We had to get up at 5:30 a.m. in order to leave for the airport at 6 a.m. We got to the airport and checked our bags. We went through Security fine, and then we rushed to get through Customs. Usually we would just go through Customs in the U.S., but the U.S. Customs had a station in the Dublin Airport so we went ahead and did it. That means we don’t have to do it when we get to Newark.
After all of that, we had about 45 minutes until we boarded our plane. We finally got on board and got seated and left. I started watching Suicide Squad, but halfway through the movie my screen shut down and rebooted. So I started it again, fast-forwarded to the spot I was at, and about 20 minutes later it crashed again. The seat diagonal from me was open, so I decided to switch seats. Mahaley was sitting there, but she moved forward to sit with Nikki. After Suicide Squad I watched Snowden and 13 Hours (about Benghazi). We landed while I was still watching 13 Hours, but luckily I finished it before we got to the gate. We actually landed almost an hour ahead of schedule. But we still had a 4-hour layover. Kendall and I went to an Italian Steakhouse for lunch. She ordered an appetizer (calamari), which was $15. It tasted like rubber and she barely ate it. I got carbonara, which did not taste like carbonara. It tasted more like alfredo. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t that bad and I was hungry so I ate it all. Definitely wasn’t worth the $23 I paid for it. Afterwards we went to Starbucks. Kendall got some coffee and a yogurt, while I got hot chocolate and a brownie. Then we sat at a random gate to eat and talk. At 2:30 p.m. we went and joined our group because the plane was leaving at 3:30. At 3:30 we boarded the plane. When I was walking on the lady at the gate made me check my carry-on because there was no room in the overhead space, but there was still room. The girl (who was a part of our group) that was sitting behind Kendall and I called one of the flight attendants over to see if she could get her carry-on back. She started crying because she was worried that her stuff was going to break. Apparently she packed it for a carry-on, not for luggage. I felt bad for her, but it was already gone at that point and the flight attendant couldn’t do anything. We were delayed for about 30 minutes because of traffic backup again. Newark Airport needs to work on air traffic control, but we finally got to leave. The flight was over 3 hours long. We finally landed a little after 7 p.m., got our bags, ordered an Uber, and finally left. Our Uber driver was really nice and helped us with our luggage. We finally got back to my apartment and I ordered some Pizza Hut. It was a 1.5 hours wait for deliver, or we could have it in 15 minutes with carryout. So I drove to Pizza Hut to pick it up. We ate, took showers, and went to bed. Tomorrow I have to take Kendall to the airport at 8 a.m., and then the trip is officially over.
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We had to meet the Honors Program at 7 a.m. at the DFW International Airport. I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m., so Kendall and I could get up early. For Kendall’s birthday, I had bought her a round-trip ticket to fly to Dallas for the Ireland trip. She came in last night. I kept waking up because I was afraid my alarm wouldn’t go off or I would sleep through it. I finally decided to stay awake when I woke up at 5. Kendall was already awake because she was too excited to sleep. We got ready and then ordered an Uber. Kendall invited me on her account so that the ride would be free. The Uber driver arrived at 6:30 a.m. and took us to the airport. She dropped us off by an elevator, but we didn’t know where to go from there. I tried asking a guy with a janitor cart where the United check-in was, and he started giving me instructions in Spanish. I have no idea what he was saying. So we got in the elevator. There were only 2 floors, so we went up. We walked off the elevator, looked to the left, and there was our group. So we went over there and stood by them. Finally, it was time to check-in. Kendall and I were not the first in line, but we were close to the front. United had kiosks, so groups could check in all at once. I guess we froze their system, because it took forever to load. I had a kiosk and Kendall had a kiosk. It kept loading and loading. Finally, Kendall’s kiosk worked and she was able to check both of us in. We turned in our luggage and then went to Security. Right after we got through, United took everyone off the kiosks and checked them in one by one. The Security line wasn’t long, and we got through pretty quickly. Then we went to Einstein’s Bagels and sat at our gate to wait for the plane. We had a group meeting in our individual groups (our group leader was Gretchen) and I won a pop-out map of Dublin. Then we waited some more before finally boarding the airplane. The flight was about 3 hours, and I read for most of it. We landed in Newark around 2:30p.m. Newark time. Our next flight didn’t leave until 7:45 p.m., so we had a 5-hour layover. Kendall and I ate at some expensive restaurant. The food was okay, but not $20 worth. Then we wondered around the airport terminal. Kendall could see snow outside the window, but she couldn’t touch it. So she has seen snow for the first time, but she has not touched snow. We also spent a lot of time in 3 bookstores looking for a book for Kendall. She couldn’t make up her mind. After we were done wondering, we went to our gate and waited for the plane. I boarded before Kendall because I was in a middle seat. The flight was about 5.5 hours. I didn’t get any sleep on the plane, but I got to the watch the new Jack Reacher movie, Never Go Back. I also watched Neighbors 2: Sorority. I had been meaning to watch this because Kilee Morris (a girl I went to high school with) was in it as an extra sorority girl. By this time there was less than 2 hours left in the flight, so I watched Brave.
I had to wake up at 4 a.m. to finish any last minute packing, and finish cleaning the apartment. At 6 a.m., the shuttle bus will hopefully be coming to pick us up and take us to the airport. I am really excited to be going home! Liv and I rushed around the room doing some last minute packing. I was really getting worried about Janelle, because her and Mike were still gone. They finally ran into the apartment at 5:30 a.m. to finish packing. They still had food in the refrigerator and stuff lying around. At 5:45 a.m., I was ready to go so I took my stuff downstairs and went outside to wait for the shuttle bus. The shuttle bus didn't arrive until about 6:10 a.m. When I saw it I went and buzzed the apartment so the rest of the girls and Mike would come down. It took us about 10 minutes to get everything downstairs and loaded into the shuttle. It was a really hectic morning. Then the shuttle bus went and picked up another guy from API, and it took us to the airport.
