Monday, July 31, 2017

~The Journey to España~

This is a plaza 5 minutes from my house and right next to the beach!
(More pictures at the end of the post)


















Hola a todos! I made it to España! It was quite the feat and it feels good to be here, that's for sure. I was supposed to travel from Denver to Dallas to Madrid to Santander. But things never go as you plan, right? Instead, I went from Denver to Dallas to London to Madrid to Santander. Don't get me wrong--the airport in London was cool and I don't regret seeing it, but I wouldn't say it was worth missing a connecting flight. What?! Yes, let me explain. I was doing well with my traveling solo until I reached the gate in Denver, specifically gate A48, and then that's where the trouble began. It was unfortunate that it was at the beginning of my travels, but hey--it is what it is. Let's back up real quick to the night before I left where packing became my enemy. Five months is a long time to be gone and with a one free bag rule and 50 pound weight limit, things were not going my way. I finally figured it out after six hours of my mom saying I needed to pack in outfits and me overcoming my fear of having to wear the same clothes over and over again (this fear will be relevant later). Don't judge me--I do wear the same clothes time and time again, but I have a weird thing with wearing the same exact outfit in multiple pictures that are posted. Hey, I said don't judge. Anyway... back to Denver gate A48. I got there with plenty of time, but when I went to board the plane, the gate lady told me that my smaller suitcase (which probably weighed more than my big suitcase) needed to be checked because it was a full flight. This suitcase had my travel charger and ALL my clothes in it. I reluctantly let her put a checked bag tag on it thinking this was a blessing in disguise because I got two free checked bags, they didn't care about the weight on this one, and now, I wouldn't have to lug it around everywhere. I said hasta la vista to my bag and stepped on the plane awe-struck by this journey I was about to embark on. The first flight was very smooth. I was feeling good. It was a quick flight. The only issue was that it took awhile for us to take off because there was a maintenance logging problem. About 45 minutes after our scheduled time of departure, we were on our way to Dallas. I had wifi, a place to plug in my devices--no complaints besides being seated in the back of the plane. But it was worth it because I got to sit next to two French ladies. Well these ladies had questions about their connecting flight and I started listening to people around me about all their connections and how they were afraid they were going to miss them. I looked at my second scheduled departure and realized our set time to land in Dallas was 4:26pm and my next plane was set to depart at 4:40pm...and it was on the other side of the airport. Hm--I decided not to worry but to take it one step at a time. We landed a few minutes earlier than expected so I grasped onto the hope that I would still make my connecting flight. As we were taxiing to the gate, people started unbuckling their seat belts and trying to reach their bags. The minute we landed people were trying to spring out of there. The flight attendant kindly asked anyone who didn't have a connection or had a longer layover to let the people who had to run to their next flight off first. Well, I had less than 10 minutes to get to my next flight, so I figured I qualified. People are either selfish or everyone had a connecting flight because the plane was empty in front of me when I got off. I literally ran through the airport, had to take a tram to the clear other side, and arrived at the gate at 4:48pm. Nope--no one was there and the gate was shut. Great...now what? Well, I waited for 45 minutes in the American Airlines customer service line only to find out they rebooked my flight on British Airways and they were on the last call for boarding. On the bright side, I met a cool French man in the customer service line who had also missed the plane to Madrid. He didn't get rebooked like I did, so he was pretty frustrated. Anyway, I ran to the gate for the British Airway flight and barely made it. I think I was the last person on the plane. But this was hardly a plane. It had two levels and beds and many more seats than the planes I am used to flying on. Talk about a new experience--this was all very new to me. Now I'd like to tell you the rest of the trip was simple, but it wasn't. I was seated in between two large men who snored very loudly. The guy closest to me on my right moaned and snored at the same time. I don't even know how to explain it. I was thinking to myself that it was going to be a long flight but then the flight attendants, who all had British accents by the way, asked me if I wanted wine or beer with dinner. The mention of food always cheers me up and then to be able to have some white wine with my dinner was like the cherry on top. Things were starting to look up, but then there was confusion with the meal they gave me because it was not gluten free. I luckily had a really nice flight attendant who was able to fix me a gluten-free meal--it just took some time. The rest of the plane ride was mostly smooth besides the occasional snoring episodes of the man next to me. I finally made it to London after sitting on a plane for nine hours. At least I was in Europe! I was nervous about figuring out my connecting flight to Madrid but fortunately it was relatively easy. The weird thing about European airports is they don't tell you the gate until 45 minutes prior to departure. The rest of the trips were pretty uneventful. I was exhausted by the time I got to Santander. It is a very small airport and I got off the plane and waited by baggage claim praying my bags made it all this way. Of course they didn't, which means that--ironically--I would have to wear the same outfit for multiple days. Hence, I needed to overcome my fear right away. Well, I at least had a driver waiting for me who picked me up and took me to my new home for the next month. Once I got to the house, I felt a little better but I also was tired and hungry and feeling a little lost without my bags. The sun went down--very late I might add--and when it came up in the morning, I realized it was a whole new day. Here I am, Monday night...still without my bags...but I am thankful because I am in Spain and I have an opportunity that many would die for. This new experience has definitely had a rocky start, but I know through it all, I am growing every single day. It will all be worth it!

 I apologize for the lengthy post this time. I just had so much to share! I will continue to keep you all posted, but until then--adios mis amigos! 


 This is the front door to the place I am staying at. 

I love all the pretty green! This is the front yard of the place I am staying at.