Malaga Spain

I did more running through the airport today... evidently I don't have a knack for being near my actual terminal.

Needless to say, I got on the plane and arrived in Malaga without incident. I thought I was just a few minutes from my hotel, which looked very nice on the web site.

I get in the Taxi line, and hop in a cab fairly quickly. I give him my destination, and when he calls in for directions... I get a little worried. After a few minutes I use my great Spanish (not) and say "Quantas Questes para una 'ride' a mi hotel'?" He proceeds to tell me it's a $105 Euros, which is about $140 American!!! I gulp, and start to panic a bit... but I wasn't sure how else I would get there. Finally I come to terms, and I try to use my Spanish to talk some more... this is the first time I felt somewhat confident I could carry on a conversation.

The cab ride went well, and he would talk, and I would try and make sense of it. He got really excited at one point, telling me that my hotel was next to a nude beach. At first I thought he said he was going to take his clothes off and jump in the water... then I caught on.

My hotel is gorgeous... right on the coast of Spain... it is a sight to behold... but again... what is beauty when you cannot share it. As I sit on the balcony at dinner sipping wine, overlooking the ocean by moonlight, I can't help but miss my wife, my kids, my family... if only they could be with me... then that would indeed be a beautiful night.

I sit on my balcony listening to the waves crash onthe shore, sipping my wine, and watching the Seahawks play-by-play webcast on the internet as I update this blog... now i am up to date... let's see what tomorrow brings.

Paris... WOW!

I have to say that Paris was very impressive... the mere size of everything architecturally, and the culture that just wells up from the surroundings... amazing. The pictures I took don't do the city or it's features any justice... but tehy are still nice I think. The whole time I kept thinking I wish Kim was here to enjoy it with me... it's kind of defeats the purpose to be around something so amazing without someone to share it with...

I woke up at noon.... much later than I originally wanted to, but after my long night before, it was needed.

I took the train to the Louvre, and then had lunch right across from it as I admired it's shere enormity... and I wasn't even on the impressive side it turned out.

I went into the Louvre next, and was very impressed by all the artwork that is in there... amazing. However, I will say that after a couple hours of seeing rich aristocratic people in portraits, I grew a little tired of it. Still, you'll see lots of pictures from in there... but again, they do not do it justice.

After the Louvre, I made a trek to the Eiffel Tower... overall I walked non-stop for about 6 hours... good exercise, tired feet. At the Eiffel Tower, I found a little bar alongside the river that had lounge chairs, and good music, that you could just kick back and look up and admire the weather, and the Eiffel Tower's sheer magnitude. Then I took some cheesy pictures of me, and boy do I look tired... yikes!

I ended up the evening just having a quiet dinner and a beer at a pub, before I headed back on the train to my hotel.

Next thing I know, a group of Irishmen are asking me to join them at a pub nearby. They are a fun group, so I join them for a pint... mindful that i need to be on the train back to my hotel before 2:00 am! After one pint, they tell me that it is against the law to enter a pub and only have one pint... so they buy me another. They were a fun group, and definitely a great change to the fairly solitary trip I had had thus far. I managed to catch my train in time, but it was close.

Next... Off to Malaga Spain!

The Subway Stops When?

Okay, after arriving in France... I must say Paris was very cool!

I met with my potential customer for the day and then went to my hotel... my benounced to me, it was not in the hub of Paris, but on the outskirts, as I would find out later... not where Cabbies like to do business.

My hotel was beautiful inside, and the area was the business district of Paris, so fairly sterile. After cleaning up a bit (I sweated a lot on this trip) I bought a 2 day pass for the subway and headed into Paris for dinner and some walking around the city.

It is currently the World Cup of Rugby, and is being hosted by France... just outside Paris. Ireland was playing France that night... and it was hopping. Guys singing French team songs on the train, and the Irish pubs were flowing out into the streets.
I had a nice little dinner while watching the game... not really sure how Rugby works, I thought the game was over as I finished dinner... ends up that was the end of the game, and France (the underdog supposedly) crushed Ireland.

I made my way to another pub, and met some students from the US studying in Paris, as well as a couple Russians who spoke some English. It was entertaining to chat with them, and before i knew it, it was 3:00 am.

So I decided to head back to my hotel... only to find that the train I was counting on evidently stops at 2:00 am... no worries... there are taxis for just such an occasion.

Hmmmm.... evidently, taxis are hard to come by when you need to venture out of downtown Paris at 3:00 am. I wandered around for a half hour before finally commondeering a cab. A cab had pulled up at the corner I was at, so I tried to negotiate a deal to get me back to my hotel. The cabbie wanted nothing to do with me, but the two New Yorkers in the cab were trying to get cash out of a cash machine to pay him. I offered to pay their 8 Euro fair if he would take me to my destination. He really argued, saying no.... but I sat firmly in the cab and he had already taken my money for their cab ride... I WIN... or so I thought.

