This is going to be a pretty short trip, but it’s my first overseas trip since covid, so I thought I’d start with something modest.
I managed to pack exceptionally lightly, so we’ll see if I forgot anything. The weather forecast was confusing.
This was my first time flying Iberian airlines, and they get to stay with the internationally owned airlines that give much better service than ones owned in the united states (so far every one I’ve tried has managed other than Turkish Airlines). Seats sized like people: the seatbelt was only like 1″ from not needing an extender, the armrest went down easily, and even though the flight was completely full I did not feel too close together.
I ordered ahead the Muslim vegetarian meal because that sounded more interesting than the two published options. The standard meals looked fine, but I did love my meal that was a curried tofu and a mixed vegetable (mostly cauliflower) over some surprisingly tasty rice. It came with a salad, roll, and fruit salad – and was served with reusable metal silverware.
The flight did have a call for medical assistance mid-flight was diverted briefly to the airport in Santiago de Compostela for a medical emergency, but we refueled and we’re back on our way pretty quickly.
The morning snack was a bagel meat and cheese sandwich that probably should have been served warm but was cold. My special sandwich was roasted vegetables on white bread, which was tasty and delightfully not soggy, but also would have benefitted from a condiment – pretty much any condiment.
To get to my Airbnb, there was a bus and then a subway. Finding the pickup spot for the bus was unreasonably hard. And then the ten trip transit pass I’d bought with specifically the extra fare from the airport did not apply to the bus. Luckily I could just pay with a credit card.
The transfer from bus to Metro ended up being a big bus depot / roundabout. The weather was gorgeous, so I stopped at the churro stand for three freshly fried sticks (with powdered sugar and cinnamon) and a small cup of hot chocolate to dip them in. It was… not the best I’ve ever had (those were at a little cafe outside the contemporary art museum), but they were still fried dough and chocolate out in the sunshine while on vacation!
The Airbnb is cute. I did not get pictures during the daylight. But maybe tomorrow.
It’s next door to an Equadorian restaurant, Perla del Pacífico, and they left the keys there (because his mother is working there?) I went there for dinner. Their “second best soup in the world” (encebollado – a bonito and onion stew) was indeed very tasty.
More adventures tomorrow