I have just come back (well on Saturday) from my summer holiday in Majorca and felt the need to blog about the journey home.
It started OK, the coach picked us up at 7.20, everybody was ready we all got on, went and picked up more people from different hotels and then started on our journey to the airport. We were going along the motorway (which is really odd because people overtake on the inside, its weird) when suddenly we pull over onto the hard shoulder and we stop. There is smoke pouring out of the engine and so we have broken down. We are 5 minutes from the airport and on a very scary motorway with a coach full of people and luggage. The Rep rings the coach people and asks for another bus and they send an 8 seater minibus, this was not very funny. Checkout was open, we were five minutes from an airport with a broken down coach full of people and they send an 8 seater minibus. The Rep sent the bus away rang and asked for a coach, (she stressed the word coach) and we sat and weighted, no air con, boiling hot and stressy, angry Brits!! Another coach came and then we had to get on it, trying our best not to get run over by scary fast moving Spanish people. We all get on, our luggage gets on and we are on our way and arrive safely at the airport.
Checkout. For those of you have never been to Majorca or Spain, they are not the quickest of people (no offense to anybody) so we join the long queue to check in, bearing in mind we are late. It is now 8.45, plane leaves at 10.25, boarding starts at 9.40 and we are at the back of a very slow moving queue. Anyway it gets to 9.15 and we are still not checked in when an announcement comes over the speaker to say we need to move to the last minute checkout desk. We move along with many others (most of whom were on our coach) and queue again. Two groups of people had gone through and the machine that prints out the boarding cards breaks. Great. It is now 9.25. Slowly starting to panic about being stranded in Palma airport. Eventually however we get checked in when they open up another desk for us and we then go and join the queue for security.
The security queue was moving a lot quicker thankfully (I don't think they are that bothered compared to the English) finally its our turn to pick up a plastic tray to put my watch in and put the bags through etc. I go through those metal beepy things, which I hate, and I beep. Great. Then came the stressful bit (it is now 9.35) the guy told me to take my shoes off. I was wearing white, leather , flat, pumps. There is no possible way there was metal on them and no way inside them, THEY WERE LEATHER PUMPS. Anyway I take my shoes off and put them on the conveyor belt to be x-rayed but it has stopped moving. Why? My stuff is at the end clogging it up but I couldn't move it because apparently leather pumps contain metal. Anyway it starts moving and I go through the beeper thing again and I still beep. I then realise my knee support contains metal but apparently that does not matter they let me go, reassuring huh!!
It is now 9.40 and we check the screens and have been delayed by 5 minutes so boarding is now not until 9.49 so we go and have a wander round the shop to try and find something for the plane. I find some Milka chocolate (love Milks chocolate) and queue up. The checkout guy is the slowest man on the planet, if he went any slower he would not be moving. I am now very stressed and getting more an more impatient with the stupid man who takes forever to do anything. Eventually the man in front of me is being served and then they announce our plane is boarding, well I'm not leaving it now, they can wait a min.It took another 10 minutes for me to get out of the shop!!
We then start to run to the gate as its 10.00 but I need the loo. Go to the loo on the way and guess what surprise surprise there's a queue and the women in there are taking 10 minutes to go to the toilet, seriously what are you doing in there. I am now very stressed and very impatient. Eventually get out of there and run to the gate and make it, thank goodness.
That is where the drama ended and we made our plane and got there safely but it was one nightmare journey up to then. Just had to blog the fact that THERE IS NO METAL ON LEATHER PUMPS AND NOWHERE TO PUT METAL OR ANYTHING ELSE ANYWAY!!