He ended up dropping me off at the wrong Sofatel hotel... no worries, it was supposedly close enough (10 minute walk) that I could get to my hotel. It is now 4:00 am. I ask the concierge inside how to get to the other Sofatel... he gives me some really easy sounding instructions. I take off on my trek... only to circle around endlessly for the next hour... before finally conceding and asking for the other Sofatel to call me a cab in defeat.

I finally reach my hotel around 5:15, and I am wiped... the next day to follow.

Naples... scary

I woke up 4:00 am Thursday morning becaue I could not sleep. Considering I went to bed at midnight, this did not bode well for my day. But none the less, I woke up and did some work, and then headed to the airport with my ride.





The ride to naples was fairly short, and then we had to drive to Cassino to visit the Fiat plant. This place was huge, I was completely amazed at the process I saw going on... cars getting put together step by step... very neat to see. But with 4 hours of sleep, any lull in the day put me to sleep pretty quickly.





We walked around the plant all day, and saw the various elements of the job... then about 5:00 we headed back to Naples. My ride dropped me off at my hotel.





First thing to note... I will never drive in Naples... lanes are optional, and actually the entire road is free game... traffic is crazy. I would never last because I would always be waiting for my turn... but in Naples... you make your turn.... there is no waiting.





Next thing I notice... Naples is a little more run down than Turin... okay, lot... and having my colleagues words in my head "You are not safe at night in Naples" made me think some more.





We pull up to my hotel... and there are 5 policemen on the step... and just as many in the lobby... I'm not sure why, maybe it was the air conditioning, but it did not put my mind at ease.





I stayed in my room pretty much that night, and actually had McDonalds for dinner because nothing else was that available.





Next morning I headed to Paris France...





After finding out that business class (Thanks Microsoft Travel) cuts some lines, I went and purchased some limoncello from the duty free shop to take home (now i have to cart that crap with me everywhere... hoy) Then I got on the plane, and had a nice first class (business seat)... with champagne as soon as I got on the plane YIPPEE!





Then... Monsieur Dorkus sits in front of me... and first thing he does is recline all the way back and starts groping the back of his seat. (see picture) His hands were actually much closer than the picture makes it look... but I did my best. At one point he actually grabbed my head as I was leaning forward reading my book... needless to say, this guy bugged me.

Monsiur Dorkus hand of awkwardness... it later grabbed my head!

Will My Luggage Ever Arrive?

When we last tuned in, our hero was still awaiting his luggage...

Monday morning I still did not have my luggage, so rather than go visit my business partner in the jeans and tee shirt that I wore on the plane the previous day I decided to try an early morning shopping trip around the streets of Turin.

Evidently Turin is slow to get started, as nothing was open until 10:00, and even then it was only a handful of the stores.

I was able to find pants and a shirt at one store, though the pants were too long so I had to roll the cuffs up, the shirt fit fine. I found some shoes that I loved at this shoe store, and even went back on Wednesday night and grabbed a casual pair as well. Do I sound like a girl saying I loved the shoes? Then came probably my least wise purchase, but I was in a hurry, as I grabbed both a black and brown belt that were a little too expensive, but did not look so bad in Euros...

I met with Fiat that day at their factory and ate in their cantina for lunch. I then drove around with one of my contacts at Fiat while we tested the SOS features of the car. I nearly fell asleep a couple times as jet lag it seemed was catching up. Shortly after this ride I ended up back at the hotel and I took a quick nap.... still my luggage had not arrived (sigh).

My other Fiat contact, Claudio, picked me up and took me to dinner at a nice little restaurant up on the hill. During the course of the night I determined that I could understand part of the Italian language, and people could understand me better if I just tried to speak my broken Spanish. I.e. Bana for bathroom, Carne for meat, etc...

Claudio read the menu to me... and most of the items did not strike me so well. I was expecting caesar salads, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil for my bread. I found out the balsamic is something only used very specially for salads...

Dinner was good, and the wine was good too. Claudio dropped me off shortly after midnight. Though I was tired, I figured I needed to try and see a bit of Turin's nightlife, so I walked to a nearby pub for a beer. The pub was pretty dead... so I sat and text messaged my beautiful wife back home as I drank my beer.

I returned to the hotel, with the idea that since Fiat did not want me until 2 the next afternoon, that I would sleep in a bit, and then do a little shopping so that I did not have to wear the same outfit two days in a row.... where is my luggage?

5:00 am I wake up with a splitting headache over my eye... as I try and sleep through it I start to think that this would be a crappy time to get an aneurism... finally after tossing and turning I call down for some aspirin. They brought me some promptly, and was kind of put off that it came like alka seltzer... I drank it down quickly, waiting for this incessant pain to go away. I tried to go back to bed, but continued to toss and turn and then... my stomach had other plans. net net, I ended up not falling asleep until around 7:30 in the morning.

I wake up, and lay there for a few minutes, so thankful the pain, and my worries of aneurism are gone. I look at my phone to see what time it is... 1:00 PM!!! Wow, I jump out of bed, shower and get dressed, and then run downstairs to the lobby.

"Has my luggage arrived?" I asked again hopefully. "No, Sorry" was the all too familiar reply.

