I know everyone loves to read about my international travel... This time, not as much happened in the air as afterward, but nonetheless, here goes:
Monday morning: I still hadn't packed, but eventually threw things into two suitcases.
Monday afternoon: It was snowing and Tim and I ventured toward the airport. The snow was light, fluffy and blowing everywhere. Around Willard, the roads started getting bad and there were people sliding off the road. We passed a ~20 car pileup in the North bound lane. More cars off the road. We took the Legacy Highway and as we joined back to I215, a car was sideways on the freeway, we stopped as he straightened out and continued on.
At the airport, my flight was delayed.... no biggie, I had a 4 hour layover in Paris, so I wasn't tooo worried.
My flight was 2:30 hours late, but no worries, still enough time to make it. I sat in the last seat, last row of the jet. It was nice to have the room, but there are no food options when the attendants get to you. I ate BBQ Chicken and some indistinguishable mush... I thought mash potatoes, but maybe grits... (Ew)
The 10 hr 45 minute flight was long, but not tooo bad, as long boring flights go. I watched City of Ember, Wallee, and The Big Bang Theory on my new Ipod (Thanks Mom and Nick!)
(Tuesday) After that flight, I had a 1:30 hour lay over in Paris. I actually had no problems, and the flight wasn't too bad, only 1 hr and 35 minutes. We touched down at the Edinburgh airport at 5:30 PM Tuesday night.
As I was waiting for my luggage, I got a text from my flatmate saying that someone had come along and hit the wing mirrors on several cars damaging them. Mine had been hit, but she didn't know the damage.
I grabbed one of my bags, and then the lady on the loud speaker made an announcement that a conveyor belt in Paris had broken and most of the bags didn't make it. So I had one bag MIA. It would be 2-3 days or even a week. I filled out the paperwork and then rushed out. I realized that my MIA bag was filled with my all important computer cord, but more importantly, my winter coat... Good thing it isn't as cold here as it is in Utah... My taxi was waiting, but they had almost left and made me go with a later bunch. I made it home at 7:09.
First thing I did was drop off my bags and then went and looked at my car. Whew, they had hit the mirror, but it wasn't badly damaged, just a small crack that can be glued. I then went into the house, made the "I'm safe" phone calls and then decided to take a shower. I hate the smell that your clothes soak up from the airline seats. It smells like old man fart...
After my shower, I started boiling Mac and Cheese noodles. It was the only thing I had in the house. The doorbell rang and the police were there. They needed a statement from me and my flatmate. I think the guy interviewing me was unimpressed. I didn't want to make a statement, I just wanted my Mac and Cheese. In fact, I stopped the interview, so I could stop my noodles from boiling too long. Haha! He told me I couldn't really say my car had been vandalized. While we were talking, I could only think of how I didn't want to be standing there, I wanted to eat and how I was super tired...
They finally left.
(Wednesday) After a fairly good night sleep, the next day, I got ready to go to work. I went out to start my car. Now to preface this next paragraph, usually after a long vacation, I come back to find something wrong with my car. I figured this time, I may be lucky and it would only be the wing mirror. Not the case...
I started it (YAY! Still full of hope) and I went to pull forward. It wouldn't go. I tried reverse.. still wouldn't go. In fact it was stuck!! I pumped the breaks, tried rocking the car!! NOTHING!
I finally got out, I decided that I should look under the hood. Just to make sure nothing was leaking (Last time I got back, I had a fuel line spewing petrol everywhere) Anyway, There was a rain forest of petrol falling! I looked and the other end of the line had loosened. Weird. Now to fix this, I needed to get under the motor cover and I needed a socket set. I didn't have one and the neighbor I asked didn't have one either. I gave up and walked to work. I only stayed a few hours because I couldn't handle it and I left to find some food and a socket set!
£10 pounds later, my set was bought, but nothing could be done. It was 4:00 PM and getting dark. So I relaxed and had a fairly restless night sleep until about 7 AM, when I slept until 3 in the afternoon!!!
(Thursday)
I hurried and got up and attempted to fix my car. I unbolted, unscrewed, tightended, recapped, and fixed that leaky hose! (I felt very powerful, I might add). The problem is, the car still wouldn't roll forward or back. Hmmm, it was already 4:00, so I guess I will wait until tomorrow. That night, I talked myself into having some mechanics fix it. I just wanted to pay someone to make it work.
(Friday) I set my alarm and got up at 10:30AM. I went outside, still wouldn't work. So I called the garage. They eventually sent someone over. A cute old man and a younger guy who was the brawns. He just smiled at me. Anyway, the took the hubcaps off and hit the wheel in a few places to knock the brake loose. Yay!! It worked. £15 pounds later, I have a running (moving) car!!! YAY! Things are definitely looking up.
Oh, I also called Airfrance. They still have my bag in Paris, and they don't know when it will arrive, they are working "as hard as they can to return the bag..."
Morals of the story.
1) Carry on EVERYTHING you think you will need in a week
2) Never leave your emergency brake on if you don't need to. As my dad said "Its amazing what rust can do!
