Sunday, October 30, 2022

Murphy's Horseshoes


 Murphy's Law states simply that if anything can go wrong it will. Anyone with life experience knows that Murphy was an optimist. Further adventures enroute to home demonstrate this truth.

Did not sleep the night before nor that night, Up at 2 am, at the Regina airport by 3 am. No problems getting my boarding pass and a seat in an exit row. Arrived in Toronto where I had an enjoyable 7 hour wait for KLM to Amsterdam. More on that later. 

Toronto to Amsterdam was 7 hours. Felt like forever. Longest flight I've ever been on was Beijing Vancouver 11 hours. I'm getting old. No internet so actually finished two books. Arrived Amsterdam for a 4 hour layover to fly to Warsaw. Went through passport control to enter EU and found my gate C15. Sat to wait. Got a text that the gate was changed to C5. Went to new gate to wait.  15 minutes later I was paged to the desk. Reached for my passport and boarding pass as that is what they usually want and found them gone. No panic as I knew where they would be, on the bench at C15. Except someone had found them and turned them in to the desk at C5. Horseshoes, I tell you.

Arrived Warsaw at 11am, and my checked suitcase was missing. Failed to make the transfer in Toronto. I hate that airport. They only had 7 hours and still screwed it up. Took 15 minutes to register at lost baggage. They have it down to a fine art. Masha's highschool friend David met me at the airport. My bus to L'viv left at 7 pm. I was so tired I was incoherent. 

David found a hostel in Old Warsaw called Oki Doki. Crashed for a few hours as I could finally sleep. Caught the bus and had good wi-fi to the Polish border. Tanya spent 10 hours waiting to cross the border in August so she told me to message her when we were through the border and she would buy my train ticket from L'viv to P'yatikhatki based on my arrival in L'viv. Took 45 minutes to cross both Polish and Ukrainian border. Part horseshoes and part Murphy's Law as there was no wi-fi in Ukraine so I could not contact Tanya. 

The bus stopped at the L'viv train station and I had wi-fi again. Apparently Sasktel does not connect to European mobile networks so using my data pack under roaming conditions does not work. Murphy again. I messaged Tanya and she sent me a train ticket within minutes. This country is in a war for its very survival and everything works like normal in many places. Certainly not at the front or in the occupied communities. With Russia targeting electrical production and distribution infrastructure, systems will not work like normal in many places now I expect. 

I had 6 hours to wait for my train so signed into the lounge where it was comfortable. "Where are you from?" "Canada". "(thumbs up) Trudeau!!". No wi-fi on the train so slept 18 hours. Arrived home at 6:30 am Monday 26. Showered, ate, slept. Lost a day somewhere as Friday came and I thought it was Thursday.

Got an email Tuesday saying my suitcase was in Warsaw via Paris. David will pick it up when he gets back to Warsaw on 31st. He will hold it until we get there with Lucky. 

It was good to see Tanya after three months of being alone, and Lucky was very glad to see me after 8 months. He gives hugs but no kisses. He hates kisses. If I hold his head and kiss his nose, he will give a little flick of his tongue in response. We took him for a walk yesterday and will again today.


Lucky was excited to see me but no kisses. 

22 comments:

  1. Well, even if Lucky doesn't hand out kisses, I'm sure you got a few from Tanya!

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  2. I did at that, yes, quite a few now that you mention it.

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  3. Allen, sounds like quite a trip, but I'm glad you're safe, as are Tanya and Lucky. Now comes the return. When do you leave for Canada?

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    1. Likely in a couple of weeks as things are getting organized at this end

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  4. I am so very glad to read that you made it safely. Debra She Who Seek's comment echoes mine.

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  5. I know that things went well compared to what they might have, but reading this reminded me of why it is my fervent wish to never again fly anywhere.

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    1. Well, avoid Toronto if you do fly. I stopped flying into or through the USA after 9-11. American airports treat everyone like criminals.

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    2. I wish the American airlines would all go broke. Is there any chance of bringing your pets back with you?

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    3. We plan to bring Lucky back with us. He will fly cargo from Frankfurt to Calgary with C4C as the Pet Transfer Agent

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  6. I'm glad you got there safely (if not particularly smoothly). Sending you, Tanya, and Lucky each a buttload of virtual horseshoes and my sincere hope for a safe and smooth trip back to Canada.

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    1. The trip back will be the nightmare, I expect. Lucky has matured a great deal but will still be a handful. He has never been crate trained.

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  7. So happy to hear you made it there without too much Murphy and just enough horse shoes. I hadn't realized how long a journey it is and just reading your post made me a bit fatigued.
    Hope for the return Mr Murphy butts out and it is all horse shoes.

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    1. Not being able to fly into Kyiv adds three days including wait times. The return trip will take longer nas we need to crate train Lucky

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  8. omg...that sounds like hell to me..I'd never get thru that without punching someone in the nose..

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    1. Nothing to it.
      the trip home will be the hard one. Managing Lucky to minimize stress will be a challenge

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  9. I'm really really glad that you arrived safely in spite of all the things working against you, could have been a lot worse. Good old Lucky, he looks pretty happy to have you home again. And I'm sure Tanya is just as happy. I've flown out of Toronto a number of times and you're right, it's a very stressful experience. Good to know your luggage arrived.

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    1. So far so good. Getting organized for the return trip now. Suitcase stayed in Warsaw and we'll get it on the return trip. Tanya told me not to bring it. Should have listened

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  10. So glad you are home.
    ed berry

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    1. Nice to be home. Will be nicer when we get back to Canada and I can relax

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