What a treat to fly out of Tucson on Friday morning, May 1st, instead of having to start from the Phoenix airport. I will admit that I have become a very spoiled traveler.
Ivonne and I flew United First Class to Chicago. That went without a hitch.
Always a shock to my system to arrive in a big airport, we made our way to The Polaris Lounge where we were in our element. Now THIS is a comfortable place to rest, eat and relax before the long haul to Barcelona.
The long haul began around 10pm. I dislike saying this, but I was disappointed in our pods on this United Polaris flight. I was expecting more room and better service.
When it was time to sleep, no one offered any explanation on how to work all the buttons in the pod. And there was no preparation of the seat for sleeping. Air New Zealand offered much better amenities and service than United. I got 3 hours of bad sleep, followed by a rushed breakfast. I realize I sound like a whiny B, but my expectations were higher. I’ve been told that American offers nicer pods.
Going through the immigration process was not too bad for us, but it took Lynda and Pete a long time. I was surprised when the machine took our fingerprints too, even before we stood before an agent. Gratefully our luggage arrived and we took a taxi to our VRBO. We were greeted by the owner and settled in by 4pm.
We were all EXHAUSTED. The jet lag kicked all of our butts and we immediately tried to sleep, but unsuccessfully. So glad we were in a safe neighborhood with coffee and convenience stores close by. We grabbed some food and came back to crash. Sleep was elusive.
I can see that long distance travel is having a very different effect on my now 72 year old body. I’m regretting having an 8:45 tour first thing tomorrow morning, but I do want to take advantage of every moment in this city. We have 2 full days of Viator tours ahead of us before we get on our ship.
Suck it up, Diana!
Freebirds Frolic 