I love traveling, but who doesn’t? The next 24 hours is going to be a bit tough though. I’m flying from San Antonio to New York, then from New York to Helsinki, Finland and from Helsinki to St. Petersburg. Plus, factor in all the in between sitting around, searching for terminals, arguing with the baggage people about extra charges on the already “extra” costs for checking in bags, and of course TSA screening. Oh TSA….I absolutely love thee. Surprisingly, I actually have nothing negative to say about them, this time. I didn’t get molested by a TSA officer nor did I get subjected to the embarrassing screening, that people have been talking about for months now.
My three and a half hour flight no New York was interesting. I was fortunate enough to meet the Klumps family. In fact, they sat right next to me leaving me very limited breathing room. Apparently there is some kinds of hierarchical order that has to be followed in order to obtain control of the armrest. Needless to say, I lost not only the armrest, but probably a quarter of my seat as well, seeing as Mrs. Klump decided to get comfortable.
My neighbor in the row next to me was trying out for a position for one of those people who read the fine print at the end of the commercial. Not only did she talk 100 miles an hour, but she also recited her entire life in the three and a half hours that we spent together. Fortunately, I wasn’t the one she was talking to. I became an amused and at some point annoyed bystander. I’m surprised the guy sitting next to her maintained composure. I snoozed out for about an hour and woke up to the exact same humming sound coming from her mouth. If there were a pop quiz at the end of their one-way conversation, I think the guy would fail. There is NO way anyone could process that much information.
The rest of my trip was was filled with in flight movies, lack of sleep and a cold. Yes… I contracted a cold and by the time I made it to St. Petersburg, I was miserable beyond belief. The good news, is all this was worth it, because when I got off the airplane my best friend was waiting for me. Let me tell you, nothing makes you feel better than your soul mate, whom you haven’t seen in 2 years, jumping in your arms for a huge bear hug. Gosh I missed home.
Once I get some sleep and get adjusted to the 9 hour difference, I will write some more about this incredible winter wonderland.
