The flight to Philadelphia was calm, the skies were clear. The landing was smooth, and maneuvering while loaded with the heaviest carry on bags I could manage didn't seem so bad after my refreshing nap during the flight. I decided against exploring the airport shops, and once I confirmed the departure gate for the next leg of my journey, I began the long trek to the designated departure gate.
I noticed a currency conversion booth, and I thought this would be a good time to exchange currency. Near the departure gate for my flight, I spotted nearby an ATM machine. Luckily, there was no line!! So there would not be a repeat of the experience with the line at McDonald's. I keyed in the necessary codes and requested of the machine a sum of money well within the daily cash withdrawal limit. After the momentary processing, the machine politely informed me: Transaction Denied!! Not giving in to rising panic, I thought perhaps so many people have been at the machine today, it is possible it is low on cash.
Thus, I initiated a new transaction and requested of the machine a lower reasonable amount of cash which was definitely within the daily withdrawal limit. Once again, I received the polite message: Transaction Denied!! Struggling to not give in to the rising level of anxiety I was beginning to feel, I boldly initiated a third transaction, knowing the possibility my bank card would be retained by said polite ATM machine was extremely high!
Bingo!!! I was able to obtain a small sum of cash which, when converted to Euros, and once fees were deducted netted me a little over 100 Euros. Definitely well below the amount I requested and nowhere near the amount I needed upon landing in France, since I was to hand over the caution (security deposit) to my landlord upon arrival!! I thought Well, at least some money is better than none at all!!
It wasn't long before the announcement that my flight to Zurich was ready to board, and I made my way to the check-in counter. Unlike the orderly procession of boarding passengers at the US Airways terminal, the passenger boarding “procession” was one in which everyone raced to check in simultaneously. Fortunately, there was no pushing or shoving!!
I found my seat at the very back of the plane – never sat that far back before – and this time, I had the window seat (sigh). After that startling experience with the ATM machine, it was nice to relax. My seat mate and I must have had the same thought. We both quickly stowed our carry on bags and liberated our blankets and pillows from their guardian plastic enclosures. She got out her book, and I retrieved mine. We chatted briefly, but it was nice to know I would not have to try to engage in conversation the entire flight especially since I could not shake the feeling of mounting anxiety I had as a result of my encounter with the polite ATM machine!!
The in-flight movie was the newly re-made and released Karate Kid starring the son of Jada Pinkette and Will Smith, which I had not seen (and which I still have not seen in its entirety since I fell asleep at some point). Dinner was delicious, although I can't remember what it was at this point. I do remember thinking it was better than I expected of “heat and serve” in-flight cuisine.
I woke up, and I was greeted by the most beautiful sunrise. Soon, the entire cabin began to stir, and breakfast was served promptly by the flight attendants. It wasn't long before the pilot announced we would be landing in Zurich in about 20 minutes.
With my excitement level rising and such a beautiful sunrise, I thought this is going to be a good day!!
Would you like to know more? Stay tuned...Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel..
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