Bajai Life Camp 17.16: Day 497
SHS Hotel Aeropuerto
Tuesday October 16
Madrid, Spain
27.21% transcontinental
"Show me the knife."
Taz and Tango... frisky kittens
For most of the night I was up and down... in the bed. Trying not to try to sleep is a futile effort. I drifted off to a combination of house music and a documentary about the Spanish Civil War/Revolution. When I look at the elders in Spain anybody over fifty can remember living under the rule of Franco. I find myself wondering about their lives. Their stories. Anyway... I got up and out and everything went smoothly.
Of course I got charged-up for my backpack. It was higher than I imagined, but now I have an idea... (85, I don't know if it's USD or Euro and I don't want to know. I'm doing my best mot to fret necessary charges)... I can plan better. Besides, next round I will travel lighter still.
One act I forgot to do was transfer my cutlery from carry-on to checked luggage. To the credit of the technology and Spain's security inspectors, they spotted it. Dude didn't play coy or beat around the bush... "Show me the knife," he said. It was casual. Had he better command of English he may have stated it differently.
"There's a knife?" (I may have said, "Oh shit!" I think I came across as sincere, because at that moment I was thinking switch blade. Then I realized, "Fuck!" I know what it is and right where I put it. But the fork came out first. The knife gave me trouble. Finally I took my butter knife out... (it does have a serrated edge.) I was asked where I was going. Apparently this dinner tool would not be contraband in some other countries... but I'm going to the US.
So they took it. But I still have the fork. I tossed the plate in Burgos. I don't know why I kept the rest.
Better get some nuts and water before I board.
When I got to the terminal, I remembered how much time I spent here in April. Literally... spent the night here. I saw people this morning who might have done the same.
TAP Portugal
We got up and down with no problems. It looks like a lot of business travelers. We deplaned to shuttles. This seems old school to me. People seem to be in a rush.
Shuttle to the gate... Lisbon
So it's a ten hour flight from Lisbon to Miami. I must say I was treated well on every leg of the trip, even the knife incident, which was my bad. I was disappointed that there was no outlet for my devices. But there were plenty of bad movies to re-watch. They fed us twice. The restroom was Mile High Club worthy... and red wine was on the menu. I'm not sure how popular TAP Portugal is, but I'd take it again.
We are making the decent. Provided we land without incident I'd give the trip high marks. Of course I have to get through US customs. Let's see how that goes. I wonder if they'll have a lot of questions.
Landed. This was one of the smoother landings in my experience. It was one of the smoother returns, through customs, that I've experienced. I wasn't worried... just concerned, but the process went smoothly.
Signs of Miami
I'm not so sleepy now. I got a few nods during the flight. It's 18:45 here, but after midnight in Madrid, so I should be close to sleeping. But there are two wild cats keeping that from happening. They are fun to watch, though. Every toy is brand new to them. Now they're playing with an empty water bottle. I think I have tea.
Now that I'm back I can get back to some of my better habits... like vitamin supplements.
First meal in America... a turkey burger at Doc B's, cole slaw and beer... and water. No pix. Stazja works there so catching up with her and meeting her co-workers was fun. There's still the look of disbelief when she says I'm her dad.
Then, new lifestyle with her cats, Taz and Tango. Siblings. Brothers about four months old. Everything is new to them and I found myself observing them to see which is the alpha. I think it's Taz, (red collar, smaller) but not by much. These two remind me of Wolverine and his brother Victor, because I watched the movie during the flight.
Curious kitty
I eventually fell asleep. So did the kittens. A camera should be kept on them 24/7 for a year just to watch how they explore and settle in.