My day started off beautifully, I waved my friends at Sultan's Inn goodbye as the transfer arrived spot on time to take me into the French leg. I sat gazing out the window wondering if this was going to be the last time I see Istanbul! I sat concentrating trying to take it all in!
I got dropped off at the airport in German punctuality, I even had time to not get irritated with the man in front of me who was sent through the security several times. They made him basically walk through the metal detector in his underwear.
Having made it through the first set of security I strolled along the check-ins looking for where Pegasus was. I glanced up at a board to see if I could find it on there. I saw a flight leaving at 10:30 and then a flight at 10:40. I thought this was interesting as in my head I was flying at 10:35! I carried on strolling, my steps getting slower! A niggling thought started in my head and soon became a run-away train. I dropped everything and got my itinerary out. I stared disbelieving at my neatly typed page. The third and forth word made me start to go cold, my heart racing. No, it can't be!
I was at the wrong airport. My flight was technically impossible to make in Istanbul traffic. With my heart pounding I weighed up the possibility of missing the flight, the knock on effect. Trains, accommodation and worse still a day wasted. I picked everything up and dashed to information hoping that they had a magic carpet or something to that effect. The lady gave me the options, the airport bus would take an hour and a half but only left in 20minutes. This gave me 10mintues till my flight, not an option. The best option was taxi. I ran outside to the taxi rank, glancing at my watch, 08:32. If I could make it in an hour, their was a small window of possibility. A man directing travellers saw me coming and obviously new the panicked look, he shouted to the driver and the two of them, almost in a sprint relay grab my bags and within seconds were heading off. The driver took my itinerary and nodded knowingly. We flew through a whole industrial area, over taking cars in the emergency lane. He kept looking in the rear view mirror and grimaced as he was doing the best he could.
As we went through the first toll after the huge bridge, a traffic officer stepped in front of us and I started begging the man upstairs that this test would give me a heart attack. He side stepped us and pulled the sod behind us over. I clutched my hands together and thanked every single travelling angel I could. At 09:27 the taxi grinded to a halt. At the entrance to the airport I had tossed money at him so all that needed doing was picking up my bag. He pulled the hand brake up, slung his door open and as I got to the back of the car, my bag was in his hand ready for the next part of the sprint relay. I ran, shouting back at him, and he smiled and waved having done his miracle for the day.
I had an outside chance to make the flight, I had just over an hour. Again I begged the travelling angels to be kind. Two people in front of me at the first security check point had obviously arrived in german punctuality as they took forever to disrobe. I looked at them and kindly asked if I could go ahead of them as my flight was in an hour and they were like the red sea, parting for my wave of destruction. I dumped my bags on the x-ray machine and made it through the metal detector, grabbing my belongings, I was off!
I found the check in easily, but the queue was mad. I went into the online check in and a man standing there demanded I go to the back of the queue. I begged him and said I was on the flight to Paris, still he demanded I go to the back of the queue. He then said, to which I almost collapsed-you have plenty of time!!!!
I went to the back and as I was in the second weave of the line, he shouted from the front all those going to Paris Orly must come to the front. A few minutes later I had my boarding pass. I breathed for the first time since 08:32.
The flight was uneventful and empty. I had a window seat, watching the world go by. It was extremely cloudy and between the clouds camouflaged was a very snow covered Europe.
I now am sitting under a number of fairy lights that must look beautiful at night. My train departs in about twenty minutes.
French is being spoken all around me, I have said Merci several times all ready. Now for the next challenge, finding my hotel and seeing if I can actually get my rental car.
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