I will begin this post by saying that usually, I am a great traveler. I always make sure to pack my liquids in a separate bag (following the 3:1:1 rule, of course), I try to avoid wearing jewelery and belts (and make sure to take them off if they are on), and I always take me sweatshirt/jacket and shoes off before being prompted. Possibly because of this, I have never, in all my years of traveling, been pulled aside or had a bag searched while going through security.
Well, this streak most certainly ended during my European travels. I have had my purse searched, my duffel bag searched twice, I have set the metal detector off twice (when the only metal on my was the button/zipper on my jeans, usually harmless), and I received my first pat down today. Thank you, easyJet!
On the bright side, our flights so far (knock on wood) have gone smoothly without any major delays. I did have to repack my suitcase today before the flight from Budapest to Paris, because the women checking boarding passes were enforcing the rule where your bag has to fit into the metal display case that they have, but besides that, everything has been great. So that is definitely a plus!
I promise I will post about travels in Budapest, but for this specific entry, I will focus on the flight to Paris when leaving Hungary. After receiving my pat down, Danielle, who has learned to patiently wait for me to be thoroughly searched when going through security, finally made it to our gate. We met James, from Korea, who goes to school in South Carolina, and learned some travel tips for Paris.
However, we hit our first speed bump when having our boarding passes checked. We were told that our bags, which were the same size as they had been on the other four easyJet flights we had taken, and fit into the overhead compartment, were too large to travel, and we would have to check them. Granted, yes, they were bigger (too tall when lying flat) than the little metal box that your bag is supposed to fit inside, but they fit on the plane none the less! Luckily, I was able to rearrange my suitcase and it fit (Danielle was not so fortunate), but it mean that i was wearing 2 jackets, had my purse and camera stuffed inside, and had two apples, a water bottle, and a small bag of converters/my cell phone charger stuffed in my pockets. I looked slightly ridiculous, but it worked. I can be a larger person, I just can't have a larger bag. Hmm... Of course, once on the tram to take us to the plane, I put everything but my camera and purse back in the suitcase, which fit, easily.
Being among the last to board, I was fortunate enough to get a window seat, second row to the back. A girl named Andra, from Romania, sat next to met, originally in the aisle seat. She moved in to the middle when they announced the flight would be full (it wasn't, but she stayed), and we began talking. It turned out to be the best flight so far. It was the longest, with an estimated flight time of 2 hours, 20 minutes, but it flew by- we literally talked the whole time!
Subjects included the revolution and opportunity in Romania, her financial internship in Paris, the different languages we each speak, United States geography, what I am studying in school, diversity in the school system, multiculturalism, the different healthcare systems in various countries, and everything in between! It was really interesting to be able to talk to someone with such a diverse background, coming from a country very different from the US. I feel like I am being slightly redundant, but meeting people of diverse backgrounds has definitely been a defining feature of my travels so far.
More about Budapest, Paris, and travel on a budget to come soon...au revoir from Paris, we head back to Copenhagen tomorrow!
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