How much fun can two people have in an airport? Apparently, quite a bit.
So, the wedding week blogs are over. I hope you enjoyed. I didn't realize how behind I was on everything! It's true if you don't do your album right away, it won't get done. Same goes for blogging. :) After the Mini-moon, it was a whirlwind. We got back to Baltimore (and were treated to a very cute warm welcome from our friends Silvia & Allen) who invited us to come to Brazil and stay with them on the beach! Silvia's brother was able to get us companion passes (he works for an airline), and we were able to fly Business class for a fraction of what it would have cost us. Food and drink in Brazil are also very inexpensive, and we'd have a free place to stay, so we couldn't pass it up! We went in January - a perfect time to get out of B-more and head to the Southern hemisphere!
Before all that though, we had to get ready for Christmas! We went back to Florida for a couple of days. I kept having flashbacks and thinking I had to get flowers arranged! It was so nice to hang out and NOT be the center of attention. I posted about it back here. We came back and had a chill New Year's at home. Some of Nick's friends came down from NYC the next weekend, so there was lots of partying! Nick also had to drive down to the Brazilian consulate (TWICE!) to get our VISAs. Before we knew it, we were packing up to head out and meet up with Allen & Silvia.
Our flight was scheduled to leave around 9:50 in the evening. Probably around 2am, they told us it was a no go. Our plane's door wouldn't close! Apparently, it was too cold and the seal kept freezing. They set up a lot of tired (yet incredibly patient - wow!) Brazilians who wanted to go home in some of the local hotels. Unfortunately, our companion passes prohibited us from accepting any food or hotel vouchers. Even so, the guy working the desk was incredibly helpful and gave us a list of the nicer & cheaper hotels we could stay at. We were told to be back by 7pm the next day. We thought about going back home, but the thought of it made me want to cry. It was COLD outside and the car was in long-term parking. Plus, Dulles airport is about 2 hours from our house. Nick was a sweetheart and did all of the hotel calling and arranging. The shuttle came and picked us up. We ended up drinking Sam Adams and eating pizza at 4am in a very comfortable hotel room. Luckily, we had not checked our coats with the baggage! A bunch of people had and they were out of luck!
So, the wedding week blogs are over. I hope you enjoyed. I didn't realize how behind I was on everything! It's true if you don't do your album right away, it won't get done. Same goes for blogging. :) After the Mini-moon, it was a whirlwind. We got back to Baltimore (and were treated to a very cute warm welcome from our friends Silvia & Allen) who invited us to come to Brazil and stay with them on the beach! Silvia's brother was able to get us companion passes (he works for an airline), and we were able to fly Business class for a fraction of what it would have cost us. Food and drink in Brazil are also very inexpensive, and we'd have a free place to stay, so we couldn't pass it up! We went in January - a perfect time to get out of B-more and head to the Southern hemisphere!
Before all that though, we had to get ready for Christmas! We went back to Florida for a couple of days. I kept having flashbacks and thinking I had to get flowers arranged! It was so nice to hang out and NOT be the center of attention. I posted about it back here. We came back and had a chill New Year's at home. Some of Nick's friends came down from NYC the next weekend, so there was lots of partying! Nick also had to drive down to the Brazilian consulate (TWICE!) to get our VISAs. Before we knew it, we were packing up to head out and meet up with Allen & Silvia.
Our flight was scheduled to leave around 9:50 in the evening. Probably around 2am, they told us it was a no go. Our plane's door wouldn't close! Apparently, it was too cold and the seal kept freezing. They set up a lot of tired (yet incredibly patient - wow!) Brazilians who wanted to go home in some of the local hotels. Unfortunately, our companion passes prohibited us from accepting any food or hotel vouchers. Even so, the guy working the desk was incredibly helpful and gave us a list of the nicer & cheaper hotels we could stay at. We were told to be back by 7pm the next day. We thought about going back home, but the thought of it made me want to cry. It was COLD outside and the car was in long-term parking. Plus, Dulles airport is about 2 hours from our house. Nick was a sweetheart and did all of the hotel calling and arranging. The shuttle came and picked us up. We ended up drinking Sam Adams and eating pizza at 4am in a very comfortable hotel room. Luckily, we had not checked our coats with the baggage! A bunch of people had and they were out of luck!
Nick in front of the airline's sign at 2am, I'm thinking "not so much"
We came back to the airport the next day on the hotel shuttle, with 7 hours to spare! Did I mention it was cold? Oh, and it also happened to be the weekend before Obama's inauguration. Craziness! So, we tried to amuse ourselves for a while before going through security... We did okay for a while. The shuttle "exhibit" was creepy (in a good isolated way).
Ta Da!
Hmm... what is Nick doing?
Once we went through security, it seemed like a good time to get a bite at the airport Mexican restaurant. I amused myself by taking lots of pictures.
Then we did some "shopping."
and made some new friends...
Finally, it was time to catch our plane! We headed down the terminal, which was lit up like an 80's aquarium.
And then the airline said, "PSYK!" Apparently the SAME plane had been "fixed" until the sun set, then the stupid door seal froze again. By this time, the Brazilians were pissed. We even got to have armed guards at the gate! The airline ended up sending a plane from Chicago, which would take another 3 hours. People started falling out and had to be given juice and snacks. We decided against juice and snacks and went to our favorite pub from the night before.
We got very familiar with this guy by the 2nd night.
And this one
FINALLY, we took off around midnight! It was a long sleepless night over the Atlantic. But we made it!
Actual Brazil vacation pics to come...
