The Netherlands Part 2

Until I reached the Madrid International Airport, I thought that sleeping there was not allowed. I thought they would kick out anyone who dozed off, like in a public library. I was wrong. There were people all over the place- against every pillar and in every corner of the lobby. I arrived near my entry point around 1:30 am for my 6:00 am flight so I had a lot of time to kill. The checkin counters had not yet opened. I sat in the cafe (where most of the tables were occupied) and wrote about the first leg of the journey in my notebook as I munched on the chocolate donuts I had bought in Spain.

I tried to sleep because I wanted the next three hours to pass quickly. I was tired, but not tired enough to fall asleep. My chosen corner was probably as perfect as possible. It was shaded, unlike other places where the lights would have beamed directly in my face. But it didn't matter. I couldn't sleep on that floor. I envied the dozens of people in the hall who somehow managed.

Ryanair touts itself as a budget airline, and they're not kidding. I was not assigned a seat- you choose your own like on a Greyhound bus. There are no complimentary refreshments. There is no in-flight entertainment, not even a little stereo built into the armrest. Everything about the cabin was pretty much identical to every other airline I've ever used. Only the chair couldn't lean back. Maybe it could, but I couldn't find a button for it. The only amenity was the free Ryanair magazine, which was quite entertaining. It gave me some good ideas for other places to go.

I expected to be landing at a large international airport like Madrid. I was planning to take the train from there. Actually, I wound up at a smaller airport more like Pamplona. It was not Brussels. It was Brussels Charleroi. I showed the guy at the information desk my itinerary. He told me to take the bus, and wrote the stops for me on the paper. It turned out I would have to make two more stops than I expected. From now on, I'll make sure I make sure the names match exactly, as it seems that big cities sometimes have more than one airport.

When I reached the train station, I had no idea what to do. None of the names on the platforms matched the names on my itinerary. I went to one window, and showed the guy my itinerary. It turns out I was at the bus window, and I needed to go to a different one for the trains. I conjectured that from his motions and tone of voice. I did not understand a single word from his directions, but he spoke to me in French as if I did. Many of the people from my bus got on one train so I jumped on too, guessing that it must be the right one. I didn't see any place to buy a ticket so I just boarded the train figuring you pay on board like the bus.