The alarm went off at 5:45, not really pleasant. Got up and packed the last couple of items I had, brought the pillow to donation, and the rest of the sleeping gear in a trash bag. Walked over to the buses where I would meet Amy and Else from the Netherlands, who were also taking the bus at seven.
It went really smoothly, they came, a new bus just rolled in, we got on board, and ten minutes later we were on our way. Really uneventful bus trip with a nice driver. Most of the passengers fell asleep, and I just dozed off for half an hour.
At the airport, I found the United Airlines bag drop-off, and since I’d checked in online the day before, I was done in 10 minutes. Amy and her friend were flying Delta, which did not have a bag drop-off, and the line was quite long. The staff were surprised by how long the queue was.
Roughly an hour after we arrived at the airport, we got through security, which, for once, did not have a line. Straight for some food since my breakfast was leftovers from yesterday’s lunch, and I’ve gotten tired of that stuff.
Playing cards and just waiting, and eventually Karolina and her friend showed up, about 30 minutes before we had to leave for our flights. Goodbyes were said, and off I went to gate A27. Passed our Head of IST, Elin, on the way, surprised to see her there since they left yesterday.
Boarding was delayed because they had a problem getting people who needed a wheelchair off the plane. Takeoff was about 30 minutes late, but we flew faster than the timetable. I upgraded my ticket to premium economy while checking in, which placed me beside Mary Stephens, a woman living in North Carolina, heading home to Washington state to celebrate her 77th birthday. Lovely lady who hasn’t flown in 25-30 years. We both had a tight connection in Denver, so we kept looking at what gate we were supposed to arrive at and the planes departing from to see how fast we had to run.
When we arrived at the airport, we parked in waiting mode since we were early and our gate was busy. We got a new gate and departed a few minutes after schedule. In the terminal, Mary and I looked at the boards and saw that my flight was the gate the next one and she had to change concourse from B to C. We parted, wishing each other a happy birthday and good luck on our transfers.
During my visit to the toilet, my gate changed, so I quickly walked over to the new one (not too far, actually) just to see that there was no plane there. It arrived a 18:40, 15 minutes after the boarding was supposed to begin. Departure was scheduled for 19:15, and we left the gate at 20:05.
Regular flight, I spent the time watching episodes of The 100. Landed 21:30 (about 30 min late). Got into a cab and went to a McDonald’s close to the hotel. I needed some food and wasn’t planning to leave the hotel after arrival. Bought some takeaways and then walked a block to the Cartwright Hotel on Sutter Street in San Francisco. Over 100 years old, not too small, and a cosy room. Food, shower, stable internet, sleeeeep!
