My parents left this morning for the rest of their trip. I am still here. I was supposed to come along but that didn't happen. On Wednesday, the same day that they arrived in Hannover, I got an email from Orbitz, stating that there had been a "significant change" in my flight itinerary.
The flight was to Lubljana, Slovenia. The trip was to see Trieste and little towns along the Dalamtian coast, which is where Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy come together on the Adriatic Sea. If Italy was shaped like a knee-high stiletto patent leather boot, the Dalmatian Coast would be the back of the kneecap.
I called Orbitz to learn that my flight had been "unconfirmed". That's a nice way of saying it just wasn't happening. Apparently Czech Airlines decided not to fly to Lubljana today, unless I wanted to leave at 7pm Monday, arrive at midnight, and come back Thursday morning on another airline. Since I was flying separately, my parents' flight - on the more reputable Lufthansa airline - was not affected.So I asked for a refund and rushed out to the airport to meet Mom and Dad.
My dad and I used all of our collective internet travel savvy to try and find me another flight into Lubljana. We had Kayak, and Orbitz, and Expedia all working overtime to find something. We had me taking trains to Frankfurt, waiting out layovers in Paris, arriving in Croatia... I could have found a better itinerary, but it would have cost about 800 euros. For a while it looked like I found a good last minute deal, but it turned out to be just a tease. Finally I decided to give up. Five days is not enough notice to find a decent flight from Hannover to the Balkans, I guess. Keep that in mind next time you book your trip there.
We had a great visit in Hannover, which I'll write about soon. Maybe the Dalmatian Coast and I were just not meant to be together this time. I now have more time to do more practical things like write the paper I have to turn in on Sunday, and a little extra money coming back that I can save for whenever I make a Balkan trip in the future. Maybe I will avoid Czech Airlines when I do.
I am sure my parents will have a great time meandering around the coast. The back part of the kneecap might just be their favorite part of the whole tall, shiny boot.
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About Me
- Julia
- Thanks for coming to my blog. It started as a way to keep in touch with family and friends, and now has become an ongoing project. I'm an American living in Germany and trying to travel whenever I can. I write about my experiences as an expatriate (the interesting ones and the embarrassing ones), and about my travels. There are some recurring characters in this blog, particularly my husband Brian and several of our friends. The title comes from the idea that living in a foreign country means making a lot of mistakes. So the things you used to do easily you now have to try over and over again. Hopefully, like me, you can laugh at how idiotic it feels. If you have happened upon my blog, then welcome. Knowing that people are reading what I write makes me keep going. Feel free to write comments or suggestions for future posts.
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