Wednesday, 21 July 2010 -- Day 213 (226)

(NOTE: The next 10 entries will appear as all being posted on the same date. I did write each entry on the date noted, but b/c of details which you'll read about in the posts, you'll see why I haven't been able to post for the last week and a half.)

This has been a holiday of travels. Today I feel like I've done more travelling than sightseeing. Our flight to Toulouse, France, was supposed to take place this morning at 6:35. Notice that I said, "supposed." The French air traffic controllers decided to go on strike today so all flights in, out, and over France were cancelled. Utter chaos ensued throughout London Gatwick Airport as we tried to figure out what was happening, how we were supposed to collect our baggage, and how we would proceed. Again, this is where a phone would've come in very handy to call another airline. By the time we checked back into the Yotel that we had just checked out of a few hours earlier this morning and accessed the Internet, there were no flights available for today through Saturday. Apparently the strike only lasted a few hours b/c I was able to book flights for tomorrow morning through Amsterdam leaving from Heathrow, which meant we had to board a coach from Gatwick in south London to Heathrow, an hour north.

The Yotel as well as all other hotels in and around Heathrow were booked solid so we spent the night in the airport. We met an interesting man, Fabio Santucci, who was on his way to Rome....where else would a man w/ that name be heading, right!! He had recently moved to Houston, TX, w/ his wife and two daughters and was returning to Rome on business. Since he had missed he connecting flight and couldn't find a hotel either, we sat up talking all night. I haven't pulled an all-nighter since studying for college finals. Fabio had been in the Italian Navy, which provided the backdrop for many humorous stories.

I don't know if it was b/c of fatigue or frustration or both, but I missed Mom a lot today. I saw a young mother saying goodbye to her parents who were leaving for a short holiday. The grandmother hovered at the gate while her daughter and grandchildren walked away. This reminded me so much of how Mom used to stand at the porch window and wave as we beep-beeped around the corner. I said a quick prayer for the young woman that she cherish this time w/ her parents. Another time that threatened tears for both Ron and me was when Fabio talked about the big family Christmases he used to celebrate in Rome, and how this was such an important holiday for his mother to have everyone together. I also thought about Mom when dealing w/ the initial despair of the flight cancelling and then trying to find an alternative route to Toulouse. There was a time today when I was ready to throw it all away and book tickets back to the U.S. I wanted family and familiarity, and I wanted to be able to call Mom and have her tell me everything would be okay. Well, she somehow communicated that to me b/c after a couple minutes a few tears, I pulled myself together and did what needed to be done......that's such a Mama Lucy thing!