Life is Healthy

Well I'm off to teach in Barcelona; so they told me.
What a fun trip that turned out to be! Up bright and early (well early anyway) – off to Airport: limping all the way!

Arrival with just over an hour to spare – nice work considering all those stairs with case and damaged foot! Where next, check in, long queues – aren’t there always, get to counter – emr no with this number you have to check in via a cash machine like terminal, another queue, get to machine print ticket, now need to check in luggage and confirm ticket, yet another queue! Finally get to the desk, takes case, then looks strangely at the screen (not a good sign) – it appears somehow I am checked into 5 different flights??!? WTF??

It now takes him a further 15 minutes to decipher what has happened and where I should be – now times ticking folks, I have 10 minutes to get onto the plane – my luggage gets checked – I have apparently been upgraded now to business class (nice work)!!! BUT, “the gate is closing” he said, ok I dash through (well hobble) to the security check point – more queues! DAM IT!!!!
I am almost through when the person ahead of me gets stopped – he beeped and keeps beeping but the cant see why?? His bag also has to be searched, tick tick tick (thats time ticking away not a bomb), I get to go through after a further 2 minutes waiting and dam it, I BEEP! NO!!!!

Luckily after a wave of their wand they let me through – however the zone I need to be in is 9 minutes away! I hobble off as quick as I can, only to arrive too late the gate has closed and plane ready to taxi!

So back to get another flight – flight booked I'm on the next flight out, we start to board then suddenly, sorry folks there is a problem the fuel is leaking! Book yet another flight – bear in mind I have now had 5 virtual flights and 3 actual flights – the 3rd flight is another 1 hours time (my original flight would just to be touching down now) and it was; with my case!!!

I asked the guy at the check in desk if my case had moved planes accordingly and was told confidently it had – I had the feeling it had not – the day was going so badly it had to disappear (sods law).

So eventually I get on the plane – not business class, (what I would say is they happily moved me around the planes with no quibbling which was nice – but I have a feeling this happens often) I sit on the plane and relax – with my head whispering you know they’ve lost case, you have everything in that case etc etc!!

Inner voices they will be the death of me (especially at that height, they tell me to jump - hehehe) anyway I arrive in Barcelona – the carousel starts about 10 mins later and after 20 minutes of watching everyone else’s cases go round and round – I realise mine is nowhere to be found – to the lost luggage dept, yes it was on a plane but none of mine, eventually it shows up from who knows where – but I have it!!! OK onwards (finally), I get to see Barcelona only from the coach – as I then go underground and catch a train to Girona – 2 hours away!!!

I arrive at Ripoll to then get picked up and taken to the middle of nothing – journey time for what I thought was a 2 hours trip - 12 hours!!!

It was a very small “hotel” no where with very little to offer – oh boy this is going to be fun (said the inner voices again)