11. August 5-6, 2011

Friday August 5, 2011    At the airport in Sevilla

Freddie and I are at the airport in Sevilla. We left our apartment at 4:30 AM to catch our 7 AM flight. Freddie didn’t sleep at all, although he had a nice nap during the day. I slept for less than three hours. We arrived at the airport by 5 AM and were told that the flight to Madrid was delayed for 3 or 4 hours and that we may not make our connecting flight to Miami in Madrid.

The man at the desk suggested that we take the Ave (the fast train) to Madrid instead, and gave me their number to call to see if there were seats available. I found out that there was a luggage limit that we exceeded, that there would be no one to help us, and that a train left at 7:15 AM. We decided that this was too risky.

The next step was to go to Iberia’s ticket buying counter when it opened at 6 AM. There I found out that if we missed our noon flight out, that there was one at 1 PM but that only coach seats were available. We are flying business, and this may be the last time that we have enough miles to do this. The ticket lady suggested that we take our chances and keep our booked flight and see what happened.

Right now we are in Iberia’s lounge in Sevilla. They think the plane will actually leave around 10 AM, in which case we would make our original flight!!!!

Yesterday Freddie and I went to visit Angelita. She was sitting on the sofa and she looked beautiful, in her red blouse and black pants. Freddie showed her a hand exercise and then got her to move her right foot with a planta, tacon, planta and then two golpes (Flamenco dance foot positions) with her left (all while seated, as she can’t stand on her own yet). She had a big big smile on her face. Her leg and foot are responding well to the therapy. Her right hand and arm are still without control. Her speech is understandable although there is aphasia and part of her mouth is still paralyzed. Freddie, being a stroke victim and a Flamenco, was just what Angelita needed. It was a moving and beautiful way to say goodbye. Freddie said that he wished he could stay and help Angelita more. Fortunately our friend Susana showed up while Freddie was giving Angelita the exercise, and Susana said that she would try to continue them. 

There are not many rehabilitation therapists who would give Flamenco exercises as therapy, but this was just what Angelita needed. To see the look of enjoyment and hope on her face was totally uplifting. 

Saturday August 6, 2011  At an airport lounge in Chicago

We are in the lounge at the Chicago airport with over a 5-hour layover. Yesterday, the plane from Sevilla to Madrid, an hour flight, left four-and-a-half hours late. As we were about to disembark in Madrid, we were told that they would hold the plane to Miami for us, but the wheelchair pusher who greeted us in Madrid told us that the plane had already left. We missed it.

So we went to Iberia to see what to do. They sent us to American who sent us back to Iberia. Finally we were booked for a Saturday flight from Madrid to Chicago and then our original flight from Chicago to San Jose. Flight-wise, that was actually better than our original itinerary, because we have one less stopover. But of course that cut out our visits with family that we had arranged for our Miami layover.

We were able to call from the Iberia ticket desk to cancel the hotel we had booked in Miami. Then we called Maggie (Freddie’s daughter) to let them know that we would not be in Miami to see them after all. We had especially wanted to see our grandchildren, as they keep growing and changing. But we’ll just have to keep up with them on Facebook and by phone.

Later, because I didn’t have their phone numbers, I had to email Freddie’s Miami relatives on his father’s side, whom we had intended to meet for the first time. When I was able to get internet, I discovered that they wouldn’t have been able to meet us after all, so at least we didn’t miss that too. 

The airlines arranged for a hotel with adequate meals, and after a mediocre lunch, we got to sleep for the rest of the afternoon. We woke up in time to have dinner, which was better than lunch, and then we went back to sleep. The plane left the next day at noon, which gave us a more leisurely morning. And we felt a lot more rested than the day before.

We had flown business class, which may be the last time, because we are not earning the air miles we used to earn when we spent more money. And my father, who often supplements our miles with his, is also not traveling as much as normal, so I think our air mile flights will have to change to coach. So we have been savoring and enjoying this trip. 

However, during the luxurious transatlantic Iberia flight, when I was checking our flight boarding passes from Chicago to San Jose, which before had been first class, I noticed that we had row 16, which is coach class. So after going through customs in Chicago and rechecking our suitcases, we went to the American airlines counter and tried to change the class back to first. They had no record of our first class flight, although I had one of their printed itineraries that said first class. Finally an intelligent man who worked there suggested that they call to Advantage air mile awards to see if we had paid for that leg with the first class air miles, which we had. Also, suddenly the one available first class seat opened up to three and they rebooked us into the first class. What a crazy trip this had been. 

The other craziness is that all of our pieces of luggage made it Chicago from Sevilla except for one suitcase. That is the suitcase that Freddie packed the DVD recorder that we bought several years ago in Spain and don’t use there. We tried to sell it in Sevilla, but no one bought it so we decided to take it home where we can use it. 

In Chicago, they took our name and said they would alert San Jose about the missing suitcase. When we arrive there we have to file a claim. But hopefully it will show up. We always put a paper inside with our names, address, phone and email. Plus, we have several luggage tags with our cards on them and some of the suitcases have luggage straps with our name on it too. 

Right now we are at the least comfortable airport lounge I have ever been in. There are no sofas or places to lie down. The internet is not free. We have only two complementary drinks. And we had to prove that we were traveling internationally to get in, even though we are business class.

All through Spain the lounges have had free drinks and food and comfortable places and free internet. The lounge in Madrid even has dark rooms with beds to sleep in, no charge. I was hoping to fill up on water here, but I will only get one bottle which will probably be small. And of course everything here is horribly expensive. 

Another difference between airports here in America and in Spain is that here we still have to take off our shoes. In Spain, and in Mexico too, you never have to remove your shoes. Things in America feel antiquated. In Europe people commonly speak two or three languages and in American two languages are considered a lot. I guess I am having a little culture shock. I did not feel ready to leave Spain.

I called Rina this morning before we left Spain and she told me that Lakshmi’s show at the museum had been good but afterwards everyone went to a local bar to party with Flamenco and that was great. She didn’t sleep at all. She and Akahne packed up their suitcases between and four and six AM. They were on the bus to Barcelona when I called. They have a few days there visiting friends before the fly back to Atlanta. They weren’t ready to leave Spain either. We have all had a great time together and a good time in Spain, even with all the setbacks. 

SPAIN CHRONICLES 2011

May 10-25 Writings
May 18 Writings
May 19-22 Writings
May 23-29 Writings
June 5-10 Writings
June 11-16 Writings
June 18-19 Writings
June 21-26 Writings
June 27 – July 9 Writings
July 17 – August 3 Writings
August 5-6 Writings