Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Zagreb to Knoxville
At 9:30 we went down to the cafe for coffee and milk with little
flower designs in the foam. It's time to leave Croatia. We packed
up everything and headed for the airport, just a few kilometers
away. We were barely on our way before I had to dig my camera out
for what must be Jana World Headquarters, topped by the biggest
“Jana” sign yet. What a happy send-off!
Me World
Headquarters!
The rental car return was funky. FLEET doesn't have its own parking
spaces (I don't know where they're keeping the cars), so Tom
illegally parked near Avis and stayed with the car while I ran in
and asked at the counter where the heck we should park. Someone was
sent to meet us outside and take the car, and we brought the
paperwork back to the counter. Final driving tally: 2,919
kilometers/1,751 miles.
Now it's
official
We checked in at the Croatia Airlines/Lufthansa counter and
received boarding passes all the way to Knoxville. It was so quick,
we went back outside for a while before going to security. Security
and passport control was a breeze, and we soon found ourselves in
the ONE tiny waiting area from which ALL flights leave. I say
flights, but really you take a bus to your plane, which may explain
why the filthy, crowded space seemed more like a bus station than
an airport. I was very hungry and spent my last 30 kuna on a gross
raw (cured) meat sandwich that I barely managed to gnaw
through.
Zagreb Plane
Station
In Munich we had an absurdly long bus ride from the airplane to the
terminal, even inexplicably traveling out on city streets. When we
finally got off the weird bus, passengers traveling to the U.S. had
to undergo additional, very vigorous security screening – x-rays
for passengers and baggage, pat-downs for everyone, hand inspection
of every piece of luggage, and many people, including Tom, had to
undergo what they called a “special test,” I assume checking for
gunpowder residue. They did not rush this process. But even with
all this scrutiny, we didn't have to take off our shoes. The
Germans are only going so far!
Between Germany and Washington Dulles, I watched two movies, two TV
shows, took a nap, was served a meal and later a snack, and we
still weren't there! We were chasing the sun west, and it made for
a looong day.
Getting off the plane in Dulles, we had to ride another clown bus
to the terminal, go through immigration and customs, and then go
through security yet again. Trust me, TSA: If Germany didn't catch
the contraband, you ain't gonna catch the contraband, whatever that
might be. I had a few words with a moronic old woman in the
immigration line who didn't understand how lines work. I told Tom,
“If she's going to Knoxville, I ain't going.”
Our flight to Knoxville was delayed a couple of hours, which gave
us time for a couple of good beers at Old Dominion Brewing Company.
At this point in our long day, they were very needed. Finally, we
boarded our flight, and just after midnight, we arrived in
Knoxville, where damned if I didn't see that old lady again, and
damned if she didn't cause us to miss our shuttle to Days Inn where
we had parked. She is now my nemesis. I called Days Inn a second
time, and they sent their driver back for us. We finally arrived
home at 1:20 a.m. on Thursday, September 12, 21 hours after leaving
our hotel in Zagreb.
It was a great trip. My only regret: I think I overdid it with the
1,359 photos I now have to sort!
THE
END.
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