked flights for the next 10 days without paying anything. Since I got one of those Internet-only deals, there were a lot of restrictions and not much they can do to help me. After they research it a bit further, they found me a flight the next day at 10:15AM but it wasn't flying to NJ but into NYC and I had to pay the difference and rebooking fee: $185USD. And not to put pressure or anything, but there was only one seat left in it. Other than that flight, There was nothing available for the rest of the week. Left with no other option, I had to take it. Oh and by the way, they lost my backpack on the way from Munich to Milan.
...And now I can say that I have slept overnite in an airport.
Since I had lost my guide back in Amsterdaam, I didn't have any information about the closest good hostel and since I had just shell out over 400 in plane tickets, I wasn't too keen on the idea of going and spend the nite in a hotel. Not in Milan. Besides, Lufthansa told me they have flight from Munich to Milan every two hours and my backpack should appear in any of them. I went to their counter every two hours with no luck. Even this morning, before boarding to come back to the states, I went and check, once more, and they hadn't found it yet.
But other than that, my trip was hella good time.
After sending the last e-mail, I ventured in a passionate mission to meet the green faery and you know how passionate we Hispanic people are. So I went and drank nothing but Absinth that nite. I had 6 shots of Absinth that nite: 2 straight, 2 lighted on fire, and two with sugar. 3 of them at one bar, and the other 3 at a different bar. AND NO FREAKING FAERY!!! I am truly, truly, so very truly disappointed. I drank nothing else. Just Absinth, six shoots within about 3 hours And I am very disappointed. The only thing I can say is that the next day I felt drunk for good 3 quarters of the day. I mean, not headache hangover, but just being clumsy and sort of out of it.
I was in the middle of this clumsy state the next day; that I went and looked information on Kutna Hora, the church made out of Bones, which was the place I wanted to go that Monday, but by the time I had all the information I needed, there was just not enough time left for it. So I went and found a post office instead, mailed postcards and the such, got some food and then just went window shopping. I found quite a few used CD stores and went in and was checking out Czech music. The highlight was the classical concert I went there. In Prague it seems customary to have classical concert in churches. The one I caught was a concertino had all string instruments: 4 violins, one bass, a cello, and a harpsichord. They performed Vivaldi's Le Quattro Stagioni, J.S. Bach's Concerto in G minor for violin and strings, and Mozart's Sonata in D major.
Pure ecstasy.
That is the only way to describe the way it felt. You know how it feels to walk around all day and then just sit down in a beautiful church filled with mirrors, murals, sculptures, and all things renaissance; and listen to a classical ensemble perform classical pieces right there in front of you. Simply, it was the best thing to do. And even more so for me, since last time I went to the symphony was about over 4 years ago and I love the symphony. LOVE IT!
I ended my time in Prague, and in Europe for that matter, by having dinner with my friend who took me to a nice Czech restaurant for dinner and a couple beers.
And now, finally, I am back in the states and already contemplating where to go the next time: southern Italy and Greece? Or maybe Portugal, and Southern Spain? Or maybe hit the Nordic area? Eastern Europe? I dunno. But I’m sure you’ll hear from me when I get there…
Chao!!
Eternally
BARATIER
My only comfort is the Night gone Black