Day 1 was travel day

December 26th and 27th,

I decided that since it was the day after Christmas and there would normally be a ton of people out at DIA, I was dropped off at the airport at 2:15 pm for a 5:40 pm flight. Well, for some reason, this year was very quiet at DIA at 2:15 and by 2:39 I was sitting in the terminal beginning the wait. Classic hurry up and wait, but I'd rather be safe then sorry. I got a call from my friend Andrew, whom was supposed to land in Barcelona 8 hours before me. He told me that he had a 3 hour delay in his flight to Atlanta and missed his connecting flight to BCN. So now he will be staying in Atlanta for the night, flying to New York and then to Barcelona from there, he won't be there until Monday morning, 24 hours after his original itinerary. Totally sucks for him. The other 2 guys, Alex and Kyle, are scheduled on Monday night, hope they make it. My plane boarded really fast and it was an awesome plane, a Lufthansa Airlines 777. I really enjoyed the touch screens in each headrest and I watched The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3; with John Travolta. It was also nice to be on an international flight with free wine, so I indulged with 2 glasses of a great white wine, hoping it would help me sleep through the night. I got about 5 hours and a stomach ache, haha. Oh well. After 9 hours and 45 mins I was in Frankfort. The girl next to me on the plane, 17 yrs old, was a resident of Denver, but lived in Germany as a kid, so she was going back to visit her boyfriend. I didn't get her name, but no big deal, she was fun to talk to, but she interrupted me watching UP, haha. Anywho, once in Frankfurt, I had a 4 1/2 hour layover, so I took it pretty slow getting to the gate. I realized after getting through customs/security, that the walk I was making today, was the exact same as the RUN I had to make back in July to catch my flight to Budapest, it was over a mile from security to the gate, so no wonder I thought I was going to die after running! After 2 gate changes, I even ended up at the exact same gate too, but much happier to have been able to calmly make it there. I did some crocheting at both airports while waiting and I got a really great head start on the 1st blanket I'll finish in 2010. Once on the plane to Barcelona from Frankfurt, I passed out; I hope this doesn't hurt my sleeping tonight, but I was exhausted. Once I woke up and ate the snack they give you, I started talking to the guy sitting next to me, Lisandro. He lives in Barcelona, but is originally from Argentina and he was coming home from his holiday trip. I was asking him questions about the train/bus I had to catch from the airport and he said that if his friend comes to pick him up, he would just give me a ride. I thanked him and agreed to hitch a ride if it was possible. However, once in baggage claim, his bags didn't make the trip from Frankfurt and his friend had already left, thinking he probably missed his flight too. After hanging out with him, while he dealt with lost luggage, he helped me catch the bus that would get me to the area that I needed to jump on the subway and he pointed me in the direction of my hostel. Then he was on his way home himself; but not before we exchanged email addresses. Such great hospitality. I did have to stop and ask where the street was that I was looking for, but it was pretty easy and close to where I was, sweet! I checked in and headed straight for my room to grab my computer and make a Skype call to a friend at home, I love Skype! The city looked really cool from the bus windows and my short walk, but I'm super tired and I think tonight is a wash. BUT, I'm here and excited about what the next few days have in store for me!! So check back to see what I do.