Day 1 - Missing Our Flight

To add to all of our drama, we missed our plane, and had to spend the night in Boston. It was a crazy situation. We had received an email notification months earlier that our itinerary had changed, and then proceeded to take no heed of it. What happened was the flight was rescheduled for a much earlier time, and we arrived at the airport at the previously scheduled time, so we had no chance. We were hours late, so at least it wasn't stressful. Also, had we arrived on time, we would have had to have missed A's performance, and that would have been a bummer.

In the past, it would have ruined our trip, at least for that moment, but somehow we weren't too stressed about it. Sure, we were disappointed, but the ticket agent was very helpful and nice, maybe even a bit sympathetic at our incompetence, and our flight plan was set for the next afternoon. Getting a room neart the airport was easy enough, and when we contacted the hotel in Turkey, they were so nice and understanding about it, and weren't going to charge us for the missed night.

We ended up at the airport Hilton, and that, too, was a nice experience, for the most part. The rooms weren't too exorbitant, maybe because it was a Sunday evening, and the hotel was very nice. Since it was evening and we had a long day ahead of us, we hit the sack early, determined not to repeat our mistakes the next day.

We had breakfast in the hotel, and it was excellent, though a little pricey. They have it all figured out, at least for the simple-minded consumer like myself. They charge a high price for the buffet, which everyone wants, which discourages you from choosing it. However, when you go a la carte, each little item adds up to even more, so you just choosing the buffet, which is what you wanted in the first place. In the end, it wasn't that bad, and the kids ate half price, and since it was a higher end hotel, the buffet was fabulous. Lots of nice things like smoked salmon, cheeses, cold cuts, and olives. The kids got pancakes, and we stuffed ourselves. I tend to eat a lot in any given situation, but when it comes to breakfast buffets, my gluttonous self really shines. I guess it's a little embarrassing, especially in Europe, where for breakfast they have a croissant, coffee, and cigarette, and that's about it. That's why they're so thin over there, unlike over here, where a Denny's Grand Slam breakfast awaits you.

Anyway, after breakfast, we hit the pool, and they had a great pool, not to mention one of the nicest exercise room that I'd ever seen in a hotel. We all worked out on the machines and I got to watch hockey highlights on the dozens of TVs in the weight room. We swam for hours, and then checked out and headed for the airport. All in all, I give the hotel a thumbs up, except for one thing I've noticed for nicer hotels.

Now granted, this wasn't a 5 star hotel, but it was higher end than any motel. I've seen this at other nice hotels, they tend to charge a higher rate for the room, and then nickel and dime you on little things like bottled water and internet. It leaves you, or at least me, with a less favorable impression. I guess they take advantage of the business traveler, where money is no object. I liked the hotel, though, and would definitely stay there again.

We caught our plane on time, and we were off and running, albeit a day late. We were cutting our stay in Turkey a day short, which was a bummer, but it wasn't throwing our itinerary off too badly, which was a good thing.

The flight was about 6.5 hours, and there was plenty of drama on board that, as well. Until the next time, thanks for reading.