hola,
Estoy en Madrid, Espaņa.
I talked some sense into myself and came here (decided this above train to
paris last night).... and now iīm regretting it.
What is the probability of two different airlines loosing a checked-in bag
twice on the same trip? it happened again, and right now i'm without a bag. I
was almost expecting it - my flight itinerary was florence--milan (Alitalia), 1
hour wait, milan--barcelona (Alitalia), 50 minutes wait, and barcelona--madrid
(Iberia). The plane from Milan to Barcelona was 1/2 hour late. And I knew in
Milan itself that not only would i lose my bag again, but going through customs
at barcelona, then possibly switching terminals (different airline), checking
in again (they did not give me all 3 boarding passes from Florence) and going
to the gate would take too long and iīd miss the last flight!
Well, as soon as we took off i stopped worrying and started enjoying the
scenery. It was a beautiful day, and I was sitting on the right side of the
plane, facing the Italian Alps. They were gorgeous!!! all the jagged peaks...
all snow-covered.... they took all my worries away!
Landed in Barcelona, and to my surprise there was no customs check. I saw the
Madrid flight gate, and again to my surprise, it was in the same terminal, and
just a few gates away, and the tv monitor said "Boarding". So i WALKED over
there, went up to the desk, got my boarding pass, got in line, and boarded the
plane! No problems at all! But I knew there was no way that the bag would make
it in such a short time from that plane to this one!
Well, the plane did not leave on time. We were sitting at the gate for about
15-20 minutes... so my hopes started to go up... "maybe ... just maybe thatīs
enough time for the bag to be transferred."
No such luck. When I got in to Madrid, the bag wasnt there... I knew the
procedure now... i filed the complaint form, got their number to call, and went
on to the Metro station. Not really dissapointed because i was expecting it all
along. I would have been happy to have received the bag on time!
Anyway, the Madrid metro is also great... much better than Rome and CERTAINLY
much better than Athens! Theyīve got a lot of new lines -- my map did not show
these. also the map i have shows some lines as "under construction" -- these
are completed now. There are signs all over the place directing you where to go
to catch the next train -- no need to look for the signs... and itīs CLEAN!
Spotless and shining!!! As Harry Hoo from ĻGet Smart" would say, "Amazing!"
So i got to my hotel (about 10 feet from one of the metro stations), went for a
walk along "Gran Via" ... picked up lunch at a local cafe... came back to the
room and ate it... watched some tv.... todayīs basically a "do-nothing" day. By
the time i got to the hotel it was about 4pm, itīs raining, and iīve been up
since 4am this morning, so i dont really feel like going anywhere now. besides,
tomorrow is a big "walking day" in Toledo. And day after tomorrow i start my
long journey back home... :-(
If i had taken the train to Paris last night, I would be freezing to death
right now, but at least iīd have my bag and it wouldnīt be raining or snowing.
and iīd be in PARIS! oh well.... hopefully my bag just missed the connecting
flight from Barcelona to here and itīll get here tonight (Yes Ishaan, keep
saying that to yourself). I called them earlier and they didnīt have any info
yet... said to call back in 2-3 hours.
I only have 1 thing that i want to see in Madrid - thatīs the Prado museum, and
itīll be day after tomorrow. For those whoīve been here, please suggest any
other places within the city. My flight out is in the afternoon, so i probably
wonīt have too much time after seeing the Prado.
Also.... any information about Toledo? (the one in Spain, not Ohio)... I donīt
have any guidebooks or any maps of Toledo. Intending to just roam around the
town.
Gracias, y adios...
-yo.