So, around eleven in the evening I got an e-mail saying that the only solution they could offer me was a flight to Lisbon via Madrid. It just gets better and better — at first they at least tried to get us to Faro, and now it’s just Lisbon, where we weren't aiming to go at all. Sure, we could change the place where we were renting the car and head to Faro ourselves, but with a layover on top of it all! I checked, and it turned out there were tickets for a direct easyJet flight from Berlin to Lisbon at 12:50. Why aren't they offering them to us? It's a mystery.
The second and final option on the agenda was to not agree to any of the alternatives, do everything ourselves with our own money, and eventually get up to 600 euros in compensation, albeit far from immediately. This option was called refunds and compensations.
I must say, all this trash was exacerbated by a liquidity crisis. Simply put, because of my credit card machinations, renovations, and other unforeseen expenses, I was left totally without cash on hand. I frantically tried to find some, but, as you know, the European Commission hasn't yet forced banks to transfer money instantly within Europe. I had to go around with an outstretched hand, begging friends for it, but even then it took time for the money to arrive. Fortunately, I was able to borrow enough for the Lisbon ticket from Andrey, and from there I just had to survive until Monday.
In the end, I said screw it to this whole Gordian knot and cut through it with my debit card, especially since it was getting close to midnight. I booked the easyJet tickets and the hotel whose lobby we were sitting in. If you think that was it, and everything went swimmingly from there, you're mistaken. Our plan was clear, but our buddies were told that they could no longer be put on the 12:50 flight we were taking. It turned out the tickets we bought were the last ones, and we essentially cut off our own pals. It seemed like Vika could still fit on our plane, but no. In the end, at two in the morning, Andrey got a call and was given the final decision — all the guys are flying with a layover in Madrid, arriving in Lisbon around nine in the evening.
With that, our long chats with the Kiwi operators finally paused, at least until the moment I start wringing money out of them. Andrey had a different deal — they bought him a ticket + gave him around a hundred euros for food and transport.
Eventually, we did check into the hotel. Just for kicks, I sometimes compare prices here and there, and it turned out that the price on booking.com was 62 euros, at the front desk right in the hotel it was 56, and on the hotel's website - 53. I bought it at the front desk because I was lazy and I'd get reimbursed anyway, but it's a lesson for the future — online can be cheaper than just walking up to the clerk. Don't throw three euros down the drain!
The hotel room was quite large and comfortable, the blinds shut tight. In the morning there was plenty of time to calmly have breakfast. Then — drink some tea, since thankfully the hotel had a guest kitchen (sic). Then, in our traditional rush, we figured out where the shuttle was (3 euros for 2 km!), and piled into it. Our friends, meanwhile, had long since flown off for their layover in Madrid.
First time I've seen such a thing — there's a jar of coffee to reset your receptors in the perfume shop. Take a sniff — and repeat.
And bags for a little wine set for two
We arrived at the airport super early, about two hours ahead, which nowadays I often consider excessive. We passed all the security checks without incident, though we did fly next to a terrifyingly pale girl and a pretty smelly grandpa. That didn't stop me from writing the first part of what you're reading here.
If anyone is interested in the financial breakdown, here's a copy of what I prepared for the insurance (for two people). The last number slightly alarms even me, but c'est la vie.
- Hotel in Berlin 56.00
- Hotel breakfast 17.80
- Hotel shuttle to airport 6.00
- Drinks in airport 3.25
- Luggage storage in Lisbon airport 9.96
- Lisbon subway 7.00
- Flight to Lisbon (easyjet) with 1 checked bag 356.08
Well then. Did we finally make it to Lisbon, and did our polyamorous family reunite (sarcasm tag) — you will find out in the next part.