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To Munich and Beyond! Part Seven: Up in the Air!

A trip report documenting visiting Katie in early 2011

1. Purpose and Planning
2. Away We Go
3. British to Germany
4. Einer kalten Tag in München
5. Naturwissenschaft und Technik
6. Munich, Y U No Open?
7. Up in the Air!

Wake up in the morning, feeling like P Diddy. Grab my glasses, I’m out the door, I’m gonna hit this city. Well, something like that. My flight out of town was at about midday, meaning I wanted to be at the airport for about 10am. My brother was slightly hungover, but I was feeling fresh as a daisy, and pretty darned excited. In a few hours I’d once more be on a plane to my lady love. It was gonna be awesome.

Over breakfast, we wrote out the postcards we needed to send home so that we wouldn’t be disowned by the family. We got stamps from the hostel reception, and I posted them on my way to Tengelmann’s for some snacks for the flight, and some chocolates to bribe Katie’s family into liking me. It was a grey, drab, drizzley kind of morning, but even that could not lower my mood. It was a good day. I got back to the hostel, and we checked out.

When I’d been researching Munich before arriving, I’d noticed there were two methods for getting from the airport to the city centre, the S-Bahn, which is just under €10, or the Lufthansa Airport Bus, which is €10.50 one way. It is cheaper for a return ticket, but didn’t operate at the time our BA flight arrived. Still, I’d wondered why people would pay more for a bus than a train, when it takes about the same amount of time. Then, of course, I took the train, and it was pretty uncomfortable. I figured I’d spend the extra fiddy cent for the comfort of the airport bus.

The driver was slightly gruff, but nice enough. Money wasn’t asked for until the second stop, at Schwabing North, about halfway through the journey. When we got to the airport, he announced each terminal and what airlines flew from there. The first terminal we reached was “Terminal 2 – Lufthansa” and by the time we got to the last terminal he hadn’t mentioned US Airways yet. I asked him which terminal for US, and he basically facepalmed and said “Terminal 2″ Still, he drove me back to Terminal 2, and I thanked him, and headed off to try and find check-in.

I found the US Airways check-in desks hidden away in some corner, and started queueing up. Before getting into the actual queue, there were the usual security questions, did I pack my bags myself, etc, then a sticker on my checked bag and a corresponding one for my passport. Eventually I made it to the actual check-in desk. My agent, an older German lady, had some issues with my slightly complex itinerary.

Because I was flying four segments, she could not print me a luggage tag. She had to hand-write one, which she didn’t know how to do. So, she went off to find another agent to show her how to do it. Then, when she found that out, she didn’t know any of the airport codes other than Philadelphia’s. Luckily, I was able to help her out there, showing my slight nerdiness. However, once that was dealt with, I was checked in and able to head off to the gate. It probably took around 15-20 minutes to check me in, and that was entirely my own fault for choosing an idiotically complex routing.

I headed up for immigration control, which I got through fairly quickly. The only question asked was “Sprachen sie Deutsch?” to which I replied “Nein”, and I did “Danke schoen” him as I left, so despite not speaking German my entire interaction with German border control was held in German. At security, I had to take my SLR out of its bag, show that it turned on (good thing my battery wasn’t dead), and allow the agent to look through the viewfinder, I guess to confirm it’s not a bomb. Other than that, security was a breeze.

I didn’t see anything in the duty free shops worth buying, and I felt a pang of jealousy as I walked by the star alliance gold lounge. One day, I resolved, one day I’d be the one partying it up in there. Not today, though, so I headed off to my gate. One last interesting thing about Munich airport, the urinals have little flies painted in them, in an attempt to prevent gentlemen peeing on the floor. Gave me some amusement.

Flight: US707 MUC-PHL
Date: 7th January 2011
Scheduled Departure: 1125
Scheduled Arrival:1525
Equipment:Airbus A330-200
Class:Economy
Seat:8H
Miles: 4131 flown, 5165 earned

Boarding was called not too long after I got to the gate, and my particular boarding zone called not long after that. So, I got on the plane and settled into my window seat in row 8. About 30 seconds later, the woman from the row behind asked if me and the lady I was sitting next to were willing to swap with her, something about her 4 year old son needing a window. I wasn’t listening too hard, and I’m generally nice enough to swap, and since I was swapping a window seat for a window seat I was ok. Until I settled into 9H, and looked to my right, where there was no window, just a blank space.

Bastarding toddler, stealing my window. Honestly, I wanted to punch that kid. I love having a window. And now I had to sit for ten hours without one. Bastard, bastard, bastard. I am too nice.

