Ольга Служаева (Upper- intermediate)

Delayed trip (Short story, 2011)

(Based on a true story)

This is a story about my crazy holiday in Paris and Amsterdam. You must think why Christmas in Europe could be crazy? I’ll tell you about it!

It started from the first delayed flight to Moscow from Samara. I was flying alone (a bit later you understand why I put it in italics) to my boyfriend in Paris. It was so good, that in Kurumoch I had been waiting for my plane for 3 hours with my parents, before we heard: “The flight number NA2345 is now boarding…” I was afraid to lose my luggage at the airport, leave my bag somewhere and, of course, customs officers could find drugs, alcohol or prohibited things in my bag)))) Luckily, nothing happened.

Understandably I arrived in Moscow safe and sound, but in Sheremetevo my problems began. My plane was delayed again. I’d never been to that airport and foremost I’d never been alone at the airport before that day! I couldn’t understand where I should go at all, I was taken aback. But, of course, your tongue will get you anywhere), so I got acquainted with a very pretty woman from Novosibirsk, her aircraft was delayed too. After a few hours I learnt about her daughter, her dog, her work, her crazy husband, and other things in her long life. It was extremely boring, but by that time I was boarding my flight.

Three hours later I was landing in PARIS!!!! It was such a terrific suspense. Now, that I’m in Charles de Gol, I was beginning to be afraid, that I wouldn’t be able to find my luggage, but, you understand, that in this situation all was ok. I was on top of the world, when my boyfriend met me. However, we hadn’t got enough time for our long-awaited happiness, because our last train to Fontenblo ( Paris’s suburb) was to leave in a minute. We broke our necks to get there on time. We rushed into the train and took a deep breath.

The second part of our crazy tri was supposed to start the following morning. The reason we were late for our train to Amsterdam was unreal snowfall in Europe. That’s why it took us 24 hours to get to Amsterdam instead of normal 6 hours. It was a chain reaction. We had missed one train, and hereupon we were late for the other. We wasted our money on new tickets for other train and bus, because one fine minute train had stopped and we learned that it was the last station and this train would never go anywhere. After many-many hours we couldn't believe our eyes…It was Amsterdam’s station. We were over the moon.

Finely, it was a definitely crazy, but incredibly tremendous trip. In spite of all, we were lifted in this city. We visited all the best sights, for example, science museum, Dali museum, red-light district, photography museum, spent our time in a very famous musical bar in Amsterdam, trying the best traditional food That travel is firmly fixed in our memory...

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