"Trip with my grandson - Start - To and from Miami" Top 5 Page for this destination Miami Travelogue by grandmaR

Retiring Captain?

At the beginning of the trip, I wrote:

I'm sitting here in the airport, and I am next to a plug. I don't want to pay for the internet, but I figured I could at least start writing.

I have not been able to get the printer to work wireless, so I went over and sat down at it to print out some things (like my boarding pass for today) and promptly gave myself a paper cut the whole length of the last segment of my forefinger, which I do use to type. That thing was really sore. I was afraid I had gotten it infected, so I sprayed it with Bactine and then later I dipped in alcohol. I did get the printer to work when I was attached to it.

I checked in for this flight and printed the boarding pass, printed out the information on hotels and other flights etc, and also purchased a Barcelona Turistico bus pass for two days. I thought of doing the same for Madrid, but wasn't sure if it would be worth it.

I also realized that I'd done internet research, but had NOT done anything about getting maps or anything in hard copy, so I went to the St Mary's County library website and found two books that I thought would do. So I went to the library, and found two books and tried the self checkout at which time I realized that I had the set of keys with the World Gym tag on them and not the set with the library tag. Oh well - fortunately before I left the house I checked that I did have my library card

Then I decided to go to the bookstore, and there I found maps for Madrid, Barcelona and Venice as well as a small (but heavy) book on Venice and one on Barcelona.

I was rearranging the computers - I decided to take the old silver Dell and not the new silver Dell because the new one is bigger and heavier and doesn't do as good a job finding wireless. I'm leaving Bob with mom's old HP so he can read the emails too.

I started packing my roller bag. It is absolutely stuffed full. Bob couldn't even get my nightgown in there that was down in the laundry basket.

I was going to take a shower last night, but they turned the water off for construction (again without notifying us) about 11 pm, so I had to wait until this morning.

We left the house this morning about 11:40, and got here (to the airport) about 1:15. The Express lot was full. Bob dropped me off , and I walked across the median to the curbside check in (which they charge $2/bag for now). The man who took my bag asked if I wanted a wheelchair, and I said no, but after he checked my single bag, he said there was a lady who wanted to take me in the wheelchair so I did that.

I had some strange idea that I could get lunch here in the airport, but with my coat and waist bag and cane and computer bag, I'm too weighted down with stuff to move around very much. I did get my sports drink bottle filled at the water fountain, so I hope I don't lose that like I did on the last trip when I left it in the excitement of boarding.

The gate area was full of people who were leaving on a flight to DFW, but eventually they all boarded (or didn't).

There seems to be a big group here that is meeting someone. They have just unrolled a big banner (I can't see what it says because their back is to me) How is it that they can get past security without boarding passes??

--- stopped writing here ---- continued in Miami -------------

The plane that came in which we are going to Miami on had someone on it that they were waiting for to do some kind of celebration. Eventually, the person that they were waiting for came out - tall, white hair, florid face, and in a pilot's uniform. Maybe he is retiring or something. The group made a LOT of noise. Most of the people who were waiting to get on the plane retreated out of the area.

Quarter Pound Cookie

So the desk agent called first class and then group two and anyone that needed assistance. And no one seemed to be moving, so she just called everyone to come and get on the plane - all groups. I was in a window seat over the wing and there was an (east) Indian couple next to me. I put my cane and coat in the overhead compartment, the water bottle in the pocket and the computer bag under the seat in front of me.

The plane was supposed to take off at 3:10, but we were already taxiing out to the runway at 3:05. The wing got in the way of taking really good pictures unless the pilot banked.

I was getting hungry, and I thought they would have sandwiches, but that is only on a domestic flight of 3 hours or more. So when they came around I bought the 3 Musketeers bar, the chocolate chip cookie and the trail mix. The cookie was huge - a quarter pound. So I ate that first, and then I ate part of the 3 Musketeers bar, but couldn't finish it. They do still give you free soft drinks and juice.

When we came into Miami, and were permitted to use our cell phones, I called my daughter (I was supposed to call her when I left, but didn't. So I told her our gate number and that the baggage was to be on belt 22. She said she would send my grandson in to help me and that he was wearing a yellow shirt and red shorts.

The man of the couple next to me got my cane and coat out of the overhead and carried the computer bag to the concourse for me which was very nice of him I thought. It was quite heavy.

I made my way to the baggage area, and there were a lot of people from our flight standing around waiting at belt 22. But the sign on Belt 21 said that was where the luggage for our flight would be. So I sat on my cane seat there at 21 and waited while keeping an eye out for my grandson.

When my bag came, I grabbed it, and just about the time I got to the door, my grandson walked in and I handed over the bags to him. He didn't have to carry them as I had the computer bag on the roller bag. He said to call his mom, so I did and she came around and picked us up.

Their white cat is now an inside cat because he got into a fight and had to have stitches (they shaved him and his tail looks really weird) and he had a tube out of his head. He appears to be healing up now.

