Originally written March 2020
I’m back in Zürich.
Not because that was the original plan, but because Turkish Airlines cancelled its flights to Italy.
It should have been relatively simple.
It wasn’t. 
A few days earlier, I received an email telling me that my flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul had been moved from 12:10 pm to 3:20 pm.
Fine by me. More time to explore Jerusalem.
There was just one small problem:
My connecting flight to Rome was scheduled to leave Istanbul ten minutes after I arrived.
Even I could see that this might be difficult.
I tried contacting my travel agent but couldn’t reach her, so I called Turkish Airlines myself. The woman explained that their flights to Italy had been cancelled and told me I could choose another destination.
For one glorious moment, the adventurous part of my brain went:
Jordan! Petra!
Then:
Egypt! Pyramids!
And then the slightly more responsible part reminded me that Graeme had already endured enough of my travel adventures and probably did not need another reason to have a heart attack.
So I chose Zürich.
Simple, I thought.
I was already supposed to pass through Zürich on my way home anyway.
Apparently my simple mind had underestimated the intricate workings of the airline industry.
What followed was a combination of airlines, travel agents, insurance, itinerary changes, refunds that weren’t quite enough, and explanations about who was responsible for what.
At one point I was told that my long Istanbul stopover was now my problem because I had changed the flight.
Technically true.
Although I had changed it because my original flight had become impossible.
Minor detail. 
Graeme eventually went into Flight Centre himself to speak to my travel agent, and the itinerary was finally rearranged.
My Rome accommodation was refunded, although not enough to cover my new accommodation in Zürich.
And because I now had an eight-hour stopover in Istanbul, I ended up booking a very expensive airside hotel for the night.
So there I was.
Back in Zürich.
Not where I expected to be, with an itinerary I certainly hadn’t planned, considerably more money spent than intended…
but alive and well.
At that point, I decided that was probably enough.
Stories Along the Way 