we're in eastern europe

3:44 July 26, My Hostel Ljubljana

So the last two days have been rather interesting, but as it's 3:44 in the morning, I'm way too tired to update right now. So I'll just post some past entries (as I've been having trouble getting Internet until now) and go to bed. Remember to start from the bottom, if you want this to be in chronological order (which I recommend for this particular set of posts).

8:59 24 July, Munich International Airport

Around an hour ago, as my plane dropped below the cloud level, I casually checked to see when my connecting flight would be taking off. 8:55, my ticket read, with boarding beginning at 8:25. As it was just past 8:00, I realized that this would be a rather rushed connection. So, against the advisory of the overhead light, (not the "no smoking" one, I don't even know why they have those when there's been no smoking on planes since the early 80's) unbuckled my seatbelt, and began gathering my carry-on luggage. I glanced nervously forward from my seat in row 23, and, seeing a near full flight, I confided in my seatmates my intention to make a dash for the exit as soon as the plane came to a stop. When at last we touched down on the runway and began our concussive deceleration, I felt as prepared as I could be. But when the plane came to a stop, we were still sitting on the runway. 30 seconds later, the captain got on the intercom and reported something ominous sounding in Dutch. The message was then repeated in English: "Attention passengers, we are holding on the runway while we wait for the ground crew to tow away a plane that is blocking our entry. We thank you for your patience." 8:20.

And so, like a Thoroughbred stalled at the gates of the Kentucky Derby, I gripped the seat handle and figuratively pawed the ground. After a while, the plane started moving, and my senses heightened again, preparing for the moment when we would come to a stop and the "Fasten Seatbelt" sign would be dilluminated (which is now officially a word). 8:31. Engines stopped, light extinguished, and I'm off. Gracefully swerving through my fellow passengers, apologizing in four different languages - none of them Dutch, one of them Latin - I preformed the Herculean task of reaching the front door, still secured, with only two passengers in front of me. I shifted the balance of my carry-ons and awaited the refreshing hiss of the door opening. 30 seconds later, the captain got on the intercom with more ominous-sounding Dutch. The translation (embellished): "Attention passengers, we have been forced to divert from our original boarding gate, and are no longer in Munich, but rather, Eastern Kentucky. A service bus will be along shortly to pick you up from the tarmac. We thank you for your patience." 8.39.

When the door was finally opened, I rushed down the stairway, across the tarmac, and into the waiting service bus; only to wait for the 120 other passengers to amble in as well. Finally, when every handicapped grandmother and gigantic stroller-toting supermom was on board, we were underway. 8.47.

It was at this point that I considered bribing the driver to block the path of my fight with his bus, but after a short time, we stopped and were let out. Fortunately, I was leaving from G23, and we were parked right outside the entrance to Gate G. I raced past the Teutonic decorations of the Munich Airport, covering the distance to gate G23 in admirable time. It was 8:51 when I turned the corner to G23, relieved to have made it. Only, G23 was advertising a flight to Athens, rather than Ljubljana. I raced back to check the flight tables to see where my flight had been moved to, and was unable to find it. Quickly, I asked the Lufthansa Attendant at G23 if she could help me to find my flight. "Oh yes," she said in the kind of perfectly unaccented English that proves that the Germans speak better English than the English, "this flight has already left." 8:53.

In the let-down, I found it difficult to hear what she said next, or if an explanation was given as to why a flight would leave early when not all the passengers were on board, but she did apologize, and booked me onto the next flight out to Ljubljana. So now, instead of gaining altitude over Western Europe, I'm sitting in the Munich International Airport, which I have to admit is one of the best airports I've ever waited in (plenty of free coffee and tea, as well as a wealth of complimentary international newspapers). , I've got a while before my flight takes off, so I suppose I'll take a look around, maybe see if I can catch a bus into the city and check out how the renovations to the Royal City Palace are coming.

7:32 24 July, somewhere above Germany

After waking up at 4:15 this morning, I packed up the few things that I had taken out for my short stay at The Flying Viking! and headed toward the airport. I’m still not certain if I have my umbrella, as while I was leaving the hostel, the thought occurred to me that I may not have packed it, but I didn’t feel that I had enough time to unpack everything. Missing an umbrella and having a flight is better than its inverse. After a brisk walk, I made it to the airport a little more than an hour before my flight was scheduled to depart. An inordinate amount of this time was spent waiting for a pair of travelers to rearrange their luggage to be within the weight restrictions, while a line of increasing size and impatience formed behind them. When I was finally through security, I bought my final meal in Denmark (coffee and a croissant for the ridiculous price of $15) and boarded the airplane. I must say that despite the predictable aggravations, SAS – the fine carrier currently taking me over Berlin – is quite nice. Though they don’t include so much as a beverage, the seats are amongst the largest and most comfortable I’ve found in Economy Class.

After a transfer… somewhere (maybe Munich?) I’ll be on my way to Ljubljana, and provided that I can follow the directions provided by the hotel (which quite literally read: leave the train station, turn left at the iron statue, walk 400 meters, turn right at the red and black building, keeping the clock tower on your left… etc.) I should be comfortably situated in the Balkans by midday. For now, I’ll be catching up on my reading. Gut täg!