We were served a barely edible lunch shortly after take-off, and I watched an episode of The Simpsons on the AVOD. After that finished, I decided to put on “The Social Network”, but after about ten minutes I stopped getting sound. Despite rebooting the system at my seat 3 or 4 times, the sound never came back. So, thanks to being nice to the bastarding toddler who stole my seat, not only did I lose my window, but I lost my IFE. Bastard, bastard, bastard. To cap matters, he kept wriggling about and so my tray table kept shoogling (totally a word). Bastard.

Thankfully I had my Kindle and mp3 player, or the journey would have been dreadful. One of the best flights I ever took was on US Airways, from London to Philadelphia in a half-empty plane. This did not come close. Still, after a short ten hours it was over, and I landed in Philadelphia.

We pulled in at a gate immediately next to the lego liberty bell, from which it was just a short escalator ride or stair climb to immigration. Unlike last time, the hall was completely empty. I mean, literally nobody in there. It was amazing. I was behind maybe one person from the plane, when a border agent opened a new kiosk just for me. From exiting the doors of the plane to being in front of an agent took less than 60 seconds. Now, that is service.

I’d been worried about immigration for this trip. Last time I’d visited America, I’d had some issues that involved me getting locked in a room and grilled by an angry asian lady before being given leave to enter the states, and that had been for a trip lasting two weeks. This time I’d be entering for two and a half months, and wasn’t sure how they were going to take that.

Fairly well, as it turns out. The agent was more than satisfied with my answers, and in less than two or three minutes, I was fingerprinted, photographed and stamped into the USA. I shall leave it there for now, and discuss the rest of my journey next time.

