Back AGAIN?!

Yup, I’m heading back to Spain again!

I like to call it my graduation present to myself, but it’s really because I haven’t seen G for 2 years (!), which is wa-a-a-y too long.

Unfortunately, in the intervening time, I haven’t learned to enjoy flying. I don’t really understand the magic that keeps planes up in the air, but I do know it stops unexpectedly on occasion.

The flight from Seattle to Philly was the best kind: uneventful. I sat next to a young UW student who works for a non-profit that does some sort of advocacy trying to stop the Lord’s Resistance Army. “The last few weeks have been distracting.” Hm, I’ll bet. It was an interesting conversation. Nice young man.

Anyway, he told me that he was always scared of flying until he was 13 and went by himself for the first time. Apparently, he’d flown with his mother until then and she tried to be brave and set a good example for him, but she squeezed his arm tightly the whole time and kept tensely repeating, “It’ll be all right.” However, once he didn’t have that to contend with, he decided he wasn’t afraid and actually liked flying. (Oh dear, I hope I didn’t do that to my kids!)

Layover in Philly was just long enough to enjoy a nice walk up and down all the halls a few times, then I boarded this flight. As we were taxiing to the runway, I overheard a couple of people talking about “a strange noise”. Not exactly what you want to hear en route to take-off. I told myself I was just leaping to the conclusion it had anything to do with this plane and relaxed (sort of). After a few minutes of waiting on the runway, though, we turned around and headed back to the terminal. It seems, the captain explained, that a couple of passengers and crew members had heard noises in the … what, “hold”, “basement”, “luggage compartment”? Anyway, it sounded like someone’s luggage might have come loose and the crew thought it’d be a good idea to have someone check it out before we took off.

A few minutes ago, after an hour of thumping, drilling (or screwing/unscrewing?), etc. noises, the captain headed us back out to the runway. “The only thing they could hear,” he said, “was maybe the brakes making some noise, which happens sometimes.” It’s “nothing”, so we’re headed out again. I sure hope they were right!

On a happier note, I did get word from G the afternoon before I left. Since the flight was due to arrive in Madrid at 7:00 am and he has to be at work at 9:00, he’s not going to be able to meet me at the airport. He did, however, make arrangements for me to pick up his apartment keys. . . at the bar downstairs! Well, actually, it’s a cafeteria/bar, but I still think it’s cool. It sounds like something out of an old movie. So G; so Spanish.

Also, he let me know the plans for our travels the week he and Carina are off: he and I will go down south and pick her up (and I get to see a little of southern Spain), then we all hop a plane to Paris! After seeing the sights there, we’ll head back to Madrid via car, bus, and/or train, stopping at various places along the way for more French (and northern Spain?) experience. Doesn’t that sound fabulous? I am SO excited!