Flying to Barcelona
It's the morning before our flight out to Barcelona. I've got lots of chores to do before we leave. It appears that Tropical Storm Florence will be headed for the East Coast then turn northward just west of Bermuda. That's one less storm to worry about.
The morning dove watches me carefully as I step into the backyard to water the plants. He's probably wondering if I'm gonna take any of the figs. I did take one, but I noticed that they already got another. I harvested a bunch of guavas (6 had rotted on the tree when I came home.. The branches are springing back to their upright position with the release of the fruits' weight. When I return to the house, I noticed that Rudy and Sonny had caught a small gecko. As I rescue the gecko, the boys turn their attention to the no longer squirming tail. I put the gecko in the plumeria pot. I don't know if it will make it. It's nearly dead. I dump the lifelsss tail in the trash only to discover that it was still sticking to my hands when I wash them. The tail begins to squirm again in a drop of water. I wonder how long it can be kept alive.
On the way to IAH, I noticed that Pappas Seafood has unlimited crab legs. I wonder if their special will be good till Ross drives down from Huntsville, AL. Rick, Ross and I used to go to Red Lobster's all you can eat crab legs for lunch. I don't know how Ross could eat that much.
Once again, they hand search my backpack. I don't blame them. I grin as the x-ray operator looks in disbelief at her screen. There's a lot packed inside the backpack. Two travel books, sunglasses, Mary's cell charger, her prescription drugs, my Canon 20D, the charger, camera case, two extra CompactFlash memory, lens tissue, a spare battery, lens filters, lens hood, a Smartdrive photodrive to store jpgs, play mpegs and mp3s. It's a good thing too for there are no movies or tunes on this flight, its charger and cables, 2 different types of airline headphones, four or so guavas, a sandwich bag of shelled walnuts, can of cashews, a half eaten can of macadamia nuts, a bag of peanut M&M's, napkins, tissue, my Clie PDA (I would be lost without it), its charger, 2 earbuds, a splitter, our travel papers, a pen, a penlight, all my change and my keys. I hope we don't need converters for the hotel in Barcelona. On previous trips, I would have bottled water if it was allowed. Man I forgot my all purpose tool like Survivorman Les Stroud uses on every show.
We are flying US Airways to Barcelona via Philadelphia. The seats seem a bit wider and there is a touch more legroom.
Okay that's wierd. We've landed in Philadelphia and are walking from Concourse C to Concourse A. If not for the luggage, I would swear that we were in a mall. Storefronts are on both sides of aisles. There is a food court area and even live entertainment. I'm not complaining. It's actually pretty nice since it gives you something to do during your layover. Many airports have the majority of their shops, restaurants and sometimes restrooms outside the security check. I am starved. All we had were a bag of pretzels which was mainly air and a can of soda that we split among ourselves. Fortunately, we did have some snacks. I settle for bourbon chicken at a Japanese fast food place while Mary has an eggdrop soup which has zuchinni and carrots.
Why?
Where did these airport guys learn to count? Gates a1, a3, a5, a7, a9, a11 then there is common area with a13,a12, a10.a8,a6,a4,a2? Instead of separating the odds from the evens just have the numbers sequential.
Ever noticed?
Did you ever notice that the airports tell you the time of a departure or arrival, but not the current time?
Mary says that we'll take a halfday tour when we arrive at Barcelona. Fine with me, but I figure she might be tired after the flight since she can't sleep. I'll sleep okay. The people around me may not be able to sleep without headphones or earplugs.
We're aboard a 767. The seats are narrower than the previous plane. My shoulders are wider than the seat back. This sucks. The pilot says that we have a seven hour flight. It's a six hour difference between eastern time and Spain.
The Continental headphones work aboard this plane which is great since they charge $5 for headphones. I even brought the American Airlines headphones. There is also a socket for a miniplug which I try. My Sony earbuds sound much better. The in-flight movie is "The Inside Man." I've never heard of this one so I sit back and watch. Unfortunately, one of flight attendents is chatting with one of the passengers and is blocking our view. The passenger in front of us finally gets a hold of the clueless flight attendent.
What gives?
My Clie discharged down to 60% after playing with the bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but it has climbed up to 77% while I'm making this entry. I'm not complaining, but it is wierd.
First class recieved hot towels before their meal. Our meal was either pasta or chicken. Carrots with salad dressing, crackers and cheese, salty bread and butter. The entree is chicken, carrots with gravy over mashed potatoes. For dessert, we have Dannon French vanilla yogurt which isn't bad.
Now I know how the cosmonauts must feel eating inside a Soyuz capsule. These seats are tight. During dinner, Mary dropped a cracker, and we couldn't retrieve it till after the meal. I once saw a Soyuz mockup in Bldg 5s. Those guys must have been small and had their knees almost to their chest. Going to the restroom is just as bad.
We can't seem to escape Samantha Brown. After the movie was the series "Joey" then "Passport to Europe" -- about what else? Nope not Barcelona but Roma.
