Sandwich, Snot, and Sofia

I finally got a little sleep- about 30 minutes. Then I did the rounds- walked the entire length of the airport and back, played a little solitaire, did a sudoku and checked the computers. (still not working) Then I thought I would go down to see if anyone had left the Stay and Fly. You can rent a room for an hour at a time. I thought that would be just enough time to get a fresh shower, repack my bags and get breakfast. Sure enough, they did have a room available. That was the best shower I had had to date. Afterwards I went to the cafe close by and got a breakfast of fresh fruit, a sandwich and a cup of hot chocolate. When I was done with that, I got the large luggage from storage and waited for Magnus and Börje. I mistakenly thought (in my sleepless haze) that all luggage check ins were to be done in the main terminal. But, when asked, the SAS personnel told me to go to terminal 5. (Did I know where it is?) That was funny! I had been there quite a few times throughout the night.Magnus came and we rushed to terminal 5, and met up with Börje. He was still looking a little yellow,but a whole lot better than the day before. We checked in and waited at the gate. And waited and waited. Finally a man got on the intercom and told us that the plane was ready, but that the crew didn't show up! There was no one to fly the plane, and no stewardesses either! We were to sit tight till they could arrange an alternate pilot and crew. Only 15 minutes later, they had everything ready. But now the plane was gone! They had to move it out to a parking area so the next flight could come in to the gate. So they got a bus to take us to the plane- parked in the middle of a parking lot, in the middle of nowhere! The ground crew was frantically trying to warm up the plane again, after having sat for a half an hour. We had to wait in the bus for 10 minutes till we were finally allowed to get onto the plane.

Once situated in our seats, we were amused to see what looked like orange colored snotty slime seeping down the windows. I couldn't help but to wonder if some strange alien had sneezed a huge orange hocker on us! If God would blow his nose, would it have snot in it? If so, what color would it be? Perhaps instead of a dust storm we were caught in a snot storm!? OK- sorry about that! I got a little carried away. Truth of the matter is that they had to de-ice the plane again- and the de-icing agent has diesel fuel extracts in it, which makes it a brownish orange color. But it was cheap entertainment, and struck me particularly funny with the thought of an alien flinging a snot boll on my window!

Once in the air, everything went well. We made our connecting flight without a problem in Warsaw. I got off a few pictures while on approach to the Polish airport. Everything looked so orderly, and clean! Wonder if they have laws about how the houses are to look from the air. I noticed that when you have gone a night without really sleeping, your mind can really find some creative thoughts! My mind must have been sleepless and on caffeine! It was really going to town- to Warsaw to be exact!

We landed, went through security and passport check, and waited 10 minuted till it was time to get on a bus to go to the plane to Sofia, Bulgaria. Once again we were bussed out to the middle of nowhere, to wait, and then board an even smaller plane! The roof was so low that Börje and Magnus had to be very humble! They had to bow their heads and hunch over a little so they would not mash their heads! I guess a little humble pie is good now and then. But they didn't know that they would be eating a lot of humble pie!

The flight to Sofia went as planned. We got our luggage, went through security and passport check, and looked for Stella, our interpreter. But she was nowhere to be found. Börje called her. She was in a Taxi on the way to the airport. There had been an accident that slowed traffic to a snails pace, but they were not far from the airport now.

It was good to finally see her when she came. We couldn't read a single sign! The Bulgarians have a different alphabet than what we were use to. So, she could point us to the toilets! Then we were our of our element, and the real adventure began! Out of the safety of the airport, it was time to go back in time about 50 years, and into a place where we could not communicate. But you will have to wait till tomorrow for that! Enjoy the day and those you share it with!