To RadChem 2010
My travel started in BH (capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais) on 16th April, Friday, and was supposed to finish in Prague, and I would be in Marianske lazne on 17th, Saturday, at noon. The original plan was to leave from Rio de Janeiro by Air France to Paris then to Prague. But, in Rio, my flight was the first one to be cancelled due to the volcano ashes. Air France gave us hotel, meals and taxi and recommended us to wait until Sunday. It was Friday.
Well, as I was prepared to cold weather in Europe, my first action was to buy summer clothes to face 30°C in Rio. On Saturday I decided to go back to the airport and I discovered the following:
1) until Sunday around 2000 passengers would be in Rio just waiting for the flight – Air France - and only 2 planes were in land (capacity: 800 passengers) and the staff didn’t know what the priorities would be in case of the airport in Paris was open;
2) on Monday…. no chance to fly;
3) TAP was working but no vacancies for the next 10 days. I realized that the problem was to leave Brazil! Looking for an alternative, I found the last place (business class) Rio-Buenos Aires-Madrid, leaving on Sunday, arriving in Madrid on Monday morning. With a credit card…. this part of my problem was solved!! In Buenos Aires I told my husband where I was… “Are you crazy??!!”… Yes… but what should I do?!
19th April 2010
Well, on Monday I was in Madrid (2 days later for the Conference…) and I started the second part of my drama: to find a way to leave Spain. No train tickets (to nowhere for the next 2 weeks), no flights to Europe….maybe bus!! After 2 hours in a line, I found the last ticket in a bus to Paris…on Tuesday morning! I was lucky to find a nice old taxi driver that helped me to reach the bus station, airport and hotel, talking in a very good “Portuspanish”.
At night, I started to look for a way to go from Paris to Marianske Lazne, using my laptop. I found, a site of a Check transfer: I called them and they would drive me from Paris to Marianske Lazne. The price?! Well, with a credit card…. (my husband’s credit card) everything would be possible! “ Are you still crazy?!” Yes, I am, but to stay in Paris would be much more expensive (all cheaper hotels were crowded), nowhere to go, no ticket to go to Prague! “Do you know them? If they kidnap you?!” asked me my husband, “Well, what can I do?!”, “No option, just accept it and pray”. So, he asked me to send messages during the trip (10 hours Paris – ML) in order he could “follow” me and know where I would be in case I disappeared…
20th April 2010
On Tuesday morning I went to Paris by bus. The bus was crowded with “victims” of the volcano’s fury: students, families, professionals and… me!
21st April 2010
After 17 hours and 2 fast stops (we almost didn’t have time to eat, etc.) we reached Paris at 2am. The bus left us in front of a metro station closed at this time! As we were afraid to be stolen (after 10 min, only me, other Brazilian lady, one old couple, a lady with two children and a young lady were there), we decided to stay in front of the reception of a hotel just waiting for a taxi. In few minutes, my transfer was there. At 2pm, Wednesday, 3days late, I was in Marianske lazne! “You are the champion!!”, finally, my husband sent me a message, relieved. So do I! To come back, another ticket had to be paid, because it was not worthwhile to use the “return” part of the Air France ticket and ask for reimbursing me for the first part of my trip.
My co-author presented my “posters” on Thursday.
That is my history!
Maria Ângela de B. C. Menezes, CDTN/CNEN, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
The transfer: Limousines, taxi & shuttle transfers // Martin: info@taxi-transfers.cz