I was leaving from Terminal 3, so I was the first one to leave the van. Of course, since I was the first one ready at the apartment, all my stuff was at the bottom of the pile of suitcases. The driver had to dig it out, and then I was ready to go. I said my goodbyes to my roommates and went into the Terminal. I wondered around trying to find my airline for a while before I noticed that they were numbered. Once I matched up Lufthansa with a number, it was really easy to find. Then I got in the line. I spent an hour waiting in that line so I could check my suitcase. It wasn't even long, they just didn't have enough staff working it. While I was waiting in line, I got a text from Liv telling me that Laura, Mike, and Janelle were actually in Terminal 3, not Terminal 5. They left her at Terminal 5, and I have no idea how they got to Terminal 3 since the terminals are not connected. Good thing we got to the airport super early! There was another line right besides mine, but I didn't know if I could go in that line or if it was reserved. I didn't want to try it for fear of being sent to the end of my original line, which had grown a lot and now stretched beyond the control of the ropes. Finally, 3 more people showed up and started checking suitcases. My backpack was my carryon, but the flight attendant said I could check it for free. That would give me a lot less to carry, so I agreed and she checked my bag. In Rome, they don't assign the gate you are leaving out of until about 30 minutes before you board your flight. Since I was still 2 hours early, I didn't know what to do. Where could I sit so that I could make sure I didn't miss my flight. I tried to position myself in the middle of the gates, so I could go any direction. I made sure I was close to one of the electronic signs that tells you your gate number. Then I played on my laptop, read my book, etc., while occasionally getting up to check if they had posted my gate number. Once they posted the gate, I ran to the sitting area for that gate. Then I noticed that the sign that tells the airline was wrong. I was not flying out on a budget airline, but on Lufthansa. So I went back to the gate sign, and saw that there were two flights leaving at about the same time, both going to Munich. They still hadn't posted my gate number, so I returned to my seat while they did. When they finally posted it, I ran over to my actual gate and sat down to wait. Some people were already lining up, but I didn't see the point since I had checked my carryon and the seating was assigned. Only when the line died down did I get up and get in line to get on the plane. The plane ride was pretty short, about an hour. Then I had to go through Customs in Munich. The lines were long but they moved pretty fast. They were very strict about making sure you were supposed to be there. I had to show my passport to at least 3 different people, before I was allowed through. The first person looked at it and asked if I had a resident card from Italy. I told him I remembered paying for one, but I never got a card. He looked at me for a while, then back at my passport, then at me. I was worried that I was going to be stuck in Germany without a way to get home, but he finally sighed and stamped my passport and waved me through. After that I just followed the crowds through the other passport checks until I finally got to the terminal for my plane. There were these really cool seats in the airport that were like beds, because they leaned all the way back. So I laid there for a while, until it was time to board my plane. Then I boarded and got prepared for the long flight home. I was not happy with the plane. I was on a United flight again, and there were only 9 options available to watch for a 10 hour flight. I couldn't choose from a big list what I wanted, I only had 9 options. I am not flying United again! So I ended up watching Dolphin Tale 2, The November Man, and Die Hard, because those were the only options that looked interesting. The flight was long and I forced myself to stay awake so I could sleep when I got home. The flight hit some turbulence, but otherwise was fine. I finally landed in Chicago, and I had to go through Customs again. I made the mistake of going to the bathroom, so I was at the end of the line. But that didn't really matter. I waited in line for a long time. I was worried that I wouldn't get to the baggage claim before my bags came out. The Customs in Chicago has gone electronic. You just scan your passport, enter in your information, and take the printout to the stamping people. They barely looked at my passport before they stamped it and waived me through. Then I was in baggage claim. It took forever for my flights bags to come in, and as luck would have it my bags were the very last ones to come out. I didn't want to be weighed down by everything, so I grabbed a trolley and loaded everything on it. Since my bags were the last to come out, I was at the end of a very long line to get out of baggage claim. I finally got to the front of the line, where the guy asked if I was bringing back any food and then he waived me through. Then I had to stand in line again to check my baggage. I was also at the end of that line, which was also long. I was afraid that I was going to miss my flight. Luckily, the airlines realized that they were moving slow so they started pulling people out of line that had flights leaving soon and taking their bags. My bags already had the stickers telling it where to go, so I put my bags with everyone else's and started to travel to my gate. The Chicago airport is so huge that they have a train that goes in between the terminals, so I took the train to my terminal. Then I had to go through Security, which had a huge line. While I was waiting in line, Mom was texting me, asking if I had made it through yet. She was worried that I wasn't going to make it to my flight. I was looking at my ticket and telling her that I still had an hour to make it. She was looking at the confirmation email from the airlines. We finally figured out that I was on a different flight, a flight that left an hour later than it was supposed to. United had changed my flight without telling me. I was so upset! We had made dinner plans at Papa Nachos, and I was really looking forward to them. I barely ate lunch because I didn't like the airplane food and I didn't have enough time to grab something to eat at the airports. I also was running on no sleep. I almost started crying in the airport I was so upset. I finally made it through Security and to my gate, where I waited for my flight to come in. It took me about 3 hours to get through Customs and Security. I was sitting at my gate, texting Dad and talking to Mom when there was an announcement saying that my flight had switched gates. So I had 10 minutes to run to the other side of the terminal to get to my new gate. Luckily I made it and boarded my flight. I was originally supposed to land at 9 p.m., but the plane landed at 9:30 p.m., which was 30 minutes sooner than scheduled. I was finally back in San Antonio! I met Mom and Joe at the baggage claim (luckily they had arrived at the airport at 9 p.m.) and got my bags. We couldn't go to Papa Nachos because they closed at 10 p.m., so we went to Wendy's instead. We ate there for a while (it is so good to finally have some American food!) and then we went home. I finally got to go to bed!. By that time it was midnight. And then I woke up at 3 a.m., because my internal alarm clock was saying it was 10 a.m. Italy time. I hate jet lag! At least I wasn't the only one suffering it, because Liv was also up because of it, so we started texting. I got up at 4:30 a.m., so I would have time to make it to the airport for my 7 a.m. flight. I had no problems getting up and out the door. When I got downstairs I could not find the receptionist and all of the lights were out. This was a problem because I needed to turn in my keys and get my 10 euro deposit back. I had asked the night before and they assured me that someone would be there. Finally I asked "Hello?" and I heard someone start like they had just woken up. The receptionist got up from the direction of the couches, where she had been sleeping. I turned in my keys, got my deposit, and she called a cab for me.
