Mediterranean Cruise, Egypt and Germany 2010
It's our 20th anniversary this year and so we agreed that a Mediterranean cruise would be a great way to celebrate. Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone and added a two-week side trip to Egypt and a few days in Munich on the way back (because that's where we had a connection from Egypt back to Vancouver). Bill was, of course, thrilled to be away from home for 6 weeks!
I had been planning this vacation for over a year and I thought everything was organized perfectly. Those who know me can vouch for the fact that I leave nothing to chance if at all possible. I had read a travel blog indicating that one should always make copies of his or her passport and leave one at home in case something happened while away, so I did that the day before we were to leave.
The morning of our flight, Billy gets up early and drives us to the airport for our 8:00 am flight. At the Air Canada counter the associate notes that we are on a flight to Toronto and then to Frankfurt and Venice so she asks to see our passports. No problem. I open our trusty passport case and there is Bill's passport, but mine is nowhere to be found - shucks - to say the least! I remember the photocopy and guess that the passport is still in the photocopier. So we call Billy who hightails it back home (no doubt breaking the speed limits - he's the last person who wants to see this trip cancelled LOL) and back to the airport. The folks at Air Canada try to keep the gates open as long as they can, but alas, Billy doesn't make it back on time and we miss our flight - which is a flight booked using Aeroplan Miles. I just couldn't help it - I had so been looking forward to this - I just start crying. The lady at the counter tells us to go use a pay phone and call Aeroplan to re-book our flight - right. I had to book a year ahead to get this flight using Aeroplan Miles and getting business class seats - like they will just re-book me for the same day. Another Air Canada lady who was watching this exchange (I think she might have been a supervisor) told us to go with her and she explained the situation to another associate at a different counter. This person quickly got onto her computer and busily clicked and tapped for about 30 minutes never once looking up at us. I was fretting like crazy. After a while, she looks up at us and says: "OK you're leaving in an hour. Your flight will be business class via Montreal instead of Toronto and you'll be able to catch your connection in Frankfurt and arrive in Venice at the same time you planned to, but it will cost you $75 each." OMG I could have kissed that woman! We thanked her and her supervisor profusely and were on our way as if nothing had happened.
I had been planning this vacation for over a year and I thought everything was organized perfectly. Those who know me can vouch for the fact that I leave nothing to chance if at all possible. I had read a travel blog indicating that one should always make copies of his or her passport and leave one at home in case something happened while away, so I did that the day before we were to leave.
The morning of our flight, Billy gets up early and drives us to the airport for our 8:00 am flight. At the Air Canada counter the associate notes that we are on a flight to Toronto and then to Frankfurt and Venice so she asks to see our passports. No problem. I open our trusty passport case and there is Bill's passport, but mine is nowhere to be found - shucks - to say the least! I remember the photocopy and guess that the passport is still in the photocopier. So we call Billy who hightails it back home (no doubt breaking the speed limits - he's the last person who wants to see this trip cancelled LOL) and back to the airport. The folks at Air Canada try to keep the gates open as long as they can, but alas, Billy doesn't make it back on time and we miss our flight - which is a flight booked using Aeroplan Miles. I just couldn't help it - I had so been looking forward to this - I just start crying. The lady at the counter tells us to go use a pay phone and call Aeroplan to re-book our flight - right. I had to book a year ahead to get this flight using Aeroplan Miles and getting business class seats - like they will just re-book me for the same day. Another Air Canada lady who was watching this exchange (I think she might have been a supervisor) told us to go with her and she explained the situation to another associate at a different counter. This person quickly got onto her computer and busily clicked and tapped for about 30 minutes never once looking up at us. I was fretting like crazy. After a while, she looks up at us and says: "OK you're leaving in an hour. Your flight will be business class via Montreal instead of Toronto and you'll be able to catch your connection in Frankfurt and arrive in Venice at the same time you planned to, but it will cost you $75 each." OMG I could have kissed that woman! We thanked her and her supervisor profusely and were on our way as if nothing had happened.
View my next blog, Venice 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment