We board Madrid’s metro for our last European train ride and
the 30 minute trip to Madrid’s Barajas International Airport. Our
navigational instincts are much improved since our arrival in Rome over 40 days
ago and we easily make our way to the security screening line. Linda
sails through but Robert sets off the metal detector for no apparent reason and
received his first pat-down of the day. After he is cleared we follow the
signs to the US Airways check-in counter. The first agent we meet
examines and then takes our tickets and passports and hands them to agent
2 seated behind a computer. Agent 1 begins asking us a series of
questions: why are you in Spain; why have you been travelling for so
long; where are you going; where have you been; do we have any
proof of where we have been? Robert produces a two inch thick envelope
containing receipts for every purchase made during our trip and hands the agent
hotel receipts from several different cities in Italy, France and Spain.
There is a consultation among the agents and after adorning the back cover of
our passport with a “special sticker” we are allowed to proceed to the terminal
gate with tickets and passports in hand.
The terminal gate is roped off and closed for another hour
so we hang out at Burger King and grab a bite to eat and log on to BK’s free
wifi. We head back to the roped off area and line up with other US
Airways travelers. The agent takes our passports and tickets and asks us to
stand aside. Robert’s paranoia begins to set in. Other travelers are
allowed to pass and we end up with 4 other folks selected for a “special security
screening”. Our group is escorted away from the line and assembled in
front of an xray machine and metal detector staffed by a group of male and
female Spanish customs agents. We remove our shoes, belts, coins,
computers, etc. and place them on the moving belt to be xrayed. Linda
receives her first and only patdown and Robert receives his 2nd of
the day. We are directed to open our luggage. An agent removes and
examines our clothing, trinkets, papers, etc. Our luggage is then sent
through the xray machine sans contents. Linda is making friendly talk
with the cute young Spanish agent while Robert is wondering if we will be
allowed to leave the country. Everything works out fine and we are told
we were simply randomly selected for the “special screening”.
Following another escorted walk we receive our tickets and passports and told
we can proceed to the US Airway departure gate. YEAH!
Like the Canadians escaping from Iran during the hostage
crisis in the movie Argo, Robert doesn’t relax until we clear Spain’s
airspace. Our first class flight accomodations and the personal service
we receive on board soon make the “special screening” ordeal another story for
our trip and we are on the way home.
