We were debating between Garner and Lost Maples, but we decided to go to Lost Maples for our hike today. Yesterday I bought a park pass online so we will be guaranteed entrance. Still, it took 1.75 hours to drive there, so it was pretty far away. Once we got there, we had to check in at the station and then drive to the parking lot before we were off on our hike.
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We were supposed to be in Marble Falls this week, but Dad is back in the hospital due to Covid complications. Because of this I came down to San Antonio a week earlier than expected. Luckily he is doing better now and he should be released soon. Since we couldn’t go hiking in Marble Falls we decided to go hiking in Castroville Regional Park.
I had to drive to Houston yesterday so I could get my Chinese visa. I stayed at a hotel so I could get to the consulate when they opened. However, when I went to print my documents at the hotel I found out that their computers weren’t working because a kid decided to unplug something and they have to wait for someone to fix it. So I forwarded the documents I needed to be printed to the hotel reception so she could print it and then I went to Walgreens to get a passport photo. After waiting in line at the Chinese consulate for an hour I found out that the hotel didn’t print my flight info. So I had to leave, drive to a place to print it, and then stand in line for another 40 minutes to go through the process again. Luckily I had everything I needed this time. Now I just have to come back in 4 days to pick it up.
We are in Austin again this week on a client, but this time Cynthia is with us. She didn’t really want to go kayaking so instead we went hiking. Cynthia attended college in Austin, so she knows the popular hangouts. After work, we went back to the hotel, changed quickly, and then got on the road to our first stop.
It is still just Danielle and me in Austin. Today we decided to go kayaking. Danielle loves to kayak and I have only been once. So we brought a change of clothes with us to our client and when it hit 5 o’clock we packed up our computers and hurried to get our clothes. Danielle didn’t want to change at the client because she was worried they would see us. So we tried going to the next building over which is still part of our client, but we wouldn’t run into anyone we knew. Our badges wouldn’t let us in. So we decided to drive to the kayak rental place, surely they had a bathroom where we could change. That was also a no go, we got there and there was nowhere to change. So we decided to drive to Whole Foods which was only a couple of miles away and change in their bathroom. Afterward, we hurried back to the kayak place so we could get on the water.
It didn’t take long to paddle back to the rental place. It was all downstream, so we could go pretty fast. This time we could see downtown. It looked really weird. You are on the river surrounded by trees and then you see tall skyscrapers rising up in the distance. It is like you are on a bridge between 2 different worlds. After we returned the kayaks, we went to some local food trucks and got pasta and cupcakes. They were good! On the way back to the car, we found 2 Lime scooters standing together waiting for us. We had been seeing them around Austin all week, but we could never find 2 together. We had some time, so we decided to ride around on them. It was a lot of fun! We went on different trails around Barton Creek, until a lady told us that it was against the law to ride them on the trails and we could get fined. By this time it was getting dark, so we decided to go ahead and head back to the car and the hotel. Danielle and I are the only ones in Austin this week. Since I don’t enjoy going out drinking and Danielle doesn’t like spending the entire night in the hotel, we decided to do some hiking. I have to prepare for my Inca Trail trip in a couple of months and Danielle just likes to hike. We googled some places nearby, and decided on River Place Nature Trail. It had some stairs in the picture and was a couple of miles, perfect to practice on.
Afterwards, we were hungry so Danielle looked up a restaurant. There was a place that wasn’t too far away and had good reviews called Lupe’s Tortillas, so we drove over there. They had a nice patio, so we sat on the patio and enjoyed the food. It was really good. It is my new favorite Mexican restaurant in Austin! They had daiquiris, and homemade tortillas. I don’t know what they marinate their fajitas in, but it was amazing! After enjoying dinner, we went back to the hotel for the night.
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. 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...
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. |