Milan, Italy Castle Photo by Andrew Ingersoll
One Liners
-Airline captain: “If only I made as much money as people think I make, had as much time off as my neighbors think I have and had as much fun on stopovers as my wife thinks I have”.
-Sign seen at refueling point: WARNING Do not operate any radio transmitter within 100 metres of the pumps. If your life is not worth anything….. the fuel is!
-Any attempt to stretch fuel is guaranteed to increase headwinds.
-A thunderstorm is nature’s way of saying “Up yours!”
-Keep looking around, there’s always something you missed.
-Remember, you’re always a student in an airplane.
-Any pilot who does not at least privately consider himself the best in the business…is in the wrong business.
-It’s best to keep the pointed end going forward as much as possible.
-Hovering is for pilots who love to fly but have no place to go.
-The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.
-The only thing worse than a captain who never flew copilot is a copilot who was once a captain.
-A terminal forecast is a horoscope with numbers.
-Takeoffs are optional. Landings are mandatory.
-The first thing every pilot does after making a gear up landing is to put the gear handle DOWN.
Warsaw, Poland Train Ticket Fun
When we arrived in Warsaw the Holiday Inn hotel check in gal suggested we buy our ticket the night before as the lines can be quite long. She was right as I was about 25-30th in line to buy a one way ticket for two to Krakow the next day in first class.
Think about the task with absolutely no ability to communicate with one another. As a matter of fact, Katy was kicked out of the information line for not speaking Polish. All I wanted to know was if I was standing in the right line.
The lady at the ticket office was pleasant but as lost as I was. We immediately communicated that Krakow was the destination. She understood my pronunciation of Krakow. I had to write out the date on a piece of paper and remember to do it the European way as 16/6/10 for June 16th. Now how to communicate 2 tickets, 1 way in first class? I had Katy come stand next to me and I put my arm around her so the gal knew we needed two tickets. We were now down to one way and I signaled with my hands by pointing away and then waving my hands indicating no return. I got a nod indicating she understood.
The American we shared a cab with on the way into the city said we should travel first class as the price difference was small and the comfort level worth the additional price. I held Katy close to me and frowned and then moved her a comfortable distance apart and smiled. I got the look of recognition and we were on our way. The price came out to be just a few more PLN’s than I had expected as we had to pay to reserve the seat in advance but it came out to about $45 each for the trip.
I could have asked the gal at the Holiday Inn to write it all out for me, but forgot to, and it was a great opportunity to be friendly, kind and appreciative. I was all three and it worked out just fine. We even got to use our SPG card for the extra points.
Platinum Status Worked Out OK
Prior to leaving the states I got an email saying the Holiday Inn near the Warsaw train station was a questionable choice for a nights stay. I took the warning seriously and double checked the Tripadvisor reports that indicated it was OK for a one night stay only. Within the last two weeks my status with Priority Club was upgraded to Platinum because of my points purchase with that daily deal thing that was going on. I asked the gal at the HI at check in if it showed my Plat status and she said it did not. She had assigned us a room. When I indicated that my status had been upgraded she left the counter and went back to confirm my upgraded status. Our room was changed to the executive floor. We got no bennies,but the carpet and paint were new and the room was in decent shape with newer furniture and a nice bath. I’m glad I mentioned the bump in status.
Update
And my Platinum status in Krakow also got us the Executive floor rooms, free breakfast, free internet and a free USA Today newspaper everyday, I never knew that it meant that much to have Plat with Priority Club. Maybe it is just Europe but I’m glad I did it.
