What a Day!! Part 2

So there I sat waiting for them to announce that those who need assistance and people with children can board first. Nope, it was a free for all, everyone for themselves. So we went down a ramp which curved and walked and walked downwards with my heart sinking. Please don't put us on a bus, please. Oh shit. We had to board a bus! So there I stood on a bus amongst women, yes I looked hard to make sure, dressed in abayahs and head scarves.

So we finally drove to the plane and I did hear a woman comment that it looked like the bus was taking her home, lol. And there they were, the long, shallow and steep steps. I looked around for help and there was a man in his 60s who definitely avoided eye contact. So there I was dragging my carry on and my stick and having to stop so many times when I finally got to the top and said to the 2 stewards that BA must hate the disabled.

I was asked if I had asked for assistance and I said no, this has never happened before and I hadn't anticipated it. Then a very nice steward asked if I wanted a wheelchair at the other end. I thought, what the hey and said 'Yes please'. See, I can be polite when I want to throttle people. So I found my seat and asked a gentleman to help me put up my case.

I was smart and had another bag with the things that I really needed during the flight like my mp3 player. My stick, however, wouldn't fit in the overhead unlike the last trip so a stewardess put it in a closet.

Now, the me being nasty and then getting my comeuppance bit. I am being honest here. *sigh* The moral of the story is never judge a book by it's cover. As I sat there a large and I mean large girl in her 20s started down the aisle and all I could think of was, please don't sit next to me. She walked by and low and behold she was sitting in my row but her thin friend was sitting next to me. She/they started chatting to me and we had so much in common I did feel ashamed. But,and this is a very large butt. Another large butt(s) which belonged to a man and his companion who sat next to me on a not very full return flight once and I was squished sooo much that I hated the flight. They could have picked anywhere on the plane but not they had to sit next to me. I wasn't feeling too brilliant so didn't move, which I should have.

So back to this plane trip. None of the movies appealed so I listened to my mp3 player the entire flight, dancing a bit in my seat when a really good song came up. What was I listening to? All Israeli songs and all in Hebrew and all foot tapping.

Then with a sniff in the air, lunch was approaching or so I thought. I watched as the stewards handed out the 'special' meals. Just realised that they went to the abayah wearers. So when the stewardess headed back to get either fish or chicken I stopped her to mention that I had requested a vegetarian meal. Her reply was, 'Oh, she got them all out'. I don't believe this, so I sat and waited. She did bring me one and then I heard her say to another, we need more vegetarian meals. Great.

Oh, they could have kept that lunch. It was a vegetarian mousakka and horrible. The mystery dish was a tiny salad with something heaped in the center that looked like it belonged in a petrie dish and it tasted like it belonged to the lab. The best thing was the trifle. Then an hour before we landed we had sandwiches. I did get my veggie sandwich boxed. It was a schmear of red pepper hummus with spinach and carrot. Wish there had been more hummus so I could actually taste it. Oh, there was a tiny carrot cake too.

So there we were an hour before landing. Somehow that hour turned into another hour due to planes on the ground so we were 2 hours behind. *sigh*

As we deplanned I couldn't believe that there was a line of wheelchairs so I nabbed one and boy did we pass a lot of people. There is even a special desk, why again, are these desks so high, so people in wheelchairs can get through fast.

So got through and then the young guy pushing me said he has never seen it so busy, going through customs, but it was quick and finally I saw my sister and her grandbaby. She had made a sign with my name so the baby (now 18 months) could hold it and apparently he had been calling my name.

I was pushed out to the car and then we were off to my parents.

When we got there I was informed we were going to The Olive Garden for supper. I was tired and didn't want to go but was out voted and so we went. It was a nice dinner. I did manage to stay up to 10 which was 3am English time so I was exhausted. However true to form I was up at 4:45am today listening to the birds whom I swear sound different than the birds in the Home Counties. So that was my day. I will be writing to complain to BA, just for fun and to see what will happen.

And that was my day.