I have rearranged my luggage so I think I can find things. The stuff I had packed has gotten compressed somewhat so I can get more in there. After we got here and dropped our stuff, we went to Outback for dinner.

Banking the plane on take-off

We left the house a 3 for a 6:20 flight, with my daughter in uniform so she could help us if help was appropriate. First she dropped my granddaughter off at a friends house. Then there was a traffic accident on the other side of the highway which had us in a long creeping backup of rubberneckers, but we got to the airport by 3:45.

She didn't think we could do curbside check-in. I wasn't sure because I think even for international flights, I've done that (although printing a boarding pass is not as possible because they have to check your ID/passport), but our problem was that she made the reservations for MIA/MAD and I made the reservations for MAD to Barcelona, and they weren't on the same ticket. I wanted to be sure that the bags were checked through and I was pretty sure it would have to be an AA agent to do that.

The airport was a zoo when she dropped us off. We eventually ended up in a six snake line (after asking several of the AA herders). By a six snake line, I meant that the line snaked back and forth six times the depth of the airport at that point. My daughter went to park the car, and when she got back to the airport on the crew shuttle, she couldn't see us, so she phoned my grandson on his phone, and eventually I took his phone and walked out from the snake to the concourse (where there was another bigger snake on the other side that was wrapped around ours) and she saw me.

In the line with us were MANY people of course, but also people with MANY MANY bags including people with dog carriers. The sign in line said "One bag under 50 lbs free" and that the maximum per person was two checked items and that bags over 50 lbs and bags over one would be $50. So all those people with multiple big heavy bags were holding up the line writing checks.

We stood in line for over an hour. From before 3:45 until almost 5 o'clock. Someone tried to jump the line saying that he had 7 minutes to make his flight, but his flight only left 20 minutes before ours, so that wasn't true. Eventually we got to the counter and my grandson's bag weighed 44 lbs and mine weighed 34 lbs. She did manage to get them checked through, although no one could explain to me whether I would have to get them to go through customs and recheck them in Madrid.

Then we had to take the bags to the processing line, where they scan the bags before they load them. One of the guys saw Barb in uniform and took our bags quickly to process.

My daughter said that the security line was out of the airport as well, so she walked over to the crew check in and asked if we could go through there, and they allowed it. They also let her carry on my water bottle. Parenthetically, she said she didn't know why all the cleaning staff and all the gate agents and the duty free guys that deliver to the planes etc. all have swipe cards so they can get into the planes, but the pilots do not, and have to have someone let them in.

Our gate was D47 (I think - might have been 49) which was quite a long walk. But we were there before they started boarding. My daughter bought
her son a water and a sports drink, and she also saw that one of the flight attendants was someone she knew and has worked with. The FA said she would take care of us.

She left us before they started boarding and went home to pack to leave for Cancun the next day. She said it had been quite a long time since she had flown as an ordinary person with tickets, and she was appalled by the scene at the airport.

They handed me an immigration form as I got on. Somehow before we got to our seats (22 A and B on a 767), I managed to take a tiny chunk out of my skin next to my thumbnail, and so I was bleeding. I don't know how I did it and I didn't notice it until I saw the bloody prints on the immigration form. I asked my grandson to get me a bandaid, and he came back with one plus an iodine wipe. They had given him two forms, so I discarded the one I had with the bloody fingerprints. We filled out the forms.

My grandson playing his game

There was a school trip on our plane - all girls with red T shirts which said Espana 08. They were all in the back. When the pilot ran the engines up and we took off there was a concerted cheer/sigh from those in the back, which was repeated when the pilot banked the plane. There were quite a few clouds so we couldn't see much of the ground.

We got two services of drinks (they offered me wine as part of taking care of me), but I was really fine. Dinner was lasagna (which I got) or chicken which my grandson got. The seats were not as nice or comfortable as the ones on the BA flight I took with my other grandson. There were no seatback screens.

The first movie was the Bee Movie, which my grandson watched and also played with his new video game. I spent my time reading the Barcelona guidebook. I'd done the crossword on the previous flight. He said he wouldn't sleep, but he did - at least a couple of hours. The flight wasn't very smooth - the captain had the seat belt on part of the way.

The pilot and plane information said we would land at 7:45 Madrid time, so I set my watch, and camera ahead 5 hours. I had to go to the bathroom about 4 according to my watch, and so had to wake my grandson up. He then watched the very end of the second movie.

Sunrise

The sun rose about 5:25 according to my watch and also the information screens about what the time was currently in Madrid. Although I couldn't see them very well as the print was too small.

Breakfast

They gave us a 'breakfast snack' which consisted of OJ, a croissant and a strawberry yogurt.

Over Spain

I took some pictures as we were coming in, although it was difficult.
We had a window in front of our seat and a window almost even with the
seatback, and that one had some sticky stuff on it that showed up in
the pictures.

Next - adventures in the Madrid airport