Glitches like the main terrace shutter going on the fritz and remaining determinedly UP, exposing what would become my vacant apartment when I left for the US a couple days later. Glitches like my not being sure whether to call the shutter installer or the electrician to repair it and needing either or both to come before I left. As it turned out, I called the shutter installer - but I should have called the electrician. But by that time, it was too late to arrange for the electrician before my departure.
The shutter installer was at least able to lower the shutter for me. But by then, I was so paranoid at the thought that something else might occur with malfunctioning electric shutters (like computers, when they work, they're great; when they don't, c'est la catastrophe!) that I refused to touch the others. This led to a short, dark and cave-like existence mitigated only by artificial indoor light until my impending departure became a reality.
And the departure itself ... wow! I awoke at 04:30 in order to pack my last few items and complete final preparations for closing up the apartment. Everything was going fine. I had checked in online and printed out my boarding passes the previous evening. The taxi had been arranged for and was to arrive at 06:00 to get me to the airport in time for my 07:30 departure for London Heathrow and from there my 13:45 departure from LHR to Baltimore. So, at 05:30, just before shutting down the main PC and its attendant complement of gadgets, including the printer, I made one final check of my various email accounts. Everything went routinely until I opened my hotmail account to see - with dawning horror - a message from British Airways that my 07:30 pm flight to London had been cancelled!
The message also said that I could rebook a flight at no charge. But when I attempted to do so on-line, I received nothing but error messages. The alternative was to call one of the airline offices for help. It was out of the question to call the local Swiss office as it would not open for business before 09:00 when any chance of making my transatlantic flight to Baltimore - there is only one flight to that destination per day from LHR - would effectively have been scuttled altogether. As it happened however, the London office would open at 7 am Swiss time, so that was a possibility.
In the meantime, of course, I had another problem. I had a taxi driver due to arrive imminently to take me to the airport and I needed to tell him about the cancellation. Of course, I had neglected to keep the number handy and had forgotten which company I had called, having arranged for the early-morning pick-up some days earlier! Naturally, the company I called during these admittedly frantic moments was not the correct one.
At the same time as I was on my local telephone trying to notify the taxi driver, I was also Skyping HWMBO from the main computer to tell him about the last-minute glitch. Being six hours later than I, he had still not gone to bed. He reassured me that he would be standing by to hear from me and offered Dulles Airport, another DC-area possibility, as an alternative destination. We both prefer BWI because it is much closer to where we live and, being a much smaller hub, is in many ways more "user-friendly" than Dulles.
Of course, by this time, it was 06:00 and I checked to see a taxi driver outside, waiting patiently in the crisp morning air. I went outside, apologizing profusely, and explained about the cancellation and how I had been trying to contact him. He was quite philosophical about it but we both were mystified as to the reason for the cancellation. Yes, it was cold, but the skies were clear and there was merely a hint of breeze. He gave me his card so that I would not again mistake the company. I promised to call him again when I knew more about the situation.
When I was finally able to get through to the London office, they were able to rebook me on the noon flight to London and wait-list me on a flight to Dulles later in the afternoon. Being all ready, I decided to head to the airport early, bracing myself for a LONG travel day ahead.
Little did I know what lay in store ...
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