This morning´s disembarkation was quick and easy for us. Of course, carrying all of our own luggage saves some lining up.
A quick cab ride and 30 Euros later we were at BCN, where we printed our boarding passes at a kiosk and dropped off our bags. Security was a breeze - it is in most places compared to the U.S.A. - and we´re now settled in at the relatively new (since our last visit) Spanair Star Alliance Lounge. Since our flight doesn´t leave for five hours, we´re happy the lounge is such a pleasant place.
Our flights today are BCN-MXP-LHR. We´re flying with LH, but the first leg to Milan is technically operated by LH Italia.
In the meantime, we´ve ascertained that our beautiful 747 tomorrow LHR-SFO seems to have been swapped to an old-configuration 777 for whatever reason, and we´ll have to see if we can sit together, having split our itineraries so as to snag upgrades one at a time as they become available.
It´s at times like this that our cunning practice backfires on us. Still, given a choice between sitting separately in Business or together in Economy, we´ll make the practical rather than the romantic choice.
Update... We´re finally readying ourselves to head to the gate. The snacks are basic here compared to, say, a Senator LH Lounge, so we slipped out and bought salami sandwiches on baguettes for about 5 Euros each - yikes!
We appear to be seated together on our UA flight tomorrow, and we´ll have to check out the situation more closely when we finally arrive in LHR. Is a bump possible, as UA moves passengers from a 747 to the smaller 777?
In the meantime, we´re off to earn 1028 LH miles to be applied to our UA accounts.
Kathy and Brian
Two retired educators alternating joyfully between seeing the world and enjoying our eight grandchildren (in order of birth), Jake, Avery, Taegan, Lily, Peyton, Riley, Blane, and Jace.
Kathy and Brian met in the clarinet section of the University of California (Santa Barbara) Symphony Orchestra several decades ago.
Brian's Western Canadian roots and Kathy's Colorado ties resulted in their making beautiful music together along with producing a cross-border crop of descendants.
Kathy spent a year studying in Vienna at the Institute for European Studies and the University of Vienna.
Brian started the school band program in Hope, British Columbia, and later became the high school's vice-principal for 6 years and subsequently principal for 15 years before retiring in 2001.
Kathy, in between raising our three children, taught kindergarten and first grade, middle school, and high school - mathematics, computer studies, ESL, and her first love, band, before retiring in 2001.
We enjoy sharing our travel experiences and providing the odd travel tip to friends, relatives, and visitors.