Catching up in Boston

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Lost luggage and 3 flights later, I arrived in freezing New York from sunny Egypt wearing flip-flops on my feet (Aussies be ware of using the term thongs outside of Oz, people would look at you funny, thinking that you´re talking about your g-string). Flip-flops aren't a good idea, when changing continents and climate zones, and especially when travelling with Iberia airlines, so I´ve learnt.

Lucky me, I met a lovely girl named Nicky at New York airport, who took me in for the night... While I was having a nervous breakdown at one of the service desks at the airport about my lost luggage, Nicky was doing the same right beside me. She had a huge bag with her and they wouldn´t let her check it in, saying it was too late for that. While it took them 5 minutes to explain all that to her, meanwhile the clock ticked over one minute past the 45 min. cut off time... Then she was told it was too late to check herself in and that she has missed her flight!!... We both stood there devastated, pleading our cases to the aiport staff, who were not fussed about anything that was happening to us...

Misfortune brought us together and we joined forces. I spent the night at her place and we made the journey back to the airport the next morning for our rescheduled flights... I was without check-in luggage and my heart was in my stomach!

My luggage remained missing in action for a whole week!

I didn´t get to see New York either, but I spent a night on Manhattan Island. Cool.

Lucky me, again, I was visiting some family friends of ours from Bulgaria, who now reside in Boston, who took very good care of me. I felt right at home, I had my own room for a few days and home cooked meals. It was great. Just goes to show how we take for granted the simple things in life, those things I haven´t had for 8 months now. I miss my bed.

I spent my few days in Boston catching up with my friends, who I used to visit as a child growing up in Bulgaria. Then my mum and I lived very close to their place and my mum used to take me over to play with their two daughters, Eti and Neli, who are now grown up like me.... I said grown up, not grown ups!

Their mum and dad, Julia and Tony, took me out on a funny ´Duck´ tour of Boston... We hopped on what looked like a bizzar version of a tourist sight-seeing bus, which then turned out to be a boat too. I saw Boston from the River (?) too. (With my memory, I´d be lucky to make it to question Number 3 in ´Who wants to be a Millionaire).

Anyway, it was a blast from the past,.... but great to see the family and the girls, who are now about my age. Eti is now married, so I got to meet her hubby Nev too.

Thank you so much Eti, Neli, Julia and Tony for a great few days. It was really really nice to see you again.... and my mum and I will be waiting for you to come and visit us in Melbourne.

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Photos

Brooklyn bridge, NY
The only view of NY I caught was at night from the rooftop of Nicky´s appartment building

Nicky my saviour and I
I´m wearing a borrowed sweater, which says WASH-U (washington university). I got to keep it.

View of Boston, 01
From a Duck, an old army vehicle, which after driving us around the city streets took us into the river for a ride.