1 November 2019: Madrid-AMS-MSP-Bozeman (923 total)
The joys of air travel. My cab was precisely on-time and made the 30 minute trip to Barajas Airport in 15 minutes. At 3 am, downtown Madrid streets were filled with traffic and people. 1 November is All Saints Day, a catch-all holiday for all saints, so none are ignored or forgotten. The cab driver said it's actually a 3-day holiday, beginning 30 October, tying in with Halloween. Traffic was light as soon as we left the city center.
In yesterday's post, I remarked on the airline recommendation to arrive 2 or 3 hours before your scheduled departure time. I arrived at 3:15 for my 6 am flight. The check-in did not open until 4 am, by which time a long line of sleepy, grumpy passengers were in position. Being among the first to arrive, I sat on the floor and watched Amazon videos. Fortunately, 30 years of business flying, primarily on Delta, confers some benefits and access to flight lounges when on international flights.
My Burley rain jacket was packed in my duffel, so I retrieved it when clearing Customs in Minneapolis. Expected Bozeman temperature is about 20 F. After 4 weeks of 70 F, it will be a shock. However sleepy, I doubt I'll fall asleep while driving home.
Unfortunately, my bike case/trailer arrived with the tow handle extended about 4 inches and broken. One of the three latches was also broken in half. The case was OK when I cleared customs in Minneapolis and rechecked it to Bozeman, so a baggage handler must have grabbed the handle, pulled it out a few inches, but was unable to slide it back in in the cold temperatures or just ignored it. I filed a claim with Delta and shipped the case to their luggage repair/replacement depot early the next week. The bike was fine. Delta's luggage returned my repaired case in 3 or 4 weeks, good as new. We often like to complain about airlines—Thank you, Delta.
So, I'm contemplating by next tour, favoring Romania & Bulgaria, perhaps Bucharest to Budapest, comprising a 1-week loop in central Romania followed by a portion of Euro Velo Route 6 along the Danube. In 2016 I rode EV6 from Vienna to Budapest.
In yesterday's post, I remarked on the airline recommendation to arrive 2 or 3 hours before your scheduled departure time. I arrived at 3:15 for my 6 am flight. The check-in did not open until 4 am, by which time a long line of sleepy, grumpy passengers were in position. Being among the first to arrive, I sat on the floor and watched Amazon videos. Fortunately, 30 years of business flying, primarily on Delta, confers some benefits and access to flight lounges when on international flights.
My Burley rain jacket was packed in my duffel, so I retrieved it when clearing Customs in Minneapolis. Expected Bozeman temperature is about 20 F. After 4 weeks of 70 F, it will be a shock. However sleepy, I doubt I'll fall asleep while driving home.
Unfortunately, my bike case/trailer arrived with the tow handle extended about 4 inches and broken. One of the three latches was also broken in half. The case was OK when I cleared customs in Minneapolis and rechecked it to Bozeman, so a baggage handler must have grabbed the handle, pulled it out a few inches, but was unable to slide it back in in the cold temperatures or just ignored it. I filed a claim with Delta and shipped the case to their luggage repair/replacement depot early the next week. The bike was fine. Delta's luggage returned my repaired case in 3 or 4 weeks, good as new. We often like to complain about airlines—Thank you, Delta.
So, I'm contemplating by next tour, favoring Romania & Bulgaria, perhaps Bucharest to Budapest, comprising a 1-week loop in central Romania followed by a portion of Euro Velo Route 6 along the Danube. In 2016 I rode EV6 from Vienna to Budapest.
Damaged Case
Summary
My total trip time was 32 days, including 2 days of travel. I estimate net expenses by calculating the net drop in a debit account that I use for all expenses. My expenses totaled $1600, including lodging; train travel round trip, Madrid-Seville-Madrid; meals; Madrid airport taxi on the return; and other incidentals. My flights, including insurance, was $550, with no additional charges for luggage or bike rental, due to the Bike Friday. So, $2150 in total.
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