When I got to the Fiumicino Airport I found were my bag was supposed to come out and waited. While I was waiting, an airport worker was going around my lane asking if people had come from Lisbon. The Lisbon Airport was also striking, which included the person who was supposed to load the bags onto the plane. So all of the people from Lisbon didn't have bags. It got worse, because TAP (the airline) was striking the next day, which includes the pilot that flies from Lisbon to Rome so they can't get their bags the next day either. So in two days, if they still want their bags, they have to return to the Fiumicino Airport to collect them. The system of striking in Europe is crazy! I am so glad it is not that bad in the U.S.! Thankfully, my bag made it alright.
I took the train to Termini, and then the H bus to the apartment. In total, it was about a 2 hour trip. Usually the trip takes me 3 hours from Ciampino. I got back to the apartment and chilled for the rest of the day. I also had to work on my presentations for tomorrow. I have 2 of them. I also started a rough draft for my Art History paper, which isn't due for 2 weeks. I also had a meeting with my Marketing group about the presentation for tomorrow. I got up and left the apartment around 8 a.m. I wanted to get to Termini early so I would have enough time to return the purse I bought from Accessorize in Florence. They have a store in Termini, and I wanted to return it and get my money back since I don't need it anymore. I waited about 15 minutes for the H bus, then took it to Termini. I started to wander around Termini, realized I had no idea where I was going and decided to Google it. I was going the wrong way, of course. When I got off the escalators I turned right instead of left. So I turned around and found the store. It was out of business. The sign was there, but it was dark inside and there was nothing inside. So, it looks like I got a new purse. Right across from the store was McDonalds, so I got some breakfast to go. Then I went and bought a ticket to take the train to Fiumicino. I got the train leaving in 30 minutes, because I didn't think that I could make the train that was leaving in 5 minutes. I still hurried to try to hop on that train, because my ticket didn't specify a time. As I am running up to the platform, the train is pulling away. So I have another 30 minutes to wait for the next train, and I eat my breakfast while I wait. Finally the train came and I took it to the airport. At the airport I didn't know where the TAP airlines was located, and I needed to print my ticket. I had been having problems with my email, so I couldn't print my boarding pass ahead of time like I usually do. Then I found a little kiosk and I was able to print my ticket there. Then I just had to get through Security and find my gate. I was 2 hours early, so I pulled out my laptop and started working on my Art History presentation. I also used the free time to figure out how to get from the Porto Airport to Braga. My original plan was to take the train, but while I was researching I found that there was a bus that goes there. I boarded the plane with no problems, and flew to Portugal. I really like that airlines. They gave us lunch, which was actually pretty good considering it was airplane food. It was a simple meal, just spanish rice, bread, and apples, but I enjoyed it. When I landed I followed the signs for a shuttle bus and found GetBus, the bus that would take me to Braga. The bus to Braga didn't come for another 40 minutes, so I sat down and waited. Then I paid 8 euros, and rode there. There was only 1 other person on the bus, besides me.
I hate my roommates at the hostel. I told both of them that I had to be up by 3 a.m. in order to go to the airport. I even apologized for waking them up so early. And what do they do? They decide to have a conversation about the different prices for train tickets from Budapest to other countries in Europe. The problem was that they were across the room from each other and I was in the between them. Instead of sharing a bed or one person sitting on a truck so they could talk quietly they decide to shout across the room at each other. They did this from about 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. I was so tired that I faded in and out of the conversation until they finally fell asleep.
I still woke up before my alarm, and rather than letting it go off and waking them up, I turned it off. I should have let it ring for a while to they could get as much sleep as I did. One of my roommates had mentioned that a couple in the hostel was leaving on the same flight as me. I heard them moving around in my room and go downstairs, so I rushed to get ready. I was hoping that we could share a taxi, but they were taking a bus to the airport. One of my tour guides had given me a number of a reputable taxi company, so I called them. The first person I got only spoke Hungarian, so she transferred me to another lady who spoke English. I tried telling her my address, but she couldn't understand me so she transferred me to a guy. He couldn't understand me either so I started spelling out the street name. "V as in Victor, etc." He went "Oh! V." I guess my V sounded like a B. After I hung up I went outside to wait. While I was waiting the receptionist came back from showing the other people how to get to their bus. I told him that I had already called a taxi, and he was like "you know how to do that?" We talked for a little while and he waited with me for my cab. It took about 5 minutes, and then my cab came and picked me up. The guy only spoke a little bit of English, but we were able to communicate. He took me to the airport and it only cost about $25. It was worth it. I got to the airport at about 3:45 a.m. There were a lot of people standing in the Wizz Air line, but I didn't see where the line for Ryanair was. My flight was supposed to leave at 6:20 a.m., so I had plenty of time to figure it out. I found the information station, but it didn't open until 5 a.m., so I sat on some stairs and read Lost in Shri-Lanka. At 5 a.m., I still couldn't find the Ryanair line, so I went to information and they told me which station was Ryanair. It still wasn't open, so I sat on some more stairs to wait. Ryanair finally opened at 5:15 a.m., and I was one of the first people in line. They only had 1 station open, and they were going really slow. Another Ryanair employee came up and pulled people out of line who weren't checking a bag. So I got my visa checked and went to Security. Security only took a couple of minutes, and I got out quickly. Then I checked the message board to find out my gate number and it said "46 minutes until gate announced." So I went and sat on one of the couches for 40 minutes reading my book. Then I got up to check the announcement board again, figuring that I would stand there for 6 minutes for my gate. Right beside my gate was the number and the word "boarding." I bolted toward my gate, worried that I was going to miss my flight. I got to where my gate was, and they were not boarding. I waited about 3 more minutes and they let us through the gate. Then we had to walk to another building and wait about 15-20 minutes. Then we finally got to board the plane. The flight back to Rome was pretty uneventful. There was a lot of turbulence, but we landed safely. I went and bought a Terravision bus ticket to take me to Termini. It was supposed to leave at 9, so I was like okay only a 30 minute wait. It was a 45 minute wait because the bus was late. Something must have happened to that bus, because I think they called up a new bus. Usually