Traveling Home
We had to get the kids up at 2:30 AM in order to be ready for the bus that was taking us to the airport at 3:30. The amount of luggage that twelve people require is quite cumbersome, but each boy had their own backpack and suitcase on wheels, so they were quite helpful in getting us on the bus. Once we arrived at the airport, though, it appeared there had been some misunderstanding, as the desk did not open until 5:00 am, leaving us with well over an hour to wait. Someone made a food run and one of the boys brought me back a green apple – not my first preference to eat at 4 AM, but a treasure nonetheless.
Airports Mean Hunger
Once we were checked in, we did not have a long wait until boarding, and only an hour’s flight to Madrid. However, once there, it was to be several hours before we could board for the flight home. Vegan food choices were minimal, I had no Euros, and had to rely on my credit card. I finally found a pack of nuts in one of the gift shops and purchased it, knowing it would have to hold me over until the flight. The Madrid airport was impressive, with some beautiful artwork and futuristic people movers throughout. But when it came to plant-based food, the options were almost non-existent. My son commented that there was an opportunity for someone to begin providing vegan products in Europe, but I told him I wasn’t certain how much of a market there would be. His response: “There will be, though.” I hope he is right.
The flight was to be eleven hours, and the main airlines that took us directly to DFW from Madrid, nonstop, had missed the vegan meal altogether once again. Not only that, this crew was not as friendly and was not at all accommodating. Without much food for what was to be nearly 24 hours, I decided to drink as much as they would give me. So I accepted orange juice, and then later tomato juice, in order to get something into my stomach. When dinner was served and I was unable to find anything at all to eat (the vegetarian option was pasta in a creamy cheese sauce), I was touched when leaves of lettuce and grapes were passed to me from my son’s and daughter-in-law’s trays. My son also dug into his own bag and tried to find any snacks that might suffice. I told him that I was drinking juice and would be fine, but I was very hungry. The worst part was when Garden Pizzas were given out near the end of our journey. They smelled so inviting that I thought momentarily of trying to scrape the cheese off of them, but I was certain the rest of the pizza was not vegan, either. That was not appealing and I knew no matter how hungry I was, I would be home soon and could eat more normally once again.
Best of All, Coming Home
Visions of what I had been craving danced through my head: flax seed meal, smoothies, fresh vegetables, vegan pot pies, greens. When we finally made it off the airlines, retrieved our luggage, and made it through customs, we had been awake nearly 30 hours with little sleep the night before. We took an airport limo home and I entered the house to see my feline friend sleeping exactly where she was when I left, looking healthy and sniffing me eagerly as she was awakened from a very deep sleep. But I found despite being exhausted, my hunger was building, so some spaghetti noodles with garlic salt hit the spot. It filled my stomach enough that I could fall asleep. Someone was very happy to see me, and I nearly had a feline appendage as my friend pushed against me and purred and purred and purred. She seemed to know my travels were over. It was good to be home.
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So glad you are home and fed. Traveling can be tough. Airports really need to get a clue.
Thanks, veganlinda! Coming home was the best part. The flight home was the hungriest part of the trip. Next time, I am packing an entire suitcase of vegan food, as my son suggested, just in case!