So I set out to do some quick shopping in the hopes of doubling my current wardrobe. Evidently, in Turin, shops close from 1:00 - 3:00 for lunch, or at least on Wednesdays they do. After walking around for 20 minutes, I realize that I am kind of out of luck in that department, so I settle down for a quick bite, adn then head back off to Fiat.

I arrive back at the hotel from Fiat, and once again ask begrudgingly... "Any chance you have my luggage?" "Yes, it is in your room" came the reply to my joy!!! I ran upstairs like a kid at Christmas, and yes, there it was!! I chose not to rummage through too much since I would be leaving very early the next morning for Naples.

Claudio and his wife picked me up for dinner again that night, and then drove me around Turin for a late nigh tour of some of the places. The architecture is magnificent, I only wish I could stay and enjoy some of it, and of course wish Kim were with me to enjoy it too.

Now it is nearly 5:00 am on Thursday morning, and I could not sleep... must be too used to not sleeping with the babies, so I am checking my e-mail and updating my blog.

Next stop Naples...

Arrival in Turin

So after leaving Heathrow, I was headed to Rome on Alitalia airlines... not quite as nice as my British Airways flight out.

The flight was an hour plus late in departing which meant I arrived in Rome for my connecting flight to Turin late. As I get off the plane, a lady says "Mark Harrington", which I reply "Yes" and then she hands me a ticket and says you need to hurry to your flight.

So I rush my way through customs, 3rd time thus far, and down through the airport. I wasn't thinking it would be that far, so I didn't bother to put my shoes back on yet from the customs run through. So there I am, running through the airport in Rome carrying my coat, a laptop, and my shoes. After about 8 minutes of this running, and realizing that I still was not even close to my gate, I stopped and put my shoes on, at which point several other people ran past me, which got me scurrying again.

I finally arrive to my gate, after several incorrect gate stops, and I am told to wait... they are waiting for the bus to arrive to take us out to the tarmack for the plane. So there I stand... extremely sweaty... and confused as to why I am now waiting for a bus.

The flight to Turin was uneventful, as you would hope, and I arrive in Turin around 11:45 Turin time. I went to baggage claim and I waited, and waited, and waited.... alas, no bag for me. So I reported my missing bag, and caught a cab ride to the hotel.

My cabbie didn't speak a lick of English, and when I tried to make conversation about it being Bob Dylan on the radio, he misunderstood me and changed the channel. Then I tried to give him a tip at the end of the ride, but I had no cash so I wanted to add it to the credit card, and he started pulling out money from his wallet. I decided the concierge could straighten things out, and surely he did.

I got my room key and hopped in the elevator... extremely small elevator, and headed to my room. A very small room... feels like a single dorm room at college... but that is Europe. Once in my room I proceed to set things down, only to have all the lights go off on me. So I went and ran my key card by the door again and the lights came back on... well after three tries of lights going off on me, I finally realized that by the door there is a thing to put your key card in that keeps the lights on... definitely not in Kansas anymore.

I will try and include pictures tomorrow... but as it stands now I have to get up in 6 hours and have been in route for the past 24 hours.

Ciao!

And I'm Off

I thought I'd put this little blog together because the thought of me traveling by myself around Europe sounds like it may be fairly amusing... if not... oh well.

I left the house via towncar yesterday just as the Seahawks gave the game away... sigh... to Arizona none the less. The driver was a little 'speedy' as he took the streets of Duvall at 40+ MPH, well over the posted 25 (tsk tsk)... of course those of you that know me really well know that this does not do well for my motion sickness... so I closed my eyes and slept the whole way.

I arrived at the airport, and there were no lines, just straight through everything in a mere matter of minutes... that was unexpected. Add my flight being delayed an hour and we have a good 2.5 hours to spend at the airport.

Well, since I was on British Airways in business class, I got to use their lounge, which provided me a chance to get some work done while watching Sunday night football and enjoying some free beverages... pretty nice. Though they charge for their internet access... which is kind of cheesy.

Getting on the plane I had a pleasant surprise... the business class seats are very nice and fully recline to beds. They each have their own TVs, and the seat is actually kind of like in it's own cubicle... pretty posh.... it will be hard to get back to normal flying after this.

The trip was fairly quick, as I watched a couple TV shows and Oceans Thirteen, and then slept for about 4 hours. so the 8 hour journey went by fairly quickly.

I arrived in London's Heathrow airport around noon, and walked for what seemed like a mile and a half through concourses. then I boarded a bus to take me to another terminal for my connecting flight to Italy. WOW... deoderant really should not be optional... I had a hard time with the smell.... just not used to that much BO in one place.

After going through England's customs, I then sat around for an hour waiting for someone to come to the Air Italia desk... the wait was long... but the people watching was interesting.

I navigated my way through the airport and found a little sandwich shop, and a wireless network that I could connect to for some $$$. So I hopped on to do some work e-mails, and then write up this blog real quick. While I type this there is a French lady behind me coughing up a lung... it is pretty disgusting but I am powering through it so I can get my message out to my peeps.

Until later.... Ciao