a bus comes from Termini, it unloads passengers and then the people waiting get on and the bus goes back to Termini. The bus that came had no passengers on it. Anyways, we filled up the bus and went to Termini. Then I had to wait for the H bus to come to finally take me to my apartment. It took about 2.5 hours. When I got back, Olivia and Marella were at the apartment. We talked for a little bit, and then Olivia went to class. Marella stayed at the apartment. After a while I went to the school library where I was supposed to study for my Art History test, but I ended up just working on my blog. Then I walked 30 minutes to MADE cupcake shop. Olivia has been having a lot of family issues lately, so I wanted to surprise her with cupcakes. The cupcake shop was located by Piazza Navona and little pricey, but I bought 4 cupcakes. Then I walked all the way back to the apartment, carefully balancing the cupcakes. I really needed to go to the store, so I walked to Conad still balancing the cupcakes. I bought the ingredients for my meat sauce, then went back to the apartment and made it. Everyone was out when I got to the apartment, so I was able to hide the cupcakes. Laura was the first one back. Eventually Olivia and Marella came back, and then Marella left to return to London. I let Liv vent about Marella for a while, and then brought out the cupcakes. Laura, Liv, and I ate the cupcakes while Liv told us about her weekend. I didn't think the cupcakes were that good, mostly because the frosting wasn't buttercream. She and Marella went to Venice, San Marino, Bologna, and a couple of other places. Liv spent a lot of money, and Marella told her that she would pay her back. Marella gave Liv 50 euros. 1 of the many train tickets cost 56 euros. In total, it was about 400 euros, and Marella gave Liv 50. Liv didn't know what to say, so she just took the 50. We told her that she had to email Marella and tell her how much it really was. Liv just felt bad because she was supposed to study abroad with Marella in Copenhagen, but because of family issues Liv is going to stay in the U.S. But she hadn't told Marella yet because she knew Marella would freak out. She is going to email her sometime this week and break both bits of news to her. After talking for a while I went to bed. Today is the day that I travel to Budapest, Hungary. I had agreed to meet 2 girls so that we could share a taxi to Ciampino Airport. We agreed to meet at 6 a.m. I still needed to pack, so I set my alarm for 4:30 a.m. I woke up every hour worried that I was going to sleep through my alarm. So around 1 a.m., I woke up in a panic, looked at my phone and saw I still had 3.5 hours left. Then repeated this process about an hour later until my alarm finally went off at 4:30 a.m. Every time I woke up it was raining. Then I got ready, packed, ate breakfast and walked down to the taxi stand in the rain. There were no taxis at the taxi stand. Megan (one of the girls I was meeting) and her roommate showed up about 3 minutes after I got there. They are going to London for the weekend. My apartment building was right around the corner so we waited in there while I texted for a taxi. I waited and waited, but I never got the confirmation text. We finally decided to walk to another taxi stand. As we were walking, Megan's roommate happened to look back and saw a taxi turning around and started heading right for us. It was the taxi I had texted. He took us to the Ciampino Airport. I almost didn't recognize the inside of the airport. Every time I have gone there it has been packed with the lines for Security and check-in backed up to the door. There was almost no one in either line when we got there. Freaky. We went our separate ways at the gate, and I waited for my plane. When my plane got there, it was still sprinkling. Luckily, they bused us over. I boarded and sat in the very last row. We took off okay despite the wet run way. In the air we hit a lot of turbulence and it was shaky going for a while, but we finally made it to Budapest safely. I exchanged $10 for Hungarian florints. Then I found the bus stop, bought a ticket, and took the bus to the metro station. At the station I hopped on the Blue Line to central Budapest. There was this weird guy sitting next to me on the train. He kept staring at me. When I would look around in his direction he would avert his eyes, but when I was looking down at my map I could see him watching me and smiling. Creepy! I thought about getting off and catching the next train but I didn't want him to follow me. My stop finally came and I left, he stayed on the train. My hostel was only about a 5 minute walk from the metro stop, so I didn't have problems finding it.
In Budapest there are 3 branches of Judaism: the conservative that keep strictly to traditions, the ones that merge metropolitan life with traditions, and the one in between. The first place we went was the Dohany street Synagogue, the ones in between. To go inside any of the synagogue there is an entrance fee, so we stuck to the outside.
Next we tried to got through a little walled courtyard by the synagogue. We passed the entrance and then an older Jewish man said something to our guide in Hungarian. They got into an argument, but I have no idea what they said to each other. Two younger men came and escorted us off the property. Our guide said the argument was over the religious ceremony. The Jewish day of rest is on Saturday instead of Sunday. It also begins at sunset on Friday evening, right when we were trying to enter the courtyard. So we got kicked out. The next place we went was to the Simpla Bar. It is a ruin bar. Our guide didn't really explain what it was. I learned from a later tour that a ruin bar is situated in an abandoned building. The owners remodeled it and then added funky decorations. Our guide just showed it to us, said it was the most recommended ruin pub in Budapest, and then we left.
That was the worst free walking tour I have ever taken. It was supposed to be 2.5 hours, and it only lasted 1.5. The guide new the basic facts of the history, but didn't offer anything else. Usually the guides are engaging and keep up a running conversation with everyone as we walk from place to place, which she didn't do. When it came time to tip her, I didn't give her that much. Usually I tip the equivalent of $10, but she wasn't that good. She wasn't bad, but usually the guides are great. I only had 2,000 florint notes ($10), but I had 500 florint ($2.5) in small change, so I gave that to her. Now I feel really bad because that wasn't very much, but she didn't deserve more.
When I got back to my hostel I tried to upload the pictures from my memory card to iPhoto, but it didn't want to load. I tried for a while and then gave up. I'll try again later when I am not so tired. Then I read a little bit and went to bed.
I got up around 8 a.m., and left the hostel at 9. Then I walked to the Palace of Culture and Science to buy a bus ticket on the Modlin Bus to take me to the airport. I found the building and the booth, but I had to wait for them to open. I had planned on taking the 10:30 bus, but it was already full so I paid for the 10:55 bus. I had time to kill, so I went to KFC and had a chicken sandwich and fries. I can't get that in Rome. It was good. I enjoyed it, then went to the bus stop and got on the bus. I got to Modlin, and got through Security. Then I had 2 hours of free time. I still had some zlotsky left, so I went to the Duty Free shop and bought some water and 2 Snickers bars. Then I waited for the plane. The plane was delayed again, but it was only about 10 minutes late.
