Arriving in Europe

After a very nice, long, deep sleep I hustled over to JFK to catch my Iberia flight.  I didn't know Iberia Airlines but, in general, have good expectations for flights on foreign carriers.  I was not disappointed.  Although my ability to communicate (I speak no Spanish...Lo siento, pero yo no hablo Espanol...except, "I am sorry but I don't speak Spanish") was severely limited I received many smiles, very good food, nice wine and my seat converted into a flat bed.  For what more could one ask?

We arrived early in Madrid which gave me plenty of time to get through customs and giving me some time to enjoy the beauty of the Madrid airport.  The undulating roof was beautiful and the people with whom I interacted in Madrid were extremely friendly.  Maybe the beauty of the people enhanced my opinion of the airport.

This travel day would encompass four travel legs, the second leg taking me to Barcelona.  Maybe I was a bit worn out from the JFK-Madrid flight but the short flight to Barcelona just seemed odd.  It made me somewhat uncomfortable and I began to think about my luggage.  Airlines have lost my luggage on each of the last three trips.  On this trip these two airlines, American and Iberia, have had three opportunities to do the same.  There was a plane change in Los Angeles, in New York and in Madrid, so I'm beginning to estimate the odds of seeing my luggage in Barcelona.  Given my feeling about this flight and this crew I'm thinking the odds are pretty low.  However, wonders will never cease.  My bags arrived, I passed through customs (again) and searched for my next flight (Barcelona to Zurich) on Swissair.

The search for Swissair in the Barcelona airport was an unbelievable experience couched in the misunderstanding of the difference between Terminal C and Concourse C.  My misunderstanding of that distinction allowed me to drag my luggage for long distances until I eventually discovered the error of my ways.  I walked the length and breadth of that large airport (I must've needed the exercise), finally arriving at the correct spot.

Although it was probably a result of my misadventure, I cannot say I cared much for the airport in Barcelona nor the friendliness of it people.  Couple that with the fact that I had been traveling for 14 hours and it a wonder that I didn't go postal.

So, I'm ready to leave this place, but, that becomes complicated by the ultra-efficient Swissair, which can't seem to find a plane to take us to Zurich.  Eventually that happens and we have a lovely flight over Switzerland.  Although I've been to Geneva, I can't say I've seen that beautiful country and the afternoon flyover was very nice.  As it happens, I had a rather long layover in Zurich, which is not a beautiful place to spend much time.  Again my flight is delayed by Swissair but I finally arrive in Nice.  After 36 hours of travel I am so happy to jump into a comfortable bed for a long, deep sleep.  The next day I will begin my travels into Italy and, despite the fact that it has taken me nearly three days to arrive at this point, I am happy.