Kaliningrad. Suitcase.
Previously: the car-sharing adventure ended with lost documents, a trip to Putilkovo, and our heroes splitting into two groups. While Arseniy was buying non-existent tickets to Kaliningrad, Alina and Vlad lost the suitcase while getting into a taxi.
Alina picks up the mic.
Vlad looks at me with big frightened eyes and says in confusion: "Mom, I do not know." We re-enter the airport building, I glance at the taxi desk and see our suitcase peacefully standing next to it. Almost within reach. But the problem is we already exited the terminal zone, and to get back to the desk we would need to pass control again.
We approach staff and ask them to roll our suitcase over to us. They look at me with round eyes and seem to wish we would disappear, because they do not know how to handle this case. Then the senior worker speaks: "Your suitcase will be transferred to lost and found, processed there, and only after that you can claim it." I insist they return it now, not at some unknown time after strange bureaucracy. I say I can describe what is inside so they can verify.
Suddenly staff engage and offer a solution: "Show your boarding passes." I happily pull them from my pocket and proudly present them: "Here!" Staff eyes widen. I do not understand why. I look closer and see there is no printed data on them - just blank sheets. Simple explanation: perfume spilled nearby, alcohol bleached the print.
While speaking with airport staff, I text Arseniy asking him to send boarding passes. No answer. I delegate this to Vlad. After a while, photos of our boarding passes arrive. Staff ask: "Why do you not have boarding passes?" I explain the full story: we were three, and the passes remained with the person who did not fly. Staff confusion grows. My stress does not go down either. Staff ask: "Do you at least have passports?" Waving our passports, I say: "Can you give us our suitcase? Do we look like terrorists?!!"
Believe it or not, the suitcase starts rolling toward us. I text Arseniy that we got it, and it seems we are heading to Svetlogorsk. Sitting in the car, catching my breath, passing by a giant Zabivaka statue, I say to Vlad: "Look, what a Zabivaka! Where is yours?" Vlad says: "I do not know, I think I lost it." At that moment I text Arseniy: "When you arrive in Kaliningrad, try to find Zabivaka in the airport." And at that same moment I receive his reply.
#vacations #kaliningrad