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Published: March 21st 2010
You will recall that my first entry for my May 2009 trip to Asia was similarly titled. That's because getting anywhere when there my party is taking different airlines to get to our destination, something always goes wrong. Of course, I would prefer to book everyone at the same time, but lately there have been reasons this didn't happen.
So for the latest trip to Europe, it started in early Fall 2009 when I booked a round trip ticket for my son on Orbitz to Rome, with a stop over in London on the return, departing in mid-January and returning in May for his Spring semester at university in Rome. In December, my eldest daughter graduated from college. Her present was a trip to vist relatives in Northern Ireland. As we didn't know when she would return, we opted for a one way ticket to London and Belfast, which I booked in mid-December 2009.
Before mid January we learned my sons grades fell below 3.0 so I decided not to send him for the Spring semester in Rome. As I had not refundable tickets, I decided to pay $250 to reschedule the flights for Spring break. Then it made sense to have my daughter join him in Rome (Belfast-LHR-FCO-LGW for $250) and return to the States with him at the end of March. In addition to seeing Rome, they wanted to visit Tuscany, which required a rental car. Due to their ages the only rental car they could get was the Smart car...a hazard if ther ever was one. My wife insisted that they could rent the car.
So by mid-February I decided that I would have to join them. As the combined price of Colorado Springs-LHR and LHR to FCO was about $200 les that COS-FCO I decided to book the flights separately with the airlines. So this set up the situation with us motly on different flights. I was on Continental from COS-Houston-LHR and British Airways from LHR to FCO. My son was on American to Dallas and British Airways to LHR and FCO (sharing this last leg with me). My daughter was on BMI to LHR and a different British Airways flight than us to FCO.
The first sign of a problem was Monday of this week...we were flying out Friday. I received an email from British Airways that due to a flight attendant strike mine and my sons flight to FCO had been cancelled. The only alternative flight was the day before. I called Continental (which I had booked separately) and was informed that moving that flight a day earlier would cost $4000. I checked for alternative flights from LHR to FCO, and found one on KLM via Amsterdam. I called Orbitz to have them reschedule my sons flight, which took a day to do, and he ended up on the same British Airways flight as my daughter. If I had knows that this was an alternative, I would have taken that flight to.
So I arranged to meet my kids at Heathrow. However, should something happen, I gave my son the details on our hotel in Rome as they would get there at 6 pm and I would get here at midnight.
I arrived at terminal 4 and after picking up my bags and then checking in for the KLM flights, I planed to proceed to terminal 5 which is where their British Airways flight departed from. To get from terminal 4 to 5, I had to change trains at terminal 1. That is where my daughters flight from Belfast was to arrive in a cople of hours, so I decided to wait for her and help her to terminal 5. Note: Heathrow is now my candidate for the worst airport in the world. It takes forever to get between terminals, with long walks and infrequent trains, and having to make changes along the way. Terminals 1-4 are old and ugly...no wonder British Airways build terminal 5 for themselves! Anyway, her flight landed at 12:11 pm, and I waited an hour, and she didn't show up. I decided to go to terminal 5, but due to the slow connections, decided to return to terminal 4 so not to miss my flight. I tried without success to reach my son on his European phone. My daughter had a phone for the time in Northern Ireland, but I didn't know the number. So I called my wife to ask her for her sister's number there, and then called her to find out my daughters number. I tried to call it, but she had her phone off. Upon landing in Amsterdam, I tried without success to call again, and reported to my wife that we may have lost our dauughter, which she was not pleased to hear.
Anyway, I arrived in Rome (FCO) and just barely caught the train...almost forgetting to buy a ticket and then forgetting to stamp it before getting on the train. At Termini station I helped a young Finnish couple with their baby get on the elevator. I asked where they were going...Piazza Venezia to Hotel Piazza Venezia. I told them that coincidentally I was going to the same place, and would they like to share a cab. So we got to the hotel at midnight. My first question at the desk was whether my daughter had arrived. SHE HAD!!! What relief. I asked her how I had missed her, and Iguess there was aseparate exit at terminal one for transit passengers. My son had taken good care of her, taking her to the hotel (he was staying with friends), and paying for dinner.
Despite not having slept for two days, I awoke early from a combination of jet lag and the noise outside our window. Living in a rural mountain community, I am used to complete darkness and silence at night. Central Rome is anything but.
Anyway, the first days ended well, with everyone where they should be. No pictures on this blog...who wants to see airport terminals. I will likely blog the remainder of the trip once I get home in a week, as it is too difficult to find a wifi and download pictures from my kids camera's...which were once my cameras, but they stole them. Now I have a disposable Fuji camera so I have to have a CD made at Walmart before I can load the pictures. Don't you feel sorry for me?
I hope British Airways doesn't cancel my kids flights back to London Gatwick on Thursday evening. My KLM flight takes me to Heathrow where I will rent a car and drive to the hotel near Gatwick. Friday we plan to tour Kent, Saturday, Bath and Oxford, and after dropping my son off at Heathro for his flight back to the States, my daughter and I will spend Sunday and Monday in the Cotswolds. Monday night she flied to Frankfurt (the only option for using frequent flyer miles...20,000 miles for one way to the states). I fly out Tuesdy moring to the States.
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Marlan
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Lost
That Was A Big Blog !!! I Heard That Tammy Was Lost , Then Tyrell Found Her , Then tammy Lost Both Of You !!! That's Probably Why I Don't Travel Much Anymore ... I Really Liked Touring Rome - However my neck still hurts from Looking up at the Popes Place ! Take Care , Have Fun , & Find Each Other !