I got on and flew back to Rome. When I got to Rome I bought a Terravision bus ticket and waited for it to come. It was supposed to come in 20 minutes, but it was 15 minutes late. It finally arrived, and we went to Termini. At Termini I hopped on a bus to my apartment. I got to the street, but I had to go to the Guarini Campus first to scan the required reading for my Art History class. That didn't take long, and I walked back to my apartment. My only thought was to get something to eat, take a shower, do my homework for tomorrow, and then go to bed. I get to the apartment and Liv and her friend Marella was there. So then I had to be sociable, so no shower or homework. Marella seemed nice, but she was very hyper. We talked for a while, and then she went back to her hotel. Also, Liv cut off all of her hair! She chopped off 15 inches! It looks great! I got up at 5 a.m. today, to make sure I would have plenty of time to make my flight to Warsaw. I packed, got ready, ate breakfast, and was out of the door by 6 a.m. I walked to the bus stop and waited about 20 minutes for the bus. Then I took the bus to Termini and walked to the Terravision office. I got there and waited in line. It was a long wait because people that buy their ticket online get to go to the front of the line to get it authorized, and most people had bought their ticket online. Finally I got my ticket and went out to the bus. Their were people waiting in line, so I joined them. People started getting onto the bus, and I noticed the ticket taker turning people away. I saw one guy run back into the Terravision office, I guess to get the correct ticket. I didn't know why she was doing that. I figured the people who bought their ticket online got to get on first, and then everyone else. So I stood to the side, and then the ticket taker waved me forward to get on. So I have no idea why I was allowed to get on, but other people were turned away. Either way, the bus took me to Ciampino Airport. I got through the Visa Check and Security. Then I had to wait for 3 hours until it was time to board my flight. My flight leaves at 11, so I thought I would go ahead and get lunch. The issue is that the only place to eat lunch is a sandwich shop, and they charge a lot for their sandwiches. So instead I bought a ream of Pringles and snacked on that. I figure once I get to Warsaw I can get something to eat. Finally it was time to board my plane, and people started to line up so I joined them. We waited and waited. Finally, 30 minutes pass the time we were supposed to board, they finally started taking tickets. I was supposed to have the window seat by one of the emergency exit, but when I got there someone was in my seat. I just took the aisle seat because I didn't care that much. That was a mistake. I think it was the first time the girls next to me where flying alone, because they were constantly getting up. They must have gotten out of their seats at least 10 times in the 1.5 hour flight. I'm just glad we were buy the emergency exit so I didn't have to keep getting up, I just had to move me feet out of their way. We finally landed, and I was able to leave the airport. This is when all of my plans fell apart. I went to the ATM and got Polish money. Then I tried to get on the Modlin bus to Warsaw (the airport I flew into is located outside of the city), the guy told me the next bus doesn't leave until 5 p.m. It was 3 p.m. So I went to another line, which was the public transportation line. I bought a ticket for a bus that will take me to the train station, and the train will take me to Warsaw. I don't know where in Warsaw, but it is in Warsaw. I mostly just followed other passengers when we got off the bus, because I had no idea where I was going. I tried to look at the train listing, but it was all in Polish and I understood none of it. A train pulled up and everyone that was on my bus lined up to get on, so I got on as well.
Luckily, my hostel is celebrating Halloween tonight at 7 p.m., and there is supposed to be food, so I hope it is good. Free food! The receptionist said that there was no one booked for my room tonight, so I might have it alone, but when I came in there was a suitcase so I think someone is staying here. I was going to go on a free walking tour at 6, but it is dark outside so I think I will postpone it for tomorrow. I am also tired, so tomorrow I will be fresh and ready to explore. Which is a good thing, because I have 2 other tours to do tomorrow so I will be doing a lot of walking.
I met one of my new roommates. It started out good, with us introducing ourselves. Then I send I was from the U.S., big mistake. Every time I say I'm from the U.S. something bad happens. In this case, she started asking me how I felt about the New World Order. I had no idea what she was talking about, and I told her so. She explained that it is the idea of their being one government and one religion, and how it is already happening in the U.S. She also asked me about the 30,000 guillotines that the U.S. government purchased in order to behead Christians. I had no idea what she was talking about so I googled it. The New World Order is a conspiracy theory. I looked up the guillotine thing and it was disproved by Snopes.com. I introduced her to Snopes, so hopefully she doesn't believe everything she reads on the Internet. She is also hearing it from a family (dad is a doctor) who left everything behind in the U.S. to come live in Norway (where she lives). She showed me a YouTube video about a place in Georgia where a guy stores thousands of casket liners for the U.S. government, because they think a lot of people are going to die soon. I looked on Snopes about that, it is a storage place for a private citizen funeral home. The casket goes in the casket liner when there is a risk of harm to the ground, like being close to the water supply. She also talked about how people are getting slips of paper: one red and one blue. The red slip of paper tells people how to get to underground safety bunker, while the blue one tells them nothing. The old, sick, infirm people get the blue slip. She also showed me pictures of half animal half human that they are creating in the UK. She also talked about people in Mexico are getting chips implanted in them, and how the former director of the CIA was murdered because he started telling secrets about the government. I told her I have never heard of any of this before. She was really surprised that I have never heard of any of these things, because it is apparently all they talk about in Norway. Why does this always happen to me? Why can't I have a nice, boring, uneventful trip somewhere? I am never getting a 3 person dorm again, people think they should talk to their roommates because of it. I like the bigger anonymous dorms a lot better. I stayed at the hostel until it was time to check out. My plane didn't leave until 4:30 p.m., so I had plenty of time. I checked out at 10 a.m., and then I went to the city center to get one more souvenir before I left Bratislava. Then I took a tram to the bus station, and a bus to the airport. I got to the airport at about 12:30. Once at the airport, I had to wait for about an hour for Ryanair to open. So I sat down on a bench and started creating my review for my mid-term tomorrow for Art History. Once Ryanair opened, I got my visa checked and went through Security. And then I sat for about 3 hours waiting for my plane. I have never seen an airport so dead. It was a pretty big airport with lots of seats, and there was maybe 10 people there. It is not a very busy airport. Once it got closer to the time for my flight, more people started to show up. There was a male choir group on my flight. They had flown over with me from Rome to Bratislava. I know this because they were all wearing the same jacket design and I noticed them on the flight over. Before the flight they started singing, and they were pretty good. I have no idea what they were saying because it was all in Italian, but it was still good.
