En Route

Well, after a long month filled with preparations for this journey, the day has come.  I woke at a normal hour and began the day by having a bon voyage breakfast (I know i’m not going to France…lol) with some of the best friends someone could ask for at Soumi Restaurant. Farewells aren’t always easy. You never know exactly what to say, and as the situation permits, some warrant more than others. For example, when I return from Germany some of my friends will have moved away, so undeniably they warranted a little more attention. Then, after saying goodbye, I headed home for some final packing.  It’s never too late to make sure that you have everything ready. Believe it or not, I couldn’t find anything that didn’t make it in the first round…hopefully that luck continues.

(Me outside of the Houghton Airport getting ready for Departure.)

Per usual, the Houghton airport was extremely easy to get through the check-in/security lines. But despite the ease at which you get through security/etc., you may be surprised to find a lack of restrooms beyond the checkpoint. Now, of course that isn’t the most surpising or outraging airport experience of the day in the least. Chicago O’hare greeted us with cloudy skies and a brief rain shower during the layover, but it pailed in comparison to the worst weather conditions I’ve seen there. Greeted with the prospect of traversing the airport from the United Domestic Terminal to the International Terminal 5. The process   of doing so was quite easy though, and I made it through security and all within an hour….4 more left to blow until the next flight, UA9771 with non-stop service to Zurich, Switzerland. For those of you who’ve spent any great deal of time in terminal 5, you know that the options for entertainment/dining (not an outlet to be found anywhere) are extremely poor. Beyond the checkpoint, there isn’t a single facility that served hot food….sandwiches it is! I believe there were a total of 2 newsstands and a few duty free shops, and other than that, one was left to their own devices to pass the time.

This next leg of the trip was one I looked forward to since I booked my flight. I’d be flying on swiss air. And, unlike the US airlines, internationally based airlines are still actually decent (so I’m told)…My first shock was prior to boarding the 4 uniformed air marshals that boarded the flight. Now, when it comes to security I’ve always said that I’m willing to nearly pay any price, but that seemed a bit much, but at least it prevented anyone from starting something. The only hesitation that sat in my mind as we waited to board was how my individual seat would be. Much to my surprise, I didn’t find anything wrong with my seat being in the last row. Yes, it seemed to be an issue at first when everybody and their mother would come to the back of the plane thinking there would be a bathroom only to discover a kitchen and need to turn around (with most feeling the need to say something to us, not sure why)…but soon enough they learned, and no one came to bother. Initially, I was impressed with the arrangements, when you first got to your seat, everyone had been given a pillow and blanket to use during the flight because it tends to get pretty cold at 32,000 feet (-50F outside). I had the experience of sitting next to an American defense contractor on his way to Afghanistan for a 2 year business deal. He was really a nice guy. We talked for a few hours about anything from US economic policy to the upcoming election to the work and experiences he’s had working in Afghanistan. When talking about what he missed most while abroad, he didn’t seem to mention family (maybe he comes home often or skypes frequently? Maybe not?), it was Alcohol. So…he tried to make up for it on the plane, much to my and the flight attendants’ entertainment. After an hour or so, I got to experience a first: airline meals. 

It even looks ok.

Yes, you say, how interesting of them to serve dinner at roughly 10pm eastern time (4 am European time) when its clear by that time most passengers would have already grabbed something in the airport. But, it was nice because of the previously mentioned lack of hot food options in the ORD international terminal. Proposed with the option of chicken and mashed potatoes or lasagna, I decided on the chicken. For one, I’m able to eat almost anything when I’m hungry enough, but this stuff was good. The little salad, roll and prepackaged tapioca pudding weren’t bad either. Served with nice Swiss flatware, the service was pretty nice for economy class.

And that wasn’t it. A few hours later as we began to enter European airspace, the crew served a standard breakfast. Consisting of a croissant and yogurt with juice and coffee, it wasn’t overwhelming in the least…but it kept me satisfied until my next flight. Here’s where I was really impressed with Swiss air. And again perhaps it’s not Swiss that is doing anything out of the ordinary, but the American Airline’s lack of providing these services that’s worth mentioning, but even on the short hour flight from Zurich to Hannover, we were served lunch. Nothing much, a bologna and pickle sandwich (pretty good despite what you could possibly be imagining), but still enough to keep you tied over until you can actually eat when you arrive at your destination. Other than their airline food, Switzerland, for however brief a time I spent impressed me. The airport was extremely modern, and the people friendly.

SWITZERLAND!!

The first time I felt awkward was when I went to a café in Zurich and bought a cup of coffee to give me a little more energy after only sleeping an hour or two on the trans-atlantic flight. When I got there, of course, all prices were denominated in Swiss Currency, which I hadn’t the slightest idea of exchange rate for…and which I still have to look up, I’m not sure if that 4 CHF cup of coffee was cheap or ridiculously expensive. The coffee was almost as good as the swiss chocolates we got when we landed. This was pretty much how my travel went. Flying is extremely easy and nearly idiot proof, trust me all you need to do is follow one rule: do what the TSA agents tell you. For example, when going through security in the international terminal at ORD, and you are “randomly selected” for additional screening, go with it…all they do is pat you down and do a test on your hands for explosive residue, and that’s it. Trust me, they’ll let you know if you made a mistake (like the poor old lady who thought she could save the yogurt she had got on her other flight).