1-10: wanderlost

Allow me to introduce myself: I am the fucking idiot who missed her flight home from SPAIN today...and am stuck pouting around Barcelona for another 24 hours.

Yes, here in B-lona the taxis were on strike this morning. Who knew? Not me, as I stood trying to wave down cab after cab and getting the universal sign for "no-no"--the wagging finger. What the hell? I walked 10 blocks and jumped up and down in the street more than twice before a kind, kind woman informed me that the cabbies were on strike today.

The silly thing is I was "treating" myself to a nice cab-ride to the airport rather than lug my monstrously swollen backpack through the train because I had been so thrifty on this trip. Hey, Barcelona cabbies: Treat this!

So, I had wasted up to an hour with the whole cab thing. You know that panic: should I get the train; should I keep hailing these weird cabs; shit, now I�m starting to run short on time, all I can do is take a cab now....

And I would have made it to the airport on time had I not, in my flustered haste at the train station, asked where the airport train would be and, hearing "Platform 1," jumped on the first train I saw on Platform 1--neglecting to notice that there were TWO sides of track on ye olde platform. Yes, folks, the train I wanted was pulling into the other side of the platform as I gleefully checked a map to confirm my error.

So, in conclusion, after a brief junket out to some random suburb, wating for the return train, going back to catch the correct train, jogging to the terminal with but a half hour to spare before boarding, standing in the ginormous line at the counter, realizing it was not to be, exchanging my ticket for the next flight, stomaching the fee for the change, and sitting down outside the terminal for a quick cry and a ciggie----I saw my plane take off in a gut-twistingly gorgeous upward slant.

I really, really want to be on my way home.

And if I had just hopped on the train like my normal money-grubbing, cheap-ass self this morning, I would be.