A trip report documenting visiting Katie in early 2011 Purpose and Planning Away We Go British to Germany Einer kalten Tag in München Naturwissenschaft und Technik Munich, Y U No Open? Up in the Air! Wake up in the morning, feeling like P Diddy. Grab my glasses, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit this city. Well, something like that. My flight out of town was at about midday, meaning I wanted to be at the airport for about 10am. My brother was slightly hungover, but I was feeling fresh as a daisy, and pretty darned excited. In a few hours I'd once more be on a plane to my lady love. It was gonna be awesome. Over breakfast, we wrote out the postcards we needed to send home so that we wouldn't be disowned by the family. We got stamps from the hostel reception, and I posted them on my way to Tengelmann's for some snacks for the flight, and some chocolates to bribe Katie's family into liking me. It was a grey, drab, drizzley kind of morning, but even that could not lower my mood. It was a good day. I got back to the hostel, and we checked out. When I'd been researching Munich before arriving, I'd noticed there were two methods for getting from the airport to the city centre, the S-Bahn, which is just under €10, or the Lufthansa Airport Bus, which is €10.50 one way. It is cheaper for a return ticket, but didn't operate at the time our BA flight arrived. Still, I'd wondered why people would pay more for a bus than a train, when it takes about the same amount of time. Then, of course, I took the train, and it was pretty uncomfortable. I figured I'd spend the extra fiddy cent for the comfort of the airport bus. The view from my seat at the front of the bus. I get slightly travel sick on buses, unless I get the front seat, or forget that I get travel sick. Much more luxurious than the train. During the summer, apparently there are complimentary drinks, but sadly this is winter. No, THIS IS SPARTA! The driver was slightly gruff, but nice enough. Money wasn't asked for until the second stop, at Schwabing North, about halfway through the journey. When we got to the airport, he announced each terminal and what airlines flew from there. The first terminal we reached was "Terminal 2 - Lufthansa" and by the time we got to the last terminal he hadn't mentioned US Airways yet. I asked him which terminal for US, and he basically facepalmed and said "Terminal 2" Still, he drove me back to Terminal 2, and I thanked him, and headed off to try and find check-in. Munich has an attractive airport, certainly. I feel like this sign is Microsoft in the 90s, asking "Where do you want to go today?" Why can't I go to them all? I found the US Airways check-in desks hidden away in some corner, and started queueing up. Before getting into the actual queue, there were the usual security questions, did I pack my bags myself, etc, then a sticker on my checked bag and a corresponding one for my passport. Eventually I made it to the actual check-in desk. My agent, an older German lady, had some issues with my slightly complex itinerary. Courtesy of the Great Circle Mapper. Because I was flying four segments, she could not print me a luggage tag. She had to hand-write one, which she didn't know how to do. So, she went off to find another agent to show her how to do it. Then, when she found that out, she didn't know any of the airport codes other than Philadelphia's. Luckily, I was able to help her out there, showing my slight nerdiness. However, once that was dealt with, I was checked in and able to head off to the gate. It probably took around 15-20 minutes to check me in, and that was entirely my own fault for choosing an idiotically complex routing. I headed up for immigration control, which I got through fairly quickly. The only question asked was "Sprachen sie Deutsch?" to which I replied "Nein", and I did "Danke schoen" him as I left, so despite not speaking German my entire interaction with German border control was held in German. At security, I had to take my SLR out of its bag, show that it turned on (good thing my battery wasn't dead), and allow the agent to look through the viewfinder, I guess to confirm it's not a bomb. Other than that, security was a breeze. I didn't see anything in the duty free shops worth buying, and I felt a pang of jealousy as I walked by the star alliance gold lounge. One day, I resolved, one day I'd be the one partying it up in there. Not today, though, so I headed off to my gate. One last interesting thing about Munich airport, the urinals have little flies painted in them, in an attempt to prevent gentlemen peeing on the floor. Gave me some amusement. My ride for the next few hours. Flight: US707 MUC-PHL Date: 7th January 2011 Scheduled Departure: 1125 Scheduled Arrival:1525 Equipment:Airbus A330-200 Class:Economy Seat:8H Miles: 4131 flown, 5165 earned Boarding was called not too long after I got to the gate, and my particular boarding zone called not long after that. So, I got on the plane and settled into my window seat in row 8. About 30 seconds later, the woman from the row behind asked if me and the lady I was sitting next to were willing to swap with her, something about her 4 year old son needing a window. I wasn't listening too hard, and I'm generally nice enough to swap, and since I was swapping a window seat for a window seat I was ok. Until I settled into 9H, and looked to my right, where there was no window, just a blank space. Bastarding toddler, stealing my window. Honestly, I wanted to punch that kid. I love having a window. And now I had to sit for ten hours without one. Bastard, bastard, bastard. I am too nice. I didn't actually take photos on the plane this trip, but this picture from last time I was on the US332 shows the legroom. It's not bad. We were served a barely edible lunch shortly after take-off, and I watched an episode of The Simpsons on the AVOD. After that finished, I decided to put on "The Social Network", but after about ten minutes I stopped getting sound. Despite rebooting the system at my seat 3 or 4 times, the sound never came back. So, thanks to being nice to the bastarding toddler who stole my seat, not only did I lose my window, but I lost my IFE. Bastard, bastard, bastard. To cap matters, he kept wriggling about and so my tray table kept shoogling (totally a word). Bastard. Thankfully I had my Kindle and mp3 player, or the journey would have been dreadful. One of the best flights I ever took was on US Airways, from London to Philadelphia in a half-empty plane. This did not come close. Still, after a short ten hours it was over, and I landed in Philadelphia. We pulled in at a gate immediately next to the lego liberty bell, from which it was just a short escalator ride or stair climb to immigration. Unlike last time, the hall was completely empty. I mean, literally nobody in there. It was amazing. I was behind maybe one person from the plane, when a border agent opened a new kiosk just for me. From exiting the doors of the plane to being in front of an agent took less than 60 seconds. Now, that is service. I'd been worried about immigration for this trip. Last time I'd visited America, I'd had some issues that involved me getting locked in a room and grilled by an angry asian lady before being given leave to enter the states, and that had been for a trip lasting two weeks. This time I'd be entering for two and a half months, and wasn't sure how they were going to take that. Fairly well, as it turns out. The agent was more than satisfied with my answers, and in less than two or three minutes, I was fingerprinted, photographed and stamped into the USA. I shall leave it there for now, and discuss the rest of my journey next time.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day Thirty

Continuing then, Day 30: Your favourite song at this time last year.

This song has been in my windows media player library for just over a year, and it’s a song I’ve loved since I first heard it, so I guess it qualifies as my favourite song at this time last year. Unfortunately, my life at this time last year was part of a gruelling eighteen months in which almost nothing changed, every day was the same shit, so I have nothing I can latch on to that will help me differentiate between when things happened, so I can’t say what songs I loved a year ago. This will have to do.

It’s pretty good though.

Well, there you go. Thirty Days, Thirty Songs, and hopefully I’ve revealed a little more about myself during the challenge. I’ve rather enjoyed it, and I hope you have too. For a list of all 30 days, click here.

Continuing then, Day 30: Your favourite song at this time last year. This song has been in my windows media player library for just over a year, and it's a song I've loved since I first heard it, so I guess it qualifies as my favourite song at this time last year. Unfortunately, my life at this time last year was part of a gruelling eighteen months in which almost nothing changed, every day was the same shit, so I have nothing I can latch on to that will help me differentiate between when things happened, so I can't say what songs I loved a year ago. This will have to do. It's pretty good though. Well, there you go. Thirty Days, Thirty Songs, and hopefully I've revealed a little more about myself during the challenge. I've rather enjoyed it, and I hope you have too. For a list of all 30 days, click here.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day Twenty Nine

Continuing then, Day 29: A song from your childhood.

