Travel Travails

Madrid

Whoever said that traveling is always fun, enlightening and brimming with heart-warming experiences clearly didn’t travel in Europe during Christmas break. The world becomes a different place altogether during this inferno of Santa and Snow. It’s not that Narnia of magic and smooth transitions but a vortex of delays, missed flights and flight diversions.
So, having finished my final submissions for the semester and having bid happy holidays to all my friends in Madrid I set off for Barajas Airport in Madrid amidst fresh snowfall. Of course, at that time my naïveté, had me thinking of how beautiful everything looked and not of impending delays.
So even when I saw serpentine queues at the KLM check in counter at the airport and the sign “Delayed” flash next to my flight to Amsterdam, I still thought everything would come around. But after having stood in the queue for more an hour, my enthusiasm started to dwindle akin to the effects of Prozac on a patient ,and I didn’t feel so optimistic anymore. I grabbed a croissant and started the mile long walk towards the boarding gate-what surprised me was that even though the flight status said delayed and the check-in lady affirmed to bad weather conditions, why were we still required to board.
I was one of the last few people to enter the aircraft-and how I hate this, on two counts. Firstly, I never get space for my carry on baggage if I enter late. Secondly, since people have nothing better to do like read, sleep etc, they all stare at the late arrival like he/she is an actor in a low budget drama. Thousand staring eyes spells unnerved me like no other. But even though this logic had me anticipating the worst I was able to rest my bags comfortably in a semi-empty overhead compartment with the help of a generous gentleman and I don’t particularly remember anyone’s piercing gaze.
Then long wait in the aircraft began-the snow had to be cleared, the weather had to ameliorate, and the planets had to align. When did that happen, I don’t exactly remember, because I was fast asleep.

Amsterdam.

The aircraft circles the snow covered land mass, which contrasts sharply with the blue of the seas. As the plane lands in Amsterdam in the morning, I am craving a hot breakfast, which I finally have to take to- go from Burger King due to paucity of time. The boarding announcement for the flight to New Delhi flashes every five minutes, prompting me to walk faster and not indulge in duty-free shopping. I reach the boarding gates and have a sigh of relief only to wait there for another hour - squatting on the floor on my jacket.

New Delhi

Flight is an hour delayed ofcourse, and the immigration queue I end up in is crawling, I am not complaining though. I am home and loving it.
So the weather conditions aren’t ideal and exactly conducive to air travel around Christmas time, but everyone wants to be home at this time of the year, and would go through any thing to make sure they do. All the delays and running from one gate to another, standing in queues and sitting on floors seems so trivial when you compare it to where it takes you-Home.
I’d love to be in this inferno of Santa and Snow year after year ;)