What a trip, Seattle, Minneapolis, London, Rome, Sofia, and all in the space of what a person might call a day. It's amazing what a flight delayed here or there can do to an entire schedule when a person is travelling internationally.
Everything was fine up until Minnesota, when my flight to London was delayed for an hour. I figured that would give me 30 minutes in England to get to the plane. And it was Bulgaria Air, to boot. They don't have a reputation for being on time. Well, the flight closed 15 minutes early, and a Bulgarian woman, who was also on the flight, and I were left without a way to get home.
So I entered the nightmare of immigration. I stood in a line that was about a half-mile long and watched from the hall windows above as people went through the customs line below. That's right, they tortured us with views of how much longer the line would be. And I wasn't even supposed to be there.
Hours later, I managed to get to the Northwest ticket counter and arrange for a flight through Rome into Bulgaria. At this point, I'm pretty sure, my baggage was lost somewhere in the depths of Gatwick. I've so far gotten one of the bags back, the other might arrive tomorrow.
Fittingly enough, the flight out of London was a half hour late, and the woman and I had to run in Rome to catch our flight to Sofia. Well, not really. Because as soon as we got to the plane, out of breath and with seconds to spare, we were sent off the plane and to another gate due to mechanical difficulties. At this point the theme music to "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" kept playing in my head on repeat. Not because the woman I was traveling with was like John Candy, not at all. In fact, she was funny and kept me sane and entertained the whole way back. It's amazing how much two stranges have in common when all they need to do is complain about something.
So, two hours later, after watching the sun set over Rome, we took a bus to a gate on the other side of the airport and boarded the plane there. Two hours and a shaky, applause-inducing landing later, we were in Sofia. I waited for my bags which, of course, never came, and filed a report with the baggage people, who said my bags were in Boston and on their way to Amsterdam in order to get to Bulgaria. I'm glad my bags are getting a Eurpoean tour, too.
A short night on a 1 AM bus got me back to Silistra and a cat who seemed to miss me and the apartment (she was staying with a friend) very much. Now I'm just settling in. Catching up with friends and figuring out what will happen at school this year are going on actively.
More reports--and photos--to come.
Posted by Rob at September 13, 2005 01:13 AM