There are only two artists I can vividly remember being part of my childhood, Meat Loaf, and Bon Jovi. My dad would play their CDs, and my sisters and I would rock out to classics such as this, Modern Girl or Bad Medicine. This is why no matter how terrible or cheesy Meat Loaf and Bon Jovi actually are, I can’t help but love them. The nostalgia these songs give me is incredibly powerful. When I hear Modern Girl, I immediately think back to the huge brown sofa we had in our living room when I was a child, and jumping up and down on it while this song plays.

Continuing then, Day 29: A song from your childhood. There are only two artists I can vividly remember being part of my childhood, Meat Loaf, and Bon Jovi. My dad would play their CDs, and my sisters and I would rock out to classics such as this, Modern Girl or Bad Medicine. This is why no matter how terrible or cheesy Meat Loaf and Bon Jovi actually are, I can't help but love them. The nostalgia these songs give me is incredibly powerful. When I hear Modern Girl, I immediately think back to the huge brown sofa we had in our living room when I was a child, and jumping up and down on it while this song plays.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day Twenty Eight

Continuing then, Day 28: A song that makes you feel guilty.

I had two options for this day. I could either go for “We Must Go (God of Justice)” by Tim Hughes, a song about how Christians need to do more, go out in the world and help people. I remember one evening sitting in my student house, singing along to this song when it came up on shuffle, then suddenly realising I’d actively decided not to go out that night and do gospel drops on campus, which left me feeling guilty.

But as guilty as I feel about not doing more with my faith, I feel guiltier listening to this song. I love Katie, but I know I’ve hurt her through my indecision. Deciding to propose was very hard for me, and I know she was ready for it to be done long, long before I was able to man up and actually do it, and I know it hurt her that I wasn’t ready to do it yet. So this song, about being ready to move on, and wondering why her man is not, makes me feel guilty.

Sorry, Katie. But now I’m ready too.

Continuing then, Day 28: A song that makes you feel guilty. I'm Ready by Allison Weiss I had two options for this day. I could either go for "We Must Go (God of Justice)" by Tim Hughes, a song about how Christians need to do more, go out in the world and help people. I remember one evening sitting in my student house, singing along to this song when it came up on shuffle, then suddenly realising I'd actively decided not to go out that night and do gospel drops on campus, which left me feeling guilty. But as guilty as I feel about not doing more with my faith, I feel guiltier listening to this song. I love Katie, but I know I've hurt her through my indecision. Deciding to propose was very hard for me, and I know she was ready for it to be done long, long before I was able to man up and actually do it, and I know it hurt her that I wasn't ready to do it yet. So this song, about being ready to move on, and wondering why her man is not, makes me feel guilty. Sorry, Katie. But now I'm ready too.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day Twenty Seven

Continuing then, Day 27: A song that you wish you could play.

So, I’ve clearly just shown you a video of a man who has no idea how to play the drums or the piano. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t actually be able to play the song he just performed. Why then do I wish I could play it?

Because even though he can’t play piano or drums, he managed to make music. That’s what I want. Yes, I’d love to be able to play the drums, or the guitar, or the piano, or the double bass, but those are secondary. I love listening to music, I wish I knew more about it to be able to describe why I love it, but I don’t. I’m jealous of Paul, because even though the music he makes might not be, you know, the best thing ever, he’s still able to make music. When he writes about music on his blog, or in a review on Amazon, he’s able to actually write about it.

I’ve enjoyed doing this 30 day challenge, but trying to write out why I’ve chosen songs, what they mean to me, why I love them has been incredibly frustrating. I don’t have the words, I don’t know where to get the words. I want to be musical, but I’m not.

Continuing then, Day 27: A song that you wish you could play. So, I've clearly just shown you a video of a man who has no idea how to play the drums or the piano. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't actually be able to play the song he just performed. Why then do I wish I could play it? Because even though he can't play piano or drums, he managed to make music. That's what I want. Yes, I'd love to be able to play the drums, or the guitar, or the piano, or the double bass, but those are secondary. I love listening to music, I wish I knew more about it to be able to describe why I love it, but I don't. I'm jealous of Paul, because even though the music he makes might not be, you know, the best thing ever, he's still able to make music. When he writes about music on his blog, or in a review on Amazon, he's able to actually write about it. I've enjoyed doing this 30 day challenge, but trying to write out why I've chosen songs, what they mean to me, why I love them has been incredibly frustrating. I don't have the words, I don't know where to get the words. I want to be musical, but I'm not.