UMTravels

Well, it all started good….

Nice lounge, and then onto the plane:

And more food:

Quick hop from Barcelona to Madrid.

After my arrival, things went south, quickly. Got tested at the airport for the flight the next day and tested positive for COVID.

I probably sat on the airport floor for half an hour going, I’m fucked, I’m fucked.

Regaining a bit of my composure, got a cab to the hotel I had already reserved to figure out my plan.

Hello, Crown Plaza Madrid Airport:

After switching rooms, settled in:

Before I could concentrate, I needed food. Hello, room service!

Refueled, I started making plans for self-quarantine…5-days according to what I read about Spanish rules.

Things to do:

• Extend hotel stay
• Book new tickets for following Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
• Book backup hotels Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday
• Book hotel in Vancouver, BC in case I have to come back into the country through Canada, which drops its testing requirement on Friday (meaning I’d take the bus back over the US border)

It is times like this that having miles/points with several airlines and hotel comes in handy.

But the long and the short of it is that I’m stuck mostly in my room for five days. Here is my view:

At least I get to see the planes take off and land…

Not as nice a view as the TWA Hotel at JFK, but at least I had room service. I quickly figured out which meals could be saved to get a day’s worth of food – large portions they served.

Needless to say, 5 days of hotel and room service weren’t in my travel budget. At least I’m racking up points. Sigh.

Five days of watching TV news, which in Europe is Ukraine 24/7 since it’s in their back yard. The only English-language stuff on the telly was news, and I could only take so much.

On day five I got out the Antigen tests that I travel with – they are proctored via video, so they are good to get back into the US.

Longest 15 minutes of my life waiting for the result.

NEGATIVE

Even though it was just a little after noon, I headed to the restaurant and ordered a Negroni to go. Whilst waiting, spied a convoy from the Spanish Truckers Protest slowly rolling down the freeway next to the hotel:

Back in the room, cocktail in hand, it was time to cancel bunches of flights and hotel reservations….

Actually, went to the restaurant for dinner, and had the worst meal of the many days.

Forgot to get the dressing on the side, and there was too much. Another Negroni helped. Side note, there is a lot of cross-training of staff at this hotel – my server tonight was one of the people that checked me in at the beginning of my stay.

My business class seat on Iberia down the drain, I booked Economy on American to Philadelphia (and because of my Alaska status, I get the extra legroom seats), connecting onto Alaska to Seattle – who actually upgraded my MILEAGE ticket to first. But, as with me, there is always lounge access:

Was a little surprised at the number of flights direct to the US:

Booked bulkhead aisle interior:

But as the plane didn’t fill, got myself moved to a window seat with the two seats next to me open:

Up in the air, I was surprised about the tastiness of the dinner service:

And my view for the next many hours:

So I settled in an started watching movies. Started with Biloxi Blues, followed by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (both with Matthew Broderick):

And then Up In The Air with George Clooney.

Didn’t really sleep on the Madrid-Philadelphia leg. Started feeling the effects in the American Lounge in Philly:

More food on the Philadelphia to Seattle flight. Went to sleep as we took off, when I woke, they brought me the food I’d preordered.

So sapped that I only had one cocktail in the 6-hour flight. Went right back to sleep after the food.

Home by 10:30pm, but it was a long day.

SERIOUSLY glad to be home.

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