The Ladies in Spain

Trip starts on wrong foot but soon finds a rousing pace

- Mary Schramm

The misadventures of travel sometimes cancel out the joy of discovering new places, which almost happened when four women in our family decided to take a trip to Spain.

My granddaughter, Leah, was taking a “gap” year, a break from her college education, and was already in Europe, so she could meet us there. My oldest daughter was in Nottingham, England where she and her husband were directing a program for students from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. It would be only a two-hour flight from London for her to reach Madrid. Daughter Kathy and I would fly from Seattle.

Our long awaited trip to Spain began at SeaTac airport on Jan. 1 when a rare snowstorm in the Seattle area grounded our 6:30 a.m. flight to Madrid for five hours. Despite frequent announcements regarding our flight delay, there seemed to be only one vehicle capable of de-icing the long line of planes waiting to depart.

Kathy and I had been up since four a.m. and it was almost noon when our plane, free of ice and snow, was able to take off for Chicago. We knew we had already missed our connecting flight.

“We will put you on a later plane out of Chicago,” we were assured. “However, it goes to London, not to Madrid. You can transfer at Heathrow and be at your destination by mid afternoon. Your luggage will follow you,” the gate attendant assured us. “Don’t worry.”

In my opinion, Heathrow Airport should be avoided if at all possible. It is huge, confusing and filled with long, long lines of people waiting for customs, security checks and bathrooms.

I put my coat, purse and my small carry-on bag on the security conveyer belt, one of four checks we encountered. “Take off your shoes,” a woman barked at me.”

“I don’t have to,” I retorted. “I’m 84 years old.”

“I don’t care if you’re 184, take off your shoes!”