Putting myself on daily aggressive for international works, because I got Madrid! Our crew meets an hour an a half before departure for international flights for a crew briefing. We have an introduction, talk about flight loads, weather and any social issues at our destination, wake-up times, van times, emergency procedures, and we choose our positions based on seniority. Would you believe there were 2 others junior to me? Well, I had flown Purser position on a domestic trip before, so I was not totally blindsided. The Purser is in charge of the entire coach class: 250+ pax. They have to prep all the carts, cook all the food, ensure all services are ready and completed for coach and be organized enough to run a galley the size of some people’s living rooms. I took one for the reserve team and volunteered for it! The other reserve was my helper, and we had a great time, great fun, had some mishaps, and learned some lessons! Ha ha! There is a pay premium for this, so that was nice, too!
There were 4 men just sitting there, and they let me take a picture. I wish I knew enough spanish to hear their stories!
There was a group of us who met downstairs (after our 4-hour nap) to go to Plaza Mayor for lunch and see the palace. We exchanged some currency at the front desk as some hotels will do this for you; however Kelly did not have cash, so they told us where we could find an ATM for her. They also told us which bus to take and the name of the drop off point for the plaza. Our limited spanish does work, and we ask the bus driver if the bus is going to the plaza. “Si!” It’s usually around $2 to ride either the bus or the train each way.
It was a beautiful early summer day, and we eat at Plaza Mayor, where I had a delicious spanish tortilla (and I’m determined to find a good recipe for this) while watching street performers and even a wedding going on! Kermit the Frog came by and said “hola,” and we even saw the police shooing away Mickey Mouse. After lunch, we had to try some churros and chocolate which was delicious! When in Spain, find any vendor and try one of these tasty native treats!
Heading back to the good ol’ US of A, our crew waits for the airport train. A lady comes up to me talking a mile a minute asking questions. My spanish is not good enough to understand her, and we were boarding.
Me: No habla espanol.
Lady: Francais?
Me: (Trying to be funny in my southern accent.) No, I’m from Alabama!
Lady: Ahhhhh, Albania…
She got me! Good one! 🙂
Coming home from another great trip, I clean out my freezer and found frozen corn and frozen chopped chicken. What can I do with this? Well, my concoction worked, because I loved it and will definitely make it again! I used bow tie pasta because the long noodles are not as conducive for traveling. I made leftovers to take with me on trips.
Ingredients:
4 ears of cooked corn (cut cooked kernels into a bowl)
3 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
5 cloves of garlic (I’m a garlic-holic)
1 Tbsp garlic seasoning
2 tsp paprika or red chile powder
Heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Herbs (couple stems each from my garden: lemon thyme, oregano)
2-3 Tbsp flour
Directions:
Heat cooking oil in pan. Add chicken, corn, and mince the garlic. Cook until the corn browns a little. Add the garlic seasoning, paprika, herbs, sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Cook 2 minutes. I add enough heavy cream to fill near the tops of the mixture. Add a couple Tbsp of flour to thicken to desired consistency. Cook until it bubbles, then pour over cooked pasta. Es muy delicioso!
Crew Chew 