Sooo this is my first blog post using the WordPress platform because the Google embedded one I was using previously was pretty much trash when I was in Ireland last year. I added those posts here so it’s inclusive, but yeah.

Hi!

I’m on travel day 2ish (with time zone changes lol)–so I am going to try and recap what I can from the last two days, it’s been a little bit of a whirlwind.

Day 1–I left San Diego via train to LA to catch a 7:30pm flight to London Gatwick for a 2 hour layover…then was “gonna” be off to Rome. Way to be on time out of LA btw, Norwegian Air! Appreciate you!

The flight to Gatwick was not super ideal, I was in the middle seat of the middle section on the plane (which has a dramatic effect when you walk on and realize this btw). Haha Anyways, I got a decentISH nap on that flight and sat next to a super cute old man from Spain who was visiting his daughter in LA. Side note: I was wearing an eye mask during my “nap”, and when I woke up he told me he looked over at me whilst I slept and I reminded him of Zorro! He said I looked “cool”, and I am HERE FOR IT. 😎

For this next section I need to clarify that I am traveling with an Osprey backpack, and a book bag to hold my iPad and headphones, wallet etc. that’s it. Yes, I am in Europe for two weeks, and I am oh so proud I was able to travel this lightly!

Ok–land at London Gatwick Airport and I have two hours to Rome departure. Getting off the plane, I realize I need to go to a completely other terminal across the property and EasyJet didn’t have buses, so I had to catch a shuttle in another area. So, I’m already concerned about time at this point. Get through customs, take shuttle, enter new terminal and print my boarding pass. Wait in line for security and see people taking all the liquids out of their luggage–ok normal. I’ll fall in line. Once I do that and get to the place where you put your belongings on the track to be scanned security screams at me that I have too many liquids. OK- well this was fine out of LAX, can I reason with security here? Absolutely not. Cool. At this point my phone has still not synced to local time so I have no idea what time it is–all monitors have departure times but not local. I thought I still had an hour so I get escorted out of security, and head downstairs to check my bag. Once I get downstairs I ask someone for the time and I have closer to 30 mins until plane leaves, so really like 10mins to get to the gate! I run upstairs, throw all my liquids away, cut the security line and I am still feeling hopeful I will make it! WELP–lucky me my hair comb set off the security alarm and I had to wait 20 mins to get that sorted out, and also get the most aggressive pat down I have ever had. 😑 As soon as my bag went to the alarm side I knew I missed my flight. There was another flight to Rome 2 hours later with seats open though so I wasn’t super concerned yet.

Funny enough, it was explained to me that once you pass through security and into the terminal if you miss your flight you cannot buy a ticket at the counter inside. No no no–you get to wait for TWO HOURS for someone to be sent from god knows where to escort you completely outside so that you can buy a ticket and go through security all over again. To say I was annoyed is an understatement. So while I waited for two hours I used the time to contact my apartment owner, the arranged driver and explain I was coming next day. Booked a ticket out first thing the next morning, booked a hotel room, cancelled my Vatican tour for Monday…and then generally calmed down.

I could have done a million things better to avoid being stuck at London Gatwick overnight unexpectedly–but at the end of the day THINGS HAPPEN. I laughed sitting there thinking about the pure insanity I experienced in Lima Peru when our fight was delayed and we pretty much had a 2 hour nap from one day to the next in our “comped” hotel room, or when I missed my flight home from Ireland because my layover was just too short. HAPPENINGS HAPPEN. I have (finally) really learned how to roll with the punches and keep plugging along. So, once I got out of the airport I had arranged everything for tomorrow already, so I just checked into my hotel room and took myself to the cutest little pub about 10mins out in a quaint little neighborhood. Beer was delicious and cheap! Steak and Ale pie with veggies was so yummy. Then eventually got myself to bed for an early morning to attempt to get to Rome once more.