Instant Cappuccino, breakfast prepared for me, breakfast that involves a healthy fruit, cheeses, yogurt and whole grain cereals.
All the amazing, fascinating discoveries of every day.
The price of First World made linen clothes in Italy.
Things I'm grateful for at home
My friends, my cats, the quiet in the morning except for Amber's very loud purring and meowing for me to wake up.... Waking up with my cats but not having to run.... Feeling like I have summer vacation and now it's time to start thinking about what I need to do around the house.
Things I looked forward to
Seeing my boyfriend... Seeing my friends... Being able to share the little gifts and tidbits that I picked up for some, though being very aware that I spent a lot more on things for myself this time.
Luggage fiasco
This is my fault. I allowed myself to be rushed, I was tired, and I just forgot about my second bag I needed to grab. I left it in the overhead bin and now I've tracked it down through the airline, but they said "You need to pick it up at Lisbon Airport. <jaw drop> I say "I'm in the United States, I can't." and he says "Well I guess it's gone then." And I ask "Can't they ship it to me?" He says "It was not a checked bag, they don't do that with carry ons.
Thankfully Jeff got me a link to a company called DeliverBack - and I've submitted a request to get the bag picked up and shipped back. But it's going to cost me dearly. But that will hopefully cost less than replacing all the items. Of course, it's not possible to have all the items replaced since several are souvenirs. And the cothing items I'd put in that bag were not the cheap amazon knock-offs. I put a lot of my souvenirs in my checked bag - especially the heavy books. Next time I WEAR what I don't want to lose.
I've been home two days and Jet lag is still with me. I woke at 2 am Monday and now I'm ready for a nap (nearing 7am). I will adjust eventually, but I need to clean up my house and Anika's room so my mom can stay with me this week.
Will update with what happens about the DeliverBack request for my luggage to be picked up & shipped back. I was honestly surprised it was so easy to get the code for my missing bag. All other phone calls I made to get information about pickup location, etc. were met with hostility from the airport itself. I called DeliverBack immediately after placing my order and they were very polite - based out of Greece apparently. I hope everything goes well. Not much I can do - and the longer it takes the less likely I am to recover the bag.
6/26 - Message from DeliverBack this morning that they are unable to obtain the bag & ship it back to me. They have refunded my order request. I'm very sorry this is the outcome. I do believe they did what they could. My own attempts to call & speak with the lost & found at the Portugal Airport met with constant ringing or rude hang-ups. I was absolutely the most polite I could have possibly been with each contact. The fact that i was able to get the item number for my bag seems like a miracle of rolling the dice for the right person picking up my phone in the first place. There is apparently no motivation for lost & found people there to be helpful unless you come to them in person.
My thoughts return to the moments of purchasing the items of personal value in the bag.
The woman at the clothing store who kept bringing me alternative items after I'd pulled out the white shirt with flowers on it. I loved that blouse - i could have bought several in her shop. But that one was what caught my eye as we walked by on the tour, gave me reason to snap a photo of the store, and track the shop back down with Clover when we had free time later.
The ear rings from Pompeii. There was SO much expensive in the cameo shop! LOL Then they had small items that were ridiculously cheap. But the ear rings were in the middle - still so much more than i pay for Jewelry, but i had been looking for a replacement for my silver sea star earrings with turquoise pebbles for a long time - these were exactly that. The owner of the store said he couldn't take credit -or it would cost more. I think they are avoiding tax. When I withdrew money from the ATM he gave me a discount and one of the little red horns "for good luck" - i was going to give that to Sam, along with the magnet from Pompeii that made me think of him. Those were what I was bringing back to him - and now i have nothing. That makes me sad.
It's not the loss of things. It's the loss of what they meant that makes me sad. So I'm remembering the moments here, to keep them & hold them in my mins so I won't forget.
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