AIRPORT ENCOUNTERS

 Heathrow

I have flown in and out of England’s Heathrow Airport several times. Sometimes with no encounters, other times not so smoothly. No way is anything going to avoid the scanner there.

          On our way to Africa my son had a lot of camera equipment and no less than 100 rolls of film. After going through the general scanner, we were taken aside where an attendant proceeded to open every single canister of film, except for the couple dozen rolls still in a blister pack. Since the blister pack was intact and he’d found nothing in any of the canisters he let them go unopened. I suspect he was looking for drugs as this was in the mid ‘90s. Fortunately we had plenty of time to make our flight.

            On return a couple of weeks later I again faced security problems at Heathrow. I had bought a walking stick before leaving Nairobi. It was solid and had no openings in it. It scanned ok and in the days before the bins one now uses to empty your pockets etc, the scanner attendant insisted I empty my fannypac. It would have been so much easier to just run it through the scanner, but no!

            I don’t recall what I said to the fellow, but his reply was, “Madam, you either oblige or you don’t make your flight.”

            So I did as instructed. Time was tight. We gathered our things and headed off toward our gate.

            Suddenly I stopped short. In a panic I said, “I forgot to pick up the airline tickets. Stay here with the luggage while I run back to the scanner for them.”

            The tickets had been in my fannypac and I still don’t know how I missed picking them up. Strangely no one had seen them and they insisted I was mistaken. That made me wonder who was paying attention to what!

            At the British Air counter I explained to the agent what had happened. Earlier I had checked the tickets so I even knew what our seat numbers were.

            “Have you checked lost and found?” the agent asked.

            “No. I just went back to check at security.”

            “Come with me to the lost and found first.” Of course no one had turned in the tickets as only minutes had lapsed. More than likely someone behind us picked them up thinking they were theirs and would not discover the mistake until they were at their boarding gate.

             Back to the counter, the plane was boarding. However, everyone was very nice. After checking the computer and verifying our seats the attendant simply issued us new boarding passes.

            We were so lucky not to be assessed a penalty for new tickets! I have always been grateful for that.

            We were in a time crunch and that security fellow had me  rattled, but that is the only time, in my traveling career, I’ve ever lost airline tickets. But even luckier is the fact I only had the British Air tickets in hand. Our Delta tickets for our US flight the next day were safe in my passport necklace!

LAKE BLED

                A Picturesque Alpine Village 

Lake Bled is surrounded by the Julian Alps (after Julius Caesar). The Alps start in France, run across Central Europe ending in Slovenia. In the center of the lake is an island with an old church on the top of a hill.

            Alpine villages and soaring peaks dominate the resort area. Dense forest and small ski resorts mingle with the many hiking paths.  The natural beauty and healing hot springs have attracted tourists for centuries. A peaceful alpine village, built around a quaint baroque steeple, is around every ridge
Arriving at Lake Bled we took a pletna ride to the island. A pletna is likened to a Venetian gondola. It has a bench on each side of the boat so people face each other rather than sitting thwart to thwart. The boat is propelled by a boatman standing on the stern using double oars. The boatman has a specific rhythm to his rowing. It was a lovely slow ride. The lake was mirror calm. The boats are passed down to family members. A stranger  cannot arrive and set up a business.

            Most of us tackled the many stone steps up to the church at the top. The steps are not very steep but not real even either. There is also a path in the back that leads to the top.

            Sweeping alpine panoramas and the fairy tale island is very romantic. To prove the groom is worthy of his bride, it is tradition for the groom to carry his bride up the 92 steps from the pier to the Church of Assumption, sitting high on the hill.

      The 17^th century church, with its Venetian and Baroque flair, is the 5^th to occupy the spot on an islet in the middle of lake. The first was an 8^th century pagan temple dedicated to the Goddess of Love.   Legend says that if one rings the 1534 wishing bell, in the separate tower, the wish he makes will come true. Pulling the bell is not as easy as one would think!

            The church’s Madonna has the face of Maria Theresa.  Gothic frescoes decorate each side of the altar. In 1970 medieval graves were discovered around the church.  

            The return boat trip was longer as we went to the city rather than the dock. The lake covers 1.7 square miles and is 100 feet deep in some areas. It is 3.5 miles around the 1.5 mi long. lake. We had a chance to view the 800-year-old castle clinging to the rocky cliff. One peak of the Julian Alps reaches 9313 feet high.

            There is a lovely lakeside promenade. The area is known for its fantastic desserts to which I can attest!