This is the first in a series of articles about a trip to the interesting country of Turkey.

A ROUGH BEGINNING

By Charles N. Stevens.

After an easy check-in at the airport, we relax in a comfortable lounge area near our gate. I walk six circuits of the terminal to complete my daily exercise. As I complete the last lap, a woman announces over the blaring loudspeaker that our flight will be delayed one hour and 30 minutes due to poor weather in Chicago. This news concerns us because we have only two hours to make our connection in Chicago to our Swiss Air flight bound for Zurich. Now we have only one-half hour to make the connection. It is our first setback in our so-far flawless trip, the first wave of tension.

At last, we inch along with the crowd, gradually filing on to our American Airlines flight, a huge silver Boeing 767. We wait in our seats as the cabin attendants snap all the overhead storage racks shut. A film of high clouds dims the sun, and a smoky haze spoils what had been a bright morning. A dirty window makes the scene outside appear even murkier. Dolores and I hold hands as the plane hurtles down the runway just after noon. We angle up steeply over the beach, the small waves below sweeping up on the sand. With Malibu Beach distant on our right, we bank steeply to the left, bringing us around near Hollywood Park, the Forum, and the Inglewood Park Cemetery far blow. Within minutes we speed over the San Gabriel Mountains, the cold, white snow draped as smooth as satin over the higher peaks.

By 12:30 we cruise at 37,000 feet. The pilot tells us that the weather in Chicago is foggy and drizzly. The sharp, dark lines of roads and railroads trace smooth patterns in the snow.

Finally, the land flattens out, but the snow remains, covering fields and farm roads, towns, and trees. The sun sinks lower as we speed eastward over the frozen Midwest.

As our plane begins to let down for Chicago, layers of clouds slip between us and the land below, the sun only a fiery slit on the horizon. As we lower into the billows of clouds, the pilot tells us it’s cloudy, rainy and 36-degrees in Chicago. Within the clouds we flutter and bump, the strobe light flashing out against the mist. At last, we break out beneath the low clouds and see the amber and bluish streetlights of Chicago. The headlights of cars reflect in the wet streets.

Safely on the ground, we taxi through the wet, slickness of the airport, the lights mirrored on the roads and tarmac. The rain, now turned to snow, drifts by the light standards. Finally, we stop, but not at the jet way. We must wait until there is a place for us as the deicing of planes ahead of us is taking a great deal of time. As we wait, the minutes tick away before we must make our connecting flight to Zurich. Our half-hour leeway begins to shrink. Wet snowflakes splatter and stick to the window then slide down in an icy mess. We wait interminably as the snow pelts the windows and piles on the wings like a thin layer of cotton. Through the icy window, I can see the great red tail and white cross of our Swiss Air flight at its jet way, perhaps a half mile away. We told the flight attendants about our problem with the connection, but they will not help us, assuring us instead that due to the weather all the flights will be delayed. We finally ease up to the jet way, but we are at the back of the plane and must wait for those ahead of us to gather their belongings and waddle through the aisles like penguins that have nothing to do. We press forward, holding back our panic.

My heavy carry-on bag full of toilet articles, camera equipment, bottles of wine, canned tuna, medicines and other objects bangs against me as I stride through the terminal. Dolores, with a lighter load pulls ahead.

Out of the corner of our eyes, we see a man with an electric cart. We swerve over to ask him for help—”Can you take us to gate L-9? We’re late for our flight!” Reluctantly he agrees and tells us to get on the cart. Somewhat relieved, we whiz along smoothly on the cart, even feeling the wind on our faces as the young man warns people to get out of the way. After one hundred yards the cart sputters, jerks then suddenly quits. “I’ve run out of juice”, the man says. You’ll have to walk it.”

Still a long ways from our destination, we again fling ourselves down the vaulted corridors. Dolores decides to run ahead, telling me to walk more slowly, that she will see what she can do. She moves at a trot, gradually fading away among the people ahead of us while I struggle with the bag that swings like a wrecking ball against my hip. Finally, I see Dolores far up ahead, waving to me that all is okay and telling me not to hurry. A Swiss Air attendant walks toward me. Dolores had yelled to them to hold the flight as she reached the door, but the man at the door had said, “This flight is closed”. Shaking with exhaustion and anxiety, she had pleaded with the man. The women attendants, much more sympathetic and diplomatic, rushed over to assure her we would be on the flight and that everything would be all right

Still shaky, we walk down the empty jet way with a kindly attendant, the last passengers on the plane. As the gate attendants had sold our economy seats to stand-by passengers, she leads us into the business class seats. We sink into two spacious seats as a sweet-voiced stewardess offers us a glass of California Chardonnay. Never had wine looked so good, so clear, and pure. Its delicate color is perfect and the aroma subtle and fruity. It trickles coldly down our throats like nectar. Another stewardess gives us each a little black kit containing a sleeping mask, black booties, a comb, and other toilet articles. Soon she is back again offering us the latest newspapers. We are on our way, first to Switzerland and then Turkey.

MONTEREY PARK AUTHOR PUBLISHES 4th BOOK – Seeking More of the Sky: Growing Up in the 1930’s:

Charles “Norm” Stevens, a 49-year resident of Monterey Park has recently published his 4^th book: Seeking More of the Sky: Growing Up in the 1930’s. This is the story of a young boy growing up in Inglewood, California in the l930’s. This was a time during the depression when unemployment was affecting many and the banks were closed, while the clouds of war were gathering in Europe. But he was lucky enough to be raised in a loving family, the power of that love reflected throughout his stories.

Stevens is the author of three previous books about his experiences during WWII:

An Innocent at Polebrook: A Memoir of an 8th Air Force Bombardier (Story of his 34 bombing missions from his base at Polebrook, England over Germany and France)

The Innocent Cadet: Becoming A World War II Bombardier (A prequel to the first, telling of his training in the U.S. before going overseas into combat.)

Back from Combat: A WWII Bombardier Faces His Military Future from Combat: (This book details the time from when he returned from combat in England until the end of the war.)

He is known to the readers of The Citizen’s Voice as the author of Travel Log Articles including “Cruising the Rhine and Mosel”,” Best of the West”, “In Search of Snow” ,  “From Paris to Normandy on the Seine”, and “Exploring New York”.  He is retired, having taught for 32 years, primarily in the Montebello Unified School District.

Those interested in purchasing an autographed copy of any of his books, may contact the author at 323-721-8230 or  Normstevens24@gmail.com.