The midnight coach bound for Gatwick Airport arrived at around 4:30am. I clutched my shirt tightly because it was only 8 Celsius and the way to the departure lobby seemed so far far away. I moved slowly behind the crowd even though I actually wanted to roll through like a bowling ball just to get into the building faster! I waited till 6:00am to receive the information of the check-in counter for my flight. While I was waiting in the queue, a Mom waiting before me began to talk to me in Spanish. The mom asked me to accompany her 13-year-old daughter throughout the flight because it was her first time traveling alone. And I was actually glad I got a company!
While waiting at the Lounge, we started to chat. She told me about her classmates, teachers, families and I told her about the internship and all other stuff. It’s quite an interesting thing to reflect on when chatting with a 13 because suddenly all those memories you had with your elementary and high school become so vivid again! You wonder how time really flies! Anyway, we parted at the baggage claim as her sister was waiting outside for her. It was quite an intriguing experience indeed.
A small tragedy happened when I took the train from the airport to the city centre today. As you can see below, I was pulling and pushing these boxes the whole day. One thing I hate about carrying them while taking the escalators is that you need to seize the moment when the stairs descend so your suitcase will be locked solid on the steps. I conquered all the escalators until the last one reaching the train station. My small luggage tilted forward while my big luggage standing unbalanced on another step. I was in the middle, not knowing which one to save first and then boom! I couldn’t hold it anymore so the small one went rolling down while I watched it lay abruptly at the end of the steps. I then had to drag the small one and my laptop up while balancing the big one which was bound to fall if I hadn’t reached the end sooner. Gee…that was one hell of a tug-of-war. I was sweating so much when I boarded the train, not in a happy Oh-sunshine mood of course!
The journey from the station to the hostel was bit miserable, too! I walked to the wrong direction and had to turn back to keep walking for 30 more minutes with my luggage…I was so relieved when I saw my hostel and even more happier when the staff gave me a warm welcoming upon seeing me! First Impression of the hostel was a thumb up! Looking forward to the following life here!
Song of the day to start off my first day in Barcelona:
Viajeradelibre 