Off to Spain!

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For my fourth overseas trip, Shea and I decided to venture over to Spain. We took advantage of a special deal Contiki was offering where if you book by a certain date, the second person flies for only $100. After splitting the airfare in half, our round trip tickets to Spain via Germany were only about $450 per person. Months of planning and anticipation had finally arrived, it’s time to leave for Spain! As usual for me, my procrastination made the morning of May 18th into a mad rush to get some last minute things done. I had organize my finances, start packing, purchase some things at the store, as well as look for a battery charger. We left Simi Valley at around 12:15 to pick up Shea and head to the airport. But first we had to make a stop at the Porter Ranch Best Buy to purchase a battery charger for my camera. Unfortunately they didn’t have the size that I needed so I ran next door into the Wal-Mart, but they didn’t have it either. Oh well. Maybe I’ll find one at the airport or in Spain. Traffic to the airport was surprisingly smooth as the anticipated bumper to bumper conditions did not arise. We arrived at the Tom Bradley International Terminal where Josie and my mom dropped us off quickly. We said our goodbyes and we were off. Checking in at Lufthansa was really confusing. We found ourselves standing in line not sure if we were in the correct place. Finally, we were directed by one of the Lufthansa rep’s to go stand in another line to get our luggage screened and then to return to check in. After going through all the formalities of checking in, we got our boarding passes and were off. We exchanged some money at the exchange desk. I exchanged $400 US dollars for 300 Euros. The exchange rate is horrible compared to my last trip in 2002. The rate today was 1 euro for $1.25, 2 years ago it was a 1 to 1 exchange. Things will be 25% more costly on this trip. The Tom Bradley International terminal was a dump. It was really outdated and in dire need of upgrades and repairs. We were expecting lots of shops and places to eat like in many other terminals I have seen. There was only one magazine rack and 2 small cafeterias. Our hunger forced us to settle on one of the cafeterias where a turkey sandwich, Doritos and a coke was over $10. What a rip-off. After eating, we found our correct gate and waited around awhile before boarding. Our Lufthansa flight was going to be a packed flight. Once we boarded, we saw that the rows along the windows only had 2 seats. What a relief, no need to have to worry about that third person when getting up to go the bathroom. I had the aisle seat which I later was grateful for as it provided easier access to the bathrooms and a little more stretching room. The plane was okay but it was certainly no Virgin Atlantic. It did not have a TV monitor on the back of the seat in front of you like Virgin Atlantic. Thus, you were not able to choose from a variety of movies, programs, music, and video games like on Virgin Atlantic. I was forced to watch what they played on the overhead TV. The 11 hour flight to Munich was long and uncomfortable as expected. The food was okay. I tried to get some sleep but it was useless as I was too uncomfortable to get any decent shuteye.

We arrived in Munich at around 12pm local time. To our surprise, it was quite easy to go through immigration and customs. Once we exited the plane, we wandered around a bit not sure where to go. We went to a passport control booth that we saw and got our passports stamped and that was that. In this age of high airport security, I was expecting much more than that. My only concern at this point was whether our luggage would be transferred correctly. We had 2 hours to kill at the Munich airport and the first thing you notice here is how clean and modern it is. The airport had many modern and stylish shops and boutiques. The floors were clean and shiny and the Flight Departures Screen was modern. The airport had all the latest comforts and amenities and was a great example of the modernity and efficiency which the Germans are well known for. This place was a far cry from the Tom Bradley Terminal in Los Angeles. I also notice that many of the Germans here are well dressed for being at the airport. This short visit to the airport only adds to my bias of Germany being my favorite country in Europe. They are so clean, modern, and efficient compared to the other countries. We start boarding our Lufthansa flight to Madrid but we see no plane to board. Once we go through the tunnel, we see that we have to board a bus to take us out into the middle of the tarmac to board our plane out there. Very strange. This plane was much smaller than the previous which makes sense considering it is now only a 2 hour flight to Madrid. Once we took off, I was so tired that I was knocked out for almost the entire duration of the flight. I didn’t even wake up when Shea was trying to wake me for our in-flight snack and drink.

Arrival in Madrid was like Munich, very easy and hassle free. I was quite disappointed when we weren’t able to get our passports stamped. Oh well, I guess that’s what happens when you have a united Europe. When we went to retrieve our luggage at the carousel, we both hoped and prayed that it had made it. Once we saw Shea’s big green Amber suitcase, we breathed a sigh of relief. A few moments later, my suitcase came by. After a little confusion about what to do next, our next move was to get out of the airport and to the hotel. Finding a taxi to take us to Hotel Praga was easy. Outside of the departure lounge, there were many taxis lined up waiting to take people to their desired locations. The ride to the hotel was about 20 minutes and cost us 28 euros, 35 including tip. The weather today was warm and sunny. I think it was around 75 degrees. I’m not sure because wherever they displayed the temperature, it was shown in degrees Celsius. One of these days I’m going to have to learn the Fahrenheit-Celsius conversion.

We got to the hotel between 6 and 6:30. Once we checked-in, we were immediately met by Colin, who would be our tour manager for the next 2 weeks. He had a strong Australian accent and was really friendly. He informed us that the group was already meeting in one of the dining rooms and to come join us once we get our room and drop our bags. Our room is on the 2nd floor, which would be the 3rd floor in America. It was facing the street and the first thing I notice is how loud it is when the window is open. The room was rather small, with the 2 twin beds right next to each other. We dropped our bags and headed downstairs to meet everyone. There were about 20 people in the group and it appeared that we were the last to arrive. Everyone was sitting around 2 large tables, drinking the free sangria. Of course since it was free, I had to have my share. Colin gave us a quick introduction of what to expect and checked all of our documents. Of the 21 people in the group, there are 15 girls and 5 guys. There are 7 Americans, 7 Canadians, 5 Australians and 2 from China. I first met Hazel who informed that she was half Korean and half white. She is a medical student, attending Georgia Tech in Atlanta. First impression, she seems really nice and really American (she says “like” a lot). I also meet Trevor, who hails from Saskatchewan in Canada. First impression- seems nice, engages in conversation and good-looking. It was only later that I find out that he is here with his wife, Lana, on their honeymoon. I also meet Mike, who is from Shanghai, China and is also here on his honeymoon. I also meet Hilary, a very beautiful blond girl who is a fellow Southern Californian from Huntington Beach. Shea is at a completely other table chatting and getting to know a few other people. After about 45 minutes of small talk, I start to get real hot and dizzy. I guess that’s what 6 glasses of Sangria will do to you. Having an empty stomach probably didn’t help matters too. We leave the meeting rather tipsy and are both quite excited about the upcoming 2 weeks. The people we meet seem really nice. I’m glad that we have a rather small group. It will probably be easier to get to know people and bond.

We made it down for dinner at 8pm and were the last ones to arrive. From what I remember, dinner consisted of spaghetti and some fried fish. Dinner was okay and immediately afterwards went back to our room to rest up for the night. Being excited about the upcoming trip, I was not able to remain in the room for much longer. While Shea rested, I decided to walk around the surrounding neighborhood and hopefully make it to the Plaza Mayor. Unfortunately, I never made it to the Plaza Mayor. I wasn’t even close. The walk was long and I was very tired. It was only later that I realized that I walked to the Puerta de Toledo. After retracing my steps back to the hotel, it was time to retire for the night.

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