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Archive for the ‘airport’ Category

London Revisited (in Less Than 14 Hours)

In Boston, London, airport, cultures, travel on August 3, 2009 at 7:36 pm

Two days ago, I took full advantage of my flight lay over time. I didn’t sleep on Heathrow’s harsh plastic chairs, not did I smell the duty free Prada perfumes. I went out and tried to capture London’s vibe in less than 14 hours. And the city felt like a high school bully who just slapped fellow classmate Boston and walked away with no regrets. telephone
It took me an hour or so to realize that in downtown London I wasn’t going to see people wearing Red Sox shirts or funny crab hats. The passers-by I saw here were French ladies in silk dresses and Italian gentlemen with long Konica cameras hanging on their necks. I breathed in the first wave of European fashion and kept observing my surroundings.

Oxford Street’s architecture somewhat reminded me of Boston’s governmental center. I saw fusion of historical heritage and contemporary design. Building signs and statues attached to brick houses highlighted London’s rich history. “Here since 1789,” read the sign of a candy shop I entered. Clearly, this candy shop has existed long before my college.

Soho’s coffee shops somewhat reminded me of Boston’s North End. Small and full of life, they attracted crowds of fashion-savvpeople watchingy visitors. These visitors, however, faced the vibrant street and not each other. Clearly, the importance of people-watching in London is bigger than that of Boston.

London did prove superior to Boston in fashion and architecture, history and vibrancy. Yet, to me, it lacked Boston’s casual charm. Maybe 14 hours weren’t enough, after all.

Never Again, AlItalia

In Alitalia, airport, flight cancellation, lost lugagge on January 3, 2009 at 11:21 am

You would think an air carrier has a limited number of screw-ups. For instance, they can lose your luggage once or cancel your flight, or not serve you lunch, or forget about the English translation of their on-board announcement. But, let me tell you, Italy’s AlItalia definitely breaks the record and wins first prize for most screw-ups.


On 27th August I arrived at St. Petersburg Pulkovo airport with only carry-on luggage and had to live for three days with the several clothing items I had in my backpack and lady’s purse. On 21st December I arrived at Sofia airport with these same belongings for 3 more days. Both times my red suitcase was wandering somewhere without me in the unknown company of AlItalia staff.

Of course, lost luggage is nothing new and, when eventually found and returned, makes for a good story. Cancellation of flights, however, is truly scary. When my friend residing in Italy called me the night before her flight to St. Petersburg to inform me that AlItalia had cancelled her domestic flight “with no alternatives available,” I thought she was joking. Less than 24 hours before her actual flight, she had received an email notification about these urgent travel changes. Apparently, it was “due to protests by Alitalia employees opposed to the carrier’s takeover by Italian businessmen.” (www.fxstreet.com) Nearly 100 AlItalia flights were cancelled in November due to the same reason.

On 20th December when I was already standing in line for the security check at the St. Petersburg Pulkovo II airport, I looked up at the digital departures board only to see that my flight to Rome was cancelled. Panic. After a good amount of stress, I ended up flying to Rome though Milan where I had only half an hour to transfer. I hadn’t received any lunch or decent snack besides two thumb-size biscuits.
Having arrived in Bulgaria, exhausted, hungry and without my baggage, I sighed with relief, “Never again, Alitalia!”