This morning came oh so quickly. The alarm went off at an unhealthy 3.30am in the Hotel Ibis. A quick shower and we were off and running…well, off and walking anyway. The terminal was just a short walk and when we arrived at 4.15am it was just heaving with people. One of the disadvantages of flying with low cost airlines is that the slots they use are often at anti-social hours. This was no exception. We arrived at the Easy Jet check-in, (or as I like to call them, Beastly Jet) and checked in Not having opted to check bags we made our way with our two pieces of carry on through the throngs and entered security. Now, as someone who has travelled a fair bit in his time, I like to think that I am quite prepared. Not, it seems , this time. We took off shoes, belts, etc. and sent everything through. Along comes the stern faced man. “Do you have liquids in your bag sir”? “Oh gosh, yes”, I replied. He opened the bag. Fished out a few items and I put them into the clear plastic bag. Back into the scanner went everything. Back came the stern faced man. “Any more, sir?” “Ummmmm….maybe”, I replied. Back Into the bag he went and pulled out a pot of jam that I had packed for breakfast. And also some extra shower gel and some other toiletries…oh well!
Finally the bag went through unscathed. With red faces, we headed off to the gate. Now for those of you who have never flown on Beastly Jet (or Ryan Air, a similar outfit) it is a total experience. Your tickets are really cheap, and the level of service is commensurate. I paid 70gbp for the two round trip tickets to Menorca from Luton. When you add in taxes and fees, it was about 140 pounds. That’s about $250, so it is a really good deal. The kicker is that you have to pay for everything on board, there is no seating assignments either, and you can pay a few pounds for priority boarding. You also have to pay to check bags. But still, the total cost of flying is desperately cheap and the service level is the same as what you get these days on a US carrier…coz you have to pay for all the same stuff there…’nuff said.
Anyway, once on board the plane it was a pleasure to find that it was only half full, a really unusual occurrence on Easy Jet. The seats are really close together on these planes, so it was nice to be able to stretch out a little. The flight was good, and despite the fact that they were selling copies of the Daily Mail, Hello magazine and their very own scratch cards offering the chance to win 10,000 pounds, entirely uneventful. Uneventful is good with regard to airline flights….
Once at Mahon airport, we decided to head into the capital to take care of some business issues first. First stop was the solicitors/lawyers office. Every year they file my tax return for me in Spain, and I pay them a chunk of change. As I have no money, no income, and only a condo to my name, the tax return is likely really simple. So with James in tow we showed up to get copies of the tax return. As expected, we received a copy of the form and there were two boxes on it that need filling out. So guess who is doing the tax return in future. I love my future husband even more now…..
Next up was a quick trip to the Orange shop to sort out (yes you guessed it) some mobile phone issues. Last November the Spanish government introduced a new law that said that all Pay As You Go sim cards for Mobile/Cellular telephones had to be registered to a passport number. Well, we didn’t know about that law until we tried to use the SIM cards a month ago. James’ card was fine, but mine was as dead as a doornail. A little bit of research online told us about the law and also stated that any money on your account was protected and could be applied to a new number. Yes, dear reader, you know what is coming don’t you….
As James’ card was still active, it was a simple matter of adding his passport number. De nada, or no problem. When it came to mine, the assistant pouted and said that there was nothing that could be done. James persisted and she finally agreed to call the call centre. They were less helpful and told us that we would have to fly to either the mainland or to Palma, Majorca to sort it out. Yes, that is right. They want us to fly to another land mass to have 40 euros transferred to a new account. So now I have a new telephone number instead, and we will continue to work on this issue. For your reference, dear reader, here our Spanish phone numbers to add to you ever growing lists….
James :- +34 691 153 710
David :- +34 615 342 397
As always, texts and calls are always welcome……
So, business done, we headed back toward the bus station. On the way there we stopped in at the bakery that we used to frequent. As we entered, the owner greeted us with a “Where have you been? It is ages since you were here…..” It was so nice to be recognized after 2 years. I think it is all down to James and his charisma, as after 30 years of coming here no-one ever remembers me! With chocolate “palmeras” (chocolate cakes in the shape of palm leaves) in hand we headed on our way once more. A few steps later and, yes it started to rain. The clouds rolled over head, the sun disappeared and the heavens opened. It seems that the weather fairy has followed us once more. Still, undaunted by this, we carried on, only to be greeted by a woman waving frantically from a door way at us. It was the librarian from San Luis in Menorca, who we also hadn’t seen for two years. Again, I think it must be James’ personality, or perhaps the fact that we are always dressed in matching outfits…even in the rain. The librarian’s name is Ximena, pronounced “He-Men-Ah”, or, as I like to refer to here “The Hymen lady”. It was lovely to see her, and after kisses in the rain and a promise to come and see her in the library next week, we sloshed forward once more. A quick trip on the bus and we were back in S’Algar once more.
Having dropped off our bags at our friend Maria and Bob’s place as I had a guest in my apartment until the Friday morning, we made our way down to the main square of S’Algar. Once there, we started to run into many people that we know all at once. Phillip, Claire, and their girls, Elaine, Kate, Paul, Jennifer, and lurking in the corner, Denise and Maria. Denise is one of my oldest friends on the island and she had a stroke about 6 months ago. She is still recovering from the effects, but is, in her own inimitable way, forging ahead in life the same as ever. It was good to see all of our friends who we have missed so much over the last two years. The afternoon was passed pleasantly with lunch at the Reina Isabel, the main restaurant in the square, and then a well-earned nap! Had to look our best for the evening of course!
And so, dear reader, that was our first day. Is there more I hear you cry? Of course there is! But for Saturday night and Sunday Morning, you’ll just have to wait won’t you!
Big love,
D&J
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