I’m normally pretty good at flight arrangements. I don’t leave too early—a 6AM flight means getting up at 4. Public transport is often not working yet, so it’s an expensive cab ride to the airport. Even if public transport is running who wants to ride a subway at 4:30 in the morning?
I try and get into new cities during daylight hours. When arriving in some third world city for the first time I’ll often arrange for the hotel to collect me or arrange a ride.
I’ll willingly pay a bit more to fly with a name-brand airline with a good safety record and try to minimize travel time.
So, it was with surprise I realized I’d made such terrible reservations to get me from Madrid to Prague.
I was leaving Madrid at 1015, changing planes/airlines in Amsterdam after a 6 hour layover! Ugh. OK, make the best of it. Pay extra for an aisle seat on the Madrid Prague leg via KLM, buy access to the Amsterdam lounge. Get into Prague at 10pm. My not so cheap flight had turned into a 10 hour journey. Ugh again.
I checkin online 24 hours in advance. Two aisle seats. Figure out how to get to the hotel via bus and metro, pretty straight forward. All set.
12 hours later eMail from KLM, flight is canceled. 3 hours later after multiple attempts I’m rebook. Air France to Paris, still a six hour layover, another Air France flight to Prague. Get in early than originally planned, now 8pm.
Madrid Paris flight, center seat. Paris Prague aisle seat.
Awake the next day with massive swelling of lymph nodes. Great. Ok. Ever forward. Get to Madrid airport. Foggy. Flight slightly delayed because of incoming plane. Flog clears. Plane lands. Forty minutes later we start boarding. En Masse boarding. It takes forever. The AF flight attendants aren’t helping. Indeed they are often blocking the aisle. My seat in rear. Standing in the aisle waiting for idiots to remove their coats, sort through their carryons, finally take their seats, FAs still blocking aisle. I’m standing next to a woman from the UK. We look at each other with incredulity. “French”, I say. She says, “Even Ryan Air is better than this.”
Get seated in my middle seat. Few minutes later a gal shows up who needs to get to the window seat. Gone are the days that seat pitch allowed one to pass into seats without everyone getting out of their seat. She sits down and then asks me if I’d change seats with her friend. Where is she seated? 29F. F? Window seat. Done deal. Move to 29. Ask a couple of Spaniards to let me in. Good to go.
Front is moving through Europe. Light, punctuated turbulence for part of the flight. Worst is coming into Paris. We get down to probably 20,000’, working the approach to CDG, huge thunderstorm cell off to right of plane, about 2 o’clock. What are the odds it’s by the airport? Pretty good it turns out. Plane turns bit, can’t see the cell anymore. We are heading towards it. Few minutes later the turbulence picks up. Nothing too horrible but sharp. Start a very tight, descending, left hand turn. Not Flying Into Juneau tight, but not too far from it. Turn about 270 degrees. Level out. More turbulence. 10,000’ chimes go off. Gear down a bit later. More punctuated turbulence, some yawing, which is always weird, especially in the far ends of the aircraft. Over the threshold. Flare. Boom, on the ground. Massive braking and reverse thrusters. By the time we get to the terminal the cell is over the airport. Lots and lots of rain, visibility only a few hundred yards. Snuck in. Cheated death again.
As I expected my lounge pass won’t work in Paris. For 35e I could buy another one, but I’m not sure I’ll get refunded on the first one. So, no. Spend about 5 hours in CDG, trying to not pass out. Dehydrated, nothing to eat all day. Get a bunch of junk food and some pastries at a Relay, French version of 711.
Five hours later we’re off. Same as Madrid Paris flight. Turbulence on climb out. Pretty smooth once at altitude. Turbulence on approach into Prague. Winds seem stronger. But it’s clear, no weather cells. Another “carrier landing”, hit hard and stick, again, aggressive braking and reverse thrusters. Engineering and well trained pilots for me, you can keep yours prayers. Make sure to thank the pilot as I’m leaving. But, as Ginny from Hanger Flying used to say, “It’s what they do.”
Prague Airport. Still ready to pass out. Can’t remember the last time my lymph nodes were this bad. It’s like I have the mumps. Look for an atm.
Only see the rip-off currency exchange ones. There’s supposed to be bank ATMs here but I’m too exhausted to try and find them. So, I get 3,000 Czech “dollars”, about $130. Buy a coke to get smaller bills as the bus driver won’t change 1,000.
Find the bus stop. It’s about 41 degrees. Windy. Get on bus. Validate my ticket. 20 minutes later arrive at bus terminal/ metro station. Where’s metro entrance? It’s dark, no obvious signage. Follow the crowd. Inside metro, which direction to head? Signage somewhat confusing. I let one train come and go. Finally sort the signage. Get on metro. Two stops later get off. Walk upstairs from the underground. Hotel is west of metro. Dig my compass out of my pocket, always carry a compass. Head west. 10 minutes later at hotel. Checkin. Upgraded to “deluxe” room. Get to room. Pass out.
It’s now next morning. Lymph node swelling reduced by 75%. Feeling much better. But, will spend the day lightly.
I’m normally pretty good at flight arrangements….
Enroute to Paris CDG. CDG shortly after we landed, the deluge.