Then I had about 1.5 hours on the plane. I had to catch a bus from the airport to Termini Station, so I bought a ticket on Terravision. Of course, as I walked up, 2 Terravision buses left. So I had to wait a while for a new bus to come. The good news is that I know where the Terravision station is now, it is on the far left of Termini Station. Once at Termini Station, I had to catch the H bus to Trastevere. The bus was really crowded, so I was really glad to get off. I walked back to the apartment and started studying for my Art History mid-term. My roommates in the dorm were not as respectful as the previous night's. A group of people came in around 11:30 p.m., after everyone was already asleep. They turned on the light, which I would expect because they needed to see, but then they stood there talking in loud voices. If you are sleeping in a room with other people and everyone is already asleep, you need to be quiet when you come in. They could have taken their conversation to the hallway where they wouldn't have disturbed anyone. I had no idea what they were saying because the were speaking in another language, but someone in the dorm got pissed at them and started yelling at them. Occasionally they used some English, so she was yelling at them about not being respectful. Finally, everything either quieted down or I passed out. I kept waking up every couple of hours because I was afraid I would miss my bus. My alarm was set for 4 a.m., but when I woke up at 3:30 I decided to go ahead and get up. There was no reason to allow my alarm to go off and wake up the dorm. Although, those people that came in at 11:30 deserved it, but it would have woken up the nice quiet people also. I went down to the lobby to wait for my bus, because it didn't come until 4:33. About 15 minutes before my bus was supposed to come I went outside to the bus stop across the street. It was raining, but it was close enough that I wasn't too worried about it. I got to the bus stop, waited awhile and realized I was at the wrong bus stop. By the time I got to the correct bus stop it was 20 minutes later and the bus was gone. I looked at the schedule and couldn't find the information about the bus I was supposed to be on, so I had no idea when it was coming again. I went back to the hostel to use their wifi to find another bus. Of course, by this time I was soaked and someone forgot to pack their umbrella so all I had was a light jacket to protect me. At the hostel I found another bus that went to the train station, so I walked to the that bus stop. The problem is that their are 2 stops with the same name, so I didn't know if I was at the correct one. The train I had to be on left at 6 a.m. I looked at the schedule at the bus stop and didn't see anything about the night bus on it. So I decided to go to the other bus stop, which was close. But, surprise!, I got lost. So I was wondering around the dark streets at 5 o'clock in the morning in the rain and I decided it wasn't worth it. I saw a sign that said Oslo Taxi with a number and I called it. A taxi showed up, and I took it to the train station. I think the taxi driver to took me the long way, but at that point I didn't care. It cost me about $30 but it was worth it. At the train station I wondered around looking for a place to buy my ticket. I finally found a self service ticket machine, so I tried to buy my ticket there. I didn't have any more kronor so I tried to use my debit card. The machine wouldn't take it. I think it is because European cards have a chip in them, but American cards don't. Luckily I was able to find an ATM and withdraw some cash. I got my ticket, found the train and settled in for the ride to Rygge.
At 8:15 am the check in counter opened and I checked in, went through Security and got to my gate. The Pringles didn't fill me up and I was still hungry. I still had some kronor left from when I went to the ATM so I counted my money and bought a water, yogurt, and 2 donuts. I went back to my seat and starting eating them. As a I was sitting there I heard someone calling me. I looked around and it was the lady at the food counter. She wanted to know if the paper she was holding was my boarding pass. It was! I ran over there and she said that Ryanair charges 500 kronor to replace it, that is about $80! I got on the plane, landed at Ciampino, and got on a Terravision bus to Termini Station in Rome. I got to the station, bought a train ticket and went to find the metro. I am looking at the stops, and on of them in the Victor Emmanuel stop. That monument is closer to my apartment than the Colosseum stop. So I decided to go to Victor Emmanuel so I could find out where the metro entrance is. I went there, and it is nowhere near the monument. I couldn't find the monument. So once again I was lost, but this time in Rome. And smart me decided not to bring a map of Rome with me, because I wouldn't need it in Norway. So I start taking random turns and somehow end up at Termini station. I had to buy another metro ticket because you can only use it once, and this time I went to the Colosseum stop. I then walked the 20-30 minute walk back to my apartment. I am so glad to be back! I took a shower and then tried to make a burger. I went to turn on the stove, and the lighter didn't work. I gave up and just had some gelato I still had in the freezer. I told my roommates my public transportation adventures and they couldn't believe what happened to me. Lauren said she would have called API from the train station and had them come pick her up. Why didn't I think of that? Of course, with my luck they wouldn't have a car. Olivia said she couldn't believe that I just kept going. She felt really bad for me, so she said I needed something to brighten my day. She got out her box of brownie mix and attempted to make me brownies. She didn't have vegetable oil, so she used olive oil. We also don't have an oven pan, so she used a stove pot. We don't have measuring cups, so she guessed on how much water to add. The brownie batter was very liquid, so she added the frosting. She also guessed on what temperature to put it on. The brownies were in the oven for at least an hour and they still didn't cook. So we ended up just eating the batter out of the pot. I love my roommate! Today has been a day of highs and lows. I went to feeling like I was homeless, to almost having a marriage proposal, to living in a dorm room again with my feet killing me and smelling horrible.
