Great Start .... Then Not

Madrid

So, we are off to Spain. And, it looked as though it was going to be a smooth start. But ....

So, we had booked through American using miles and the connection in Dallas looked tight... very tight ... like 30 minutes tight. So, the day before, I called to see the best way to ensure we wouldn't miss the direct flight from DFW to Madrid. That's when I found out that because I had had to book at the AAnytime rate, I could make changes for free. So they moved our DIA to DFW flight up, giving us ample connection time. I also called the hotel in Madrid and they said they had a shuttle and would pick us up at the airport. All I had to do was send an email. Which I did ... But I didn't get a confirmation (as Bill Engvall says, "there's your clue.")

On Saturday, our drive to the airport was the fastest ever. Check. Our plane didn't breakdown (and it usually does). Check. We arrived early. Check. DFW was surprisingly not busy. Check. Our flight to Madrid was on time and slated to get in early. Check. Our seats were great. Check. I was able to nap I the plane. Check.

It was raining when we arrived in Madrid. Not a surprise, but disappointing. 

The walk from the gate to the escalators to the elevators to passport control was very long. 

But, passport control was a breeze. 

Luggage took a long time coming, especially considering how long it took us to walk. But it came. 

End of good start.

The shuttle wasn't there to pick us up. I couldn't figure out how to call the hotel (the dialing instructions Verizon sent me were not quite accurate). We took a cab (which was actually reasonably priced). I gave the driver the hotel name, but not the address. He seemed sure if where he was going. That's when we discovered that there was some kind of race going on and all the streets were blocked. So, he dropped us off on the side of the hotel. The bellman took the bags and I rounded the corner to discover that we were at the Westin, not the Best Western. They were helpful -- showed me how to place a call, called a cab, told the cab driver where to take us. Off we went.

Of course the race hosed up the roads. The driver said he couldn't drive up to the hotel, because roads were blocked. So, he pointed to a building and said " it's right there." Dumped us and the luggage and took off. But it wasn't right there. And no one knew where it was. I called and got garbled instructions (my own fault -- I am not bilingual). After wandering a bit, we finally found it. The hotel couldn't give us our room early. This is only the second time I've had that happen. 

And, to top it off, the people here don't seem inclined to be helpful or to apologize. I know it's just a different culture, but it makes it tough when everything is falling apart. 

I just hope this is ALL the bad stuff. A nap should help. I hope.

It will get better

Trip date: April 25-May 15, 2015