I was close to freaking out when I couldn't check in online for my flight home. I was able to do the section from Munich to Amsterdam, but I had to go to a transfer desk to get everything set up for Amsterdam to Toronto...and the damn automated kiosks at Schiphol in Amsterdam wouldn't let me. So I went to the transfer counter and found a line 50 people deep. And my flight was in less than 2 hours, on the other side of the airport.
Anyone who's been through Schiphol knows what that means -- a good mile of walking and passing through passport control. I was about to hit panic mode when I decided to try the automated kiosk by the transfer desk. This time, I caught on that they wanted the KLM flight number; I'd booked the flight through Delta so was inputting that flight number. I found KLM's on my initial receipt, and got me a boarding pass...and they reassigned my seat.
I got to the gate half an hour before boarding was to begin, so went through security -- you do security screening right at the gate, here -- and checked with the attendant...and found out I'd been upgraded to economy comfort. Meaning more leg room. The attendant even said I wasn't qualified for it, but since I'd checked in so late and the flight was full, I got what was left.
So for the first time I rode in the nose of a 747 and could stretch my legs out and not be cramped when using my computer. And the food was good and I got a free beer. If they'd offered a power source for me to plug into, this would have been perfect.
We got off late but landed on time. I'm now ensconced at a hotel for the night, using my points. I can't handle a 2 hour drive home, including going through border security.
So as a farewell to Munich, I thought I'd show a photo of tourist central for the town -- AKA: Marienplatz. You can barely move for the crowds and performers and bike-shaws running around, and the shops are non-stop, but I changed subways trains here every time I went anyplace, so finally had to go up top on to see what the big deal was.
This building is (was?) the city hall, basically. And the detail in those walls and pinnacles is breathtaking. I also had the best potato soup ever, here, in the Ratskeller...which claims to be air conditioned, just like shops around Munich claim to have cold drinks when they're really just barely cool. Worth it, though. I could live off that soup.
I may have to, once I get home, if I ever want to get out of debt.
Anyone who's been through Schiphol knows what that means -- a good mile of walking and passing through passport control. I was about to hit panic mode when I decided to try the automated kiosk by the transfer desk. This time, I caught on that they wanted the KLM flight number; I'd booked the flight through Delta so was inputting that flight number. I found KLM's on my initial receipt, and got me a boarding pass...and they reassigned my seat.
I got to the gate half an hour before boarding was to begin, so went through security -- you do security screening right at the gate, here -- and checked with the attendant...and found out I'd been upgraded to economy comfort. Meaning more leg room. The attendant even said I wasn't qualified for it, but since I'd checked in so late and the flight was full, I got what was left.
So for the first time I rode in the nose of a 747 and could stretch my legs out and not be cramped when using my computer. And the food was good and I got a free beer. If they'd offered a power source for me to plug into, this would have been perfect.
We got off late but landed on time. I'm now ensconced at a hotel for the night, using my points. I can't handle a 2 hour drive home, including going through border security.
This building is (was?) the city hall, basically. And the detail in those walls and pinnacles is breathtaking. I also had the best potato soup ever, here, in the Ratskeller...which claims to be air conditioned, just like shops around Munich claim to have cold drinks when they're really just barely cool. Worth it, though. I could live off that soup.
I may have to, once I get home, if I ever want to get out of debt.
2 comments:
Just the mention of airports raises my blood pressure. It looks like your experience was worth the stress. Free beer... nuf said!!!
Some airports are better than others. I like Terminal 5 at JFK (Jet Blue's Terminal) and Seattle's Airport because they're human scaled. And I know LAX pretty well so can navigate that. But most airports are not built with human beings in mind. It's not necessary.
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