So I claimed my bench, which was metal and VERY uncomfortable. It was cold so I put my jacket on and zipped it up over my bagalini. My pillow was my backpack, which had a change of clothes, a huge book, and a container of Pringles; none of which is comfortable. I didn't get any sleep. Mom called me once and I didn't hear the phone so I might have faded out of consciousness briefly. My bench was right next to the vending machine, so I put in money for what I thought was a water. It turned out to be clear-colored power-aid. Still, I chugged it because I was so thirsty. At around 3 a.m., I heard a lot of suitcase wheels moving so I thought they were opening the doors early. I jumped up and grabbed my bag. As soon as I stood up I found out why people were running. It was raining. My bench was under a tree so I hadn't felt it until I stood up. I ran with everyone else to an overhang, and we all waited there, even after it had stopped raining. Around 4 a.m., a lady that worked for Ryanair opened the door. Everyone rushed to get in line. There were 2 cordoned off lines, and of course I got in the wrong line. Once I realized this I got in the correct line, but a lot of people were in front of me. I was worried because my plane started boarding at 5:45 a.m. and left at 6. Finally I got my boarding pass stamped and I ran to the Security check-point. There was a long line and the security gates were closed. There were no security guards to search people. Finally, at 5 a.m., Security arrived and I was able to get through quickly. I found my gate, went to the bathroom, and I had 20 minutes to wait until my plane boarded. I am just glad that I missed the bus that was going to the airport at 10 p.m. I could have been waiting 2 hours longer than I did. On the other hand I wouldn't have stunk as much from the 3, miles I had to walk. The next bus didn't arrive at the airport until 5:20 a.m., which is why I didn't want to wait for that one. I got in line and boarded my plane. I was at the front of the plane by random chance. With Ryanair, if you don't want to pay to choose your seat, they randomly assign one to you. I got lucky and had a window seat in aisle 5. As soon as I sat down I wanted to go to sleep. I kept having to force myself to stay awake until we got in the air. As soon as we were in the air I passed out for a good hour. Then I woke up, and slept on and off for another hour. Total, I got between 1.5 and 2 hours of sleep. So when we finally landed in Oslo I was awake enough to appreciate it. I had my plan to get to the airport all figured out. I was going to leave around midnight, and take public transportation. That left me 6 hours to get there, get checked in, and get situated. That plan fell apart. I was in my apartment, alone, trying to get some sleep and I released that I didn't have a bus ticket to get to Termini Station. So I decided to Google for a place to buy a bus ticket at night. While I was googling I discovered that public transportation doesn't go to the airport. There is a bus that goes there or I could take Trenitalia. The last bus of the night was leaving in 20 minutes so I knew I didn't have enough time to make it. So I checked the train schedule, and saw that they operate until midnight. I also decided to check the bus schedule from Ciampino Station to the airport and I discovered that their last bus ran at 11 p.m. I had just enough time to make it.
I grabbed my bag and ran out of the room. I didn't have enough time to find a place to buy a bus ticket so I walked to the metro station by the Colosseum. From there I went to Termini Station, so I could transfer to Trenitalia. I made it, found the place to buy my ticket, bought it and wondered around looking for the train to Ciampino. I saw a big board with departures that said the Ciampino train would be leaving out of 20B, so I followed the arrows until I found 20B. There was already a train there and I was 15 minutes early, so I didn't know if it was my train. Everything was in Italian. I waited for 5 minutes and then decided to try it. I got on board, took my seat and eventually ended up at the Ciampino station. I walked outside and found where the bus was supposed to be. It was 10:30. According to the bus sign, the last bus had left at 10:20. The 11 p.m. bus time was scratched out. I was now stuck at the train station with no idea what to do. So I decided to take a taxi, it couldn't cost that much since it is in the same city. I didn't know the phone number so I called Mom, so she could look it up and I could save my data plan. While she looked it up I found a number that said it was for a night cab. I called it and a phone rang across the street. I think cabs are supposed to wait there and pick people us, but there were no cabs. I called Mom back and she found a number on Google. She texted it to me and I tried calling it. They were closed. So I was stuck at the train station with no car, no bus, and no taxi. My 2 choices were wait there until 4:30 a.m. (5.5 hours) or walk to the airport. I decided to walk. I decided this was an emergency so I turned on my internet data. I saw that the airport was 2.7 miles away, so I started walking. At first it was through the city, and it was lit up. But as I got farther and farther there were no lights. The train station is located on the back side of the airport, so I had to go completely around the runway fence. Cars were flying past and I was walking on a dirt path running along the highway. Eventually that dirt path ended so I was walking on the shoulder of the highway. Cars were passing me and honking. I don't know why, it wasn't like I was choosing to walk on the shoulder. If there was another option I would have taken in. After an hour I finally got to the airport at 12:05 a.m. I was hungry and thirsty. My original plan was to eat dinner before I went to the airport, but I had to hurry to catch the bus so I was going to eat at the airport. I got to the departures terminal and saw people sitting and sleeping on benches, but I didn't know why until I saw the sign. THE AIRPORT IS CLOSED BETWEEN 00:00 AND 4:30. The airport was closed. There was nothing that I could do so I claimed a bench. What airport is not open 24 hours? Apparently the Ciampino Airport. Today has been a LONG day. The plane from San Antonio to Dulles was really boring. I read my book the whole time, but it wasn't a very interesting book. Then we arrived in Dulles, and I had to walk to the opposite side of the terminal to get to my gate. I found my gate then I kept walking to find something to eat. The only thing to eat was at a sandwich shop, so I got a pizza sandwich. I had just enough time to walk to my gate, shove it down my throat, and board the plane.
I was in the middle aisle seat, so the overhead compartment was way above my head. I couldn't reach it. Luckily the guy in the seat across from me decided to help me, after my water bottle fell on my head. Finally the plane was in the air and I could watch some movies, but my screen was not a touch screen. I only had 10 options on the TV: The Other Woman, Heaven is for Real, Spiderman 2, Pacific Rim, and some TV shows. So I ended up watching Pacific Rim twice and Heaven is for Real once. (Once I landed I found out that it was the plane I was on. Apparently only certain planes let passengers pick the movies they get to watch.) After watching Heaven is for Real I decide to settle back and get some sleep, but when I pushed my seat back, the guy behind me pushed it forward. I pushed my seat back again, and he pushed it forward again. Then he told me he had a torn ACL muscle and asked me not to push my seat back. So the whole flight I was sitting straight up. I tried to get some sleep by sleeping on my tray table, but it was very uncomfortable. So in all, I got perhaps 2 hours of sleep. Then we landed and were bused to the terminal. The line to get our passports stamped was LONG, almost reaching to the door we entered through. Finally I got through Customs and went to get my bags. On the flight they told us it would be at Baggage Lane 6, so I stood there and waited and waited and waited some more. Finally someone else that was on my flight looked at the Baggage Guide and announced that we were in Lane 8. So I got my bag from Lane 8, and walked around looking for the double doors I was supposed to exit through. I found them, with the help of some security people, who I thanked by saying Grazie!, and they said something, I think it was Welcome to Italy. I found the API tour director and at 10 we left the airport. Well, I am at the San Antonio Airport now waiting for my flight. I was able to get through Security and find my gate. I had some trouble at the ticket counter, but they were able to resolve it after a couple (nerve-racking) minutes. Now I am worried that I don't have everything that I will need. I hope that I will have fun in Rome and all of the other places I am going to visit.
