It's all about the people and the stories, and it seems we are never lacking for either. As Lynda waited at the gate for our KLM flight to Madrid, Craig ambled over to the windows to take a photo of our plane set against the coastal mountains. We were late boarding and people were beginning to get a bit antsy. Craig returned excitedly and showed Lynda photos of what was happening on the Tarmac. When he looked down there were two vehicles and a group of men, including several Canada Border Services agents, surrounding the second vehicle. Very slowly they extricated an African man from the back of the car and led him (in handcuffs) up the back stairs of our plane. We had already seen three men we assumed to be air marshalls boarding the plane via the front gate so now our curiosity was really piqued. Many hours later Craig did see our special guest sitting near the back of the plane between his two hosts. The rest of the passengers were oblivious.
Luckily, our flight was uneventful. After a short stopover in Amsterdam we boarded another KLM plane for the two hour flight to Madrid. In no time we were there. We made our way to the baggage carousel and waited for our luggage with the other passengers. We were feeling pretty good about traveling so light. Lynda's bag came quickly and then we waited, and waited and waited. The baggage stopped coming and the gates closed. For the second time in six months, Craig's bag did not arrive at our destination.
We found the line for lost luggage and waited some more. The agent was unable to tell us where the bag was although he was pretty sure it would arrive on the next flight from Amsterdam. In any case, they would deliver it to our bed and breakfast. In the meantime Craig had only the clothes on his back (long pants, a golf shirt and leather shoes) and the temperature was nearing 38 degrees. We took a taxi to the Artistic bed and breakfast and met our host, Paola. She assured us she would check with the airline so we lay down for a nap. To make a long story short, we slept through the night, and the luggage did not arrive until 5 pm the next day. By that time Craig had bought a toothbrush, two new shirts and a pair of shorts. Lynda had written the bag off, but with Dutch efficiency, it appeared no worse for wear. We were very relieved as the thought of replacing all of the items was overwhelming, to say the least.
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