Day 1: The Great Commute

So, my flight could quite fairly be called the flight from hell. It was the late departing 10:00 pm flight from Newark to Madrid that set the tone for the rest of my journey to Spain.

The prelude: saved packing for the last minute (day) therefore spent a very stressful 2-3 hours attempting to organize my life while simultaneously entertaining the ever youthful and wildly energetic Adrianna. Additionally, Nino was out of sight when I wanted to bid him farewell adieu.

The flight itself at first (for a solid 5 hrs) was wonderful! According to everyone around me there was insane turbulence, but a prescription sleeping pill put a young Gigi out like a lamp. Apparently, I even snored. To make a long story short, we could not land in Madrid at the planned hour, instead we circled it for about 45 mins while awaiting approval to land and then headed out to Portugal for “fuel.” Almost five hours of it! It took just a little bit of snow to shut down the entire airport in Madrid and to leave us stranded.

Check this article out:

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Freak-Snowfall-Shuts-Madrid-Airport-Traffic-In-Spanish-Capital-Brought-To-Standstill/Article/200901215200269?lpos=World_News_News_Your_Way_Region_6&lid=NewsYourWay_ARTICLE_15200269_Freak_Snowfall_Shuts_Madrid_Airport%2C_Traffic_In_Spanish_Capital_Brought_To_Standstill

Almost eight hours past our initial estimated arrival time, we head out to Madrid to find out that cabs were capitalizing on little snow flakes and charging 100 Euros for a ride that should’ve been 25. After much ado, we finally found car service for a bargain of 41 Euros. Oy.

After checking in to the hotel, an exhausted Gigi and folks headed out for a nice evening stroll and late dinner. I think we were all too tired to marvel at the beautiful Madrid. I look forward to tomorrow and to seeing the sights as spot lit by el sol.