My morning has been a little hectic. I meant to wake up early (3 a.m.) so I would be so exhausted that I would be able to sleep on the plane, but I kept turning my alarms off, so I didn't wake up until 5:30 a.m. Oh well. I finally finished packing (last minute) and realized that my bag might be a little too heavy. Mom didn't have a scale so I couldn't weigh it. I went through it one last time and took out the non essentials: a pair of jeans, my boots, and my Bible. I still haven't done my Discussion Board for my online class and it is due today at midnight. Mom made me a breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, and leftover mashed potatoes and brown gravy and cake. I packed some cookies for the flight. Sorry Dad, but I forgot to give you the jerky from Bucee's so I am taking it on the plane for a snack. I was lucky to be able to find a Best Buy that was open at 9, because I needed a camera battery and converter. They guy was very helpful and it cost $75.73. Thanks for the money Nina and Joe's dad! I had $75 and Mom gave me the 73 cents. Now it is time for me to do my Discussion board before I fail my Intermediate Accounting class! Heading back to Denton today! We had to get up early to go to the airport. We were heading backwards in time, so the day we left Barcelona is also the day we arrive in Dallas. While on the plane I was sitting right next to Dr. Litton. This turned out to be a problem while I was watching a movie called The Family, which is about a family on the run from the Italian Mafia. It was a action comedy film. Unbeknownst to me it had a sex scene, and there I was sitting next to Dr. Litton. The whole time the scene was playing I was thinking, "Don't look over at my screen, please don't look over at my screen." Then the whole rest of the movie I was worried it was going to happen again. To make sure that didn't happen again I made sure to watch PG movies. I watched Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monster, and then an animated movie. We had a short layover in New Jersey, with just enough time to get some food. I ate Chinese and some ice cream. While there I found out that Carely's parents were going to pick up Priscilla and give her a ride to Denton, even though they would have to backtrack to get home. I offered to take her to her apartment since I was going there anyways. I forgot to mention that Simone and I were splitting the parking cost for my car. Then we got on another plane to Dallas. When we had our bags I called the hotel shuttle and we had to wait about 20 minutes for them to come pick us up. We got in my car and drove back to Denton. Priscilla kept us talking and kept me awake, which was good because we got there around 11pm. It was then that Simone mentioned the parking costs and I realized I had not mentioned it to Priscilla. I told her she could just pay me later, (but I wasn't going to collect since I forgot to mention it) but she had the money on her so she paid me. It was only $18 a person. I then dropped Simone off at the University and then drove to my apartment. My trip is over, until the next one...
We arrived in Frankfort 2 hours ago. The flight was about 10 hours long. There was a lot of turbulence, usually when it was time to eat and pick up the trays. I was in the middle of the plane, so I couldn't see out the window. I watched 2.5 movies. I finished the Sea of Monsters and Elysium, both of which were on my list of Movies to See. I also started We're the Millers, but I wasn't able to finish it, but I have already seen it. I was able to sleep for about 4 hours on the plane, so I'm rested now. I slept throughout breakfast so I bought a pretzel at the Frankfort Airport. When we were on the plane, all of the instructions were in German, and they sometimes gave an English translation. After the plane landed, we were loaded on buses to transport us to the airport. That bus was rocky! I almost hit the window with my face, but the guy next to me caught me. We had to go through the airport security again, but I didn't have any problems. We also went through Customs and I got my passport stamped. I kept trying to get on wifi, but it wouldn't work. I couldn't get on FaceBook or Voxer to let everyone know I landed. Luckily Heather rented a phone and an international data plans I was able to text Mom. I tried using an Internet kiosk but it was confusing. Since I had never used one before with Facebook I had to prove my identity. They had a box with random letters I was supposed to type in but I couldn't find some of the letters, like the backwards lowercase r. I was finally able to get passed that, but then I had to name some of my friends on Facebook. They showed me a picture, but where I was supposed to hit submit was cut off like it didn't fit on the screen. It was nearing time to meet the group again so I just gave up. I wasted 2 euros. Also during the break I was able to find an ATM. I took out 300 euros but I never had a chance to transfer my travel money from Savings to Checking. I'll have to sort it out later. I realized that I had forgotten to look up a passage to recite for my class. I started looking up quotes from Hemingway's A Moveable Feast but those were mostly about Paris, which we are not going to. I was telling this to Priscilla and Carely while we were waiting to board the plane. Carely is letting me borrow her Cuttlefish Bones packet. This is our packet of poems. Now I just have to memorize the poem and recite it when we are at the beach.
Today is the day we start our journey to the Mediterranean Coast. We will be visiting 4 countries: Italy, Monaco, France, and Spain. I'm really excited to get started. Right now I am in the airport waiting on our plane. I'm tired because I tried to stay up all night so I could sleep on the plane. I gave up at 3 a.m. this morning when I fell asleep for 3 hours. The good news is that I finished my Celtic cross stitch and packing. My suitcase only weighed 13.2 pounds. I wonder how much it will weigh on the way back. Since I wasn't going to park at the DFW airport, (and pay the high fees) I had to park at the Hampton Inn and catch a shuttle to the airport. I'm glad I didn't have to figure it out because I was completely lost when the shuttle driver was driving around. I would have never made it. Luckily I was able to find Dr. Litton and Beth relatively quickly. The guy that was checking my bag (Ravi) didn't look like he knew what he was doing. He was Indian and had an accent, which made it difficult to understand him. He kept saying 1994 but I couldn't understand what he was saying. I finally figured out that he was talking about my birthday, but I don't know why. Finally he was able to check my bag, but it took a long time. I hope my bag make it to Frankfort and Milan. We have a 2 hour layover in Frankfort, Germany. After I checked my bag I went to security. Luckily there was no line. I accidentally left my neck pouch on under my shirt, which made the TSA agent upset, even though there was nothing in it. She patted down the front and back of my shirt. Now I am waiting at the gate fro the airplane. We will (hopefully) depart at 4:20 p.m. We had to get to the airport at 12:40, so we have to wait 4 hours for the plane, and then we have a 10 hour flight. I hope I can sleep. I also have to find and memorize a passage from one of the books we have to recite on location. Luckily I have one of the books on my Kindle, so I can find a passage. I also have to start thinking about what I am going to do for my portfolio. So far I have no ideas.
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June 2022
AuthorThese are details from my adventures around the world. |