On Monday we flew out of Cuenca on the 3:20pm flight to Guayaquil a short flight of only 40 minutes.
The flight over to Guayaquil is always breathtaking looking at the Andes mountains.
We had lots of time to kill before our 11:50pm direct flight to Miami. Ed and I took a taxi from the airport to the Sonesta Hotel just five minutes from the airport for a lovely dinner. We have spent three nights at this hotel and have found the restaurant very good.
I selected their Cordon Blu with Asian noodles and pickled parsnips. The sauce on the chicken was a rich Asian sauce and excellent. This is the second time I've had this dish and it enjoyed it. Ed had a grilled steak and the best green beans.
We didn't depart the hotel until 9:15pm to check into for our American flight. We were sitting in first class and thought we would be able to sleep most of the four hour flight. Wrong, those were the most uncomfortable seats we have ever had. If you tried to raise you foot rest, the back of the seat would also recline at the same time. The seat also had a gap between the seat bottom and the back seat when reclined to sleep.
We arrived in Miami and got through Immigrations & Customs quickly (55 minutes) and arrived at the Marriott Airport before 6:00am. Our room was ready so we both fell into bed for a few hours of much needed sleep. Ed woke me at 11:20 to get ready to run the errands we needed to do. Our first stop was at the Wells Fargo Bank to pick up the Euros we had ordered, the taxi waited for us (15 minutes) and then dropped us off at he mall (taxi cost $38). I had planned on us having a nice lunch at a restaurant but we grabbed a quick bite at a Chinese place in the food court.
We hit Macy's and I conquered four new tops in the Ralph Lauren department, a new lip gloss, a lime green Totes umbrella and a new pair walking sandals. It was then Ed's turn to find new golf shirts for the trip. I talked him into a light pink, deep royal blue, a light powder blue and a wine colored shirt.
It was getting time for our personal interview at the airport for our GOES card. This will allow us to zip through Immigrations when we arrive back in the States from overseas. The line in Miami can
take up to an hour and that would sure save us that time. So, it was grab another taxi and go to the airport, this taxi ride cost $20. The personal interview was easy and fast and we were approved on the spot. They will be mailing our credit card size ID cards to our daughter's house.
We returned to the Marriott to the Concierge Lounge for Happy Hour. There was enough food there so it ended up being our light dinner. I think we were both ready for a good nights sleep in a comfortable bed. Our flight out of Miami to Newark, NJ and then onto Madrid, departed at 12:30 the next day. I thought we should leave the hotel at 10:00am to allow us time to check in and get through security. We got our boarding pass and got through Security in 15 minutes! I know that had to some kind of record for Miami airport.
The flight from Miami to Newark, NJ was on United and was uneventful. We had four hours in Newark to kill before our flight to Madrid. Our had arrived just two gates from where we were going out but we both wanted to walk, so off we went to find a 'nice' restaurant. We found Gallenger's (showed dried aged beef in the front window). I started off with calamari with a spicy tomato sauce...had to be some of the best I've had in ages...melt in your mouth! I also ordered a spinach salad that was excellent but large enough for two people (we don't get fresh spinach in Cuenca). Ed selected a grilled chicken sandwich. We each had a glass of wine with our meal, besides we were now officially on vacation. The bill with tip was very close to $100! That was to prepare us for prices in Spain.
Our United flight departed Newark at 8:45pm so again we were hoping to catch a few winks on this flight. When I booked our reservations almost a year ago, I had upgraded us to Economy Plus seating. Ed was on the aisle in the exit row where the main cabin entrance door is located, so he had tons of leg room (6 feet worth). The problem was the lady sitting next to him (wasn't me) decided to take her half out of the middle. Ed received several elbows to his arm and side. I was in the seat directly behind him and got to bug him that way. I had a very small Asian lady next to me and it was nice until she spilled a whole bottle of water on the both of us half way through the flight. My whole left side and seat bottom was wet for the next four hours. Needless to say, neither of us got much if any sleep.
The next part of our journey will be begin with our arrival in Madrid…..stayed tuned!
Peggy
