Nick's pack went in the trunk and mine in the backseat. At Atlanta airport waiting to board the train to get to our gate, we saw a couple a little younger than us wearing backpacks. The man had the same pack as me except one size larger. They are headed to the Camino too! Since we won't begin until April 28, we probably won't catch up to them. They were flying to Madrid and we parted ways with a 'Buen Camino!'
About 10 days before our departure date, I needed a new watch battery and went to Walmart. The jewelry counter clerk asked me to wait because she was helping another customer. A woman with a full cart came from the other side of the counter and the clerk began to check her out. I waited about 20 min., looked around a little and decided to come back another day. It is a good thing I was not waited on because I could have been hit by a car driven by a woman who apparently had a seizure as she attempted to park her car. She ran into six cars before she finally came to a stop but only after going airborne over a berm planted with bushes and trees. She sideswiped the entire right side of my car. Cars can be repaired and the woman was not seriously injured. No pedestrians were involved.
Since the repair of our car wasn't finished by departure day, we drove the rental car to the airport and turned it in. Insurance paid for the rental car and we didn't have to pay for a taxi.
Days before our flight there were lots of available seats for stand by. Yesterday we were #9 & 10 on the stand by list with I think 3 after us; there were 15 available seats. All listed stand by got a seat and there were only 2 empty seats when the plane departed the gate. I had a middle seat with Stoney to my left and a young man to my right (also flying standby). A few minutes before we pulled back from the gate a flight attendant asked the young man to move back one row. A woman with an infant sat down next to me. You can imagine my initial thoughts about the next 8.5 hours on the plane. The flight attendant said he would bring a bassinet after dinner to attach to the bulk head.
I'd never seen one but when I looked at what I thought could be attachment points it did not look good for me. The little boy was darling and VERY good-natured. Most babies cry on take off but she breast fed him and he was happy (no ear pressure pain for him). I asked his age - 4 months. I think he was small for his age. She had come last week from Belgium to attend a friend's wedding. I asked if he was her first child. She had fraternal twins and another girl at home. So this little guy was her fourth.
It was difficult for her to eat dinner holding him. When I had finished, I asked if I could hold him so she could eat. She immediately handed him over with no objections from the little guy. What a treat for me. He was a real babbler and we had quite a conversation. When she finished dinner, I gave him back. She said he was ready to sleep. She stood up with him in her arms, then she bent over at the waist almost 90 degrees, placed him on her back (stomach side down) and he did not move while she removed a shawl part of her dress, wrapped it around him to make a sling. She stood up and pulled his legs out to straddle her. She stood and sort of rocked back and forth about 10 min. While she periodically patted his bottom and he fell fast asleep. She bent over, removed the sling and took him in her arms. He remained asleep.
When the bassinet arrived, it stretched in front of me and the middle support bracket went between my knees. My first thought - for the next 5 hours I can't get up to use the bathroom. The attendant said I could trade seats with the mother but that meant Stoney would be seated next to her. I didn't think he'd like that.
A woman with a vacant seat on the side aisle said I could take that seat so I moved. The baby slept almost until landing. The mother wrapped herself in the shawl covering her head and slept too. It was a quiet night except for the noise of the jet engines. I watched the movie, Philomena.
The woman I sat next to was from California. She was traveling to Rome for the canonization of the two Popes on April 27th. I enjoyed her company.
We waited in line about an hour on arrival in Brussels to get our passports stamped.
After getting the rental car (much smaller than we requested), we made our way out of Brussels heading South. An open bed semi was in front of us two lanes to the right. A steel beam came loose and I watched in horror as it fell from the truck. I said "oh my God!" My only thought was that it would come through the window of the tiny Fiat 500 and we would die on the spot. Nick swerved one lane to the left, I heard a horn honk from in back of us and we continued on. The truck driver was oblivious to what had happened and continued. I kept thinking about the cars coming after us and whether they would see the steel girder in time to move.
We can't see our son today because he had training and traveled 3 hours to Germany.
We went to bed for the night at 7 pm Belgium time and we slept through the night.
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