Didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked last night despite going to be at 7pm - yes you read that right 7pm. Since I had to get up at 3:30am, had I been able to sleep I would have gotten 8 1/2 hours of much needed sleep but sometimes sleep can allude you as it did me last night.
My room, while small and cozy, was too hot. Although I had a door leading to a rooftop where I could enjoy the cool Munich breeze, it wasn't practical or safe to leave the door open all evening. So about 11pm I opened it for 15 minutes hoping that would give me enough cool air to last through the night, unfortunately I wasn't right and I tossed and turned all evening.
Part of the inability to sleep was due to worrying if my wake up call would go through. If you haven't figured it out by now I tend to worry. So not only did I have a wake up call set by the hotel I had also programmed the alarm on my Blackberry Storm. I wasn't going to take a chance of oversleeping and missing my flight. Normally I don't set backup wake up calls but since this was a relatively small hotel without staff working through the night, they go home at 9pm, I decided to be prudent just in case.
Thankfully the wake up call came through promptly at 3:30am. I enjoyed a quick pleasant shower and prepared to walk to the Marienplatz to get the S8 to the Munich Airport. As I exited the hotel, there were 2 men on the corner of the road I would have take to the Marienplatz. Given that I would have to go through a desolate Viktualienmarkt at 4am I choose to go down another street.
I had planned to cut through the alley that the guy who worked at Subway showed me yesterday but as I approached, there was a tall bald headed man wearing a leather jacket hidden in the shadows. I know can you believe it. The only thing that would have better completed this picture would be if he were smoking. Thankfully I was not pulling my suitcase but carrying it so I'm assuming he figured I was getting into one of the parked cars near by since he remained in the dark alley. Yes, I'm a cautious traveler and as a woman you have to be, we have different travel concerns than men so I don't take unnecessary risks or chances if it can be avoided.
So I'm realizing I need to carry my suitcase since it's 4am and I don't want to create any noise or draw any unnecessary attention to myself. Thankfully it's Jeff's carryon so it's relatively small, given that it only contains a change of clothes and my camera, it's lightweight.
I continue down the street, deciding not to veer back to the way I'm familar with to the Marienplatz but chosing another street just in case bald headed man uses the shortcut to meet up with me. I get to Sendlinger and as I'm heading down the street I see the shadow of a man standing in the middle of the street, near some construction equipment.
Great, I'm 0 - 3 and it's 4:10am, according to my research I have 7 minutes to get to the S8 before it leaves. So I head down another street, this time it's a dead end and a private street. Not good, since I have no idea where I am, I consult my map and realize I need to go down Sendlinger to get to the Marienplatz so I'm going to have to go for it, regardless that someone is there.
I see a taxi on the street ahead and figure if the man gives me any trouble I can just spend the euros to take the cab all of a few blocks. As I start walking down Sendlinger and approach the man, to my amusement I realize it's a statue! LOL
I finally get to Marienplatz at 4:12 but my time table is wrong so instead of being able to board, there's still a 4 minute wait. Better than 30 minutes or more and thankfully there are other people waiting to board, more specifically another couple and two women along with a few men. Because my adreline kicked in now that I'm finally at rest I can feel a bead of sweat rolling down my chest. I'm not sweaty from exertion just from the flight or fight syndrome.
When the train arrives I search for a compartment where other women are seated. Rick Steves and other travel guides recommend that you sit with an older woman, a grandma type, for safety. But there are no older women on the train so I chose to sit near a woman about 10 years older than me and a man who, given his dress (flackish pants, utility boots, and a jacket with reflective tape) looks like he works at the airport.
This proves to be a good call because there is a freak on the train. Story to begin shortly. So a few stops later, more people board, and Praise God, an older man who is also going to the airport. He sits in the section of seats in front of me.
As our journey continues a guy in his early twenties stands up near the front of compartment, looks around and then strolls to the back. He spends some time back there and then goes back again. I have no idea what he did, where he went or why. I'm thinking perhaps there's a toilet on the train even though there aren't any signs to indicate there's a toilet on the train and nothing I've read indicates it either. This fact doesn't stick since it's early and I'm working on all of 8 hours sleep for 48 hours.
A little while later the guy gets up again and this times stands over the seat section of some women who are traveling. He just stands there, doesn't say anything, just hovers. I'm trying to watch but not watch since I need to be aware of what he's doing but don't want to create any unwanted attention. He finally leaves them alone and sits down again.
A few minutes later he's up again, this time messing with their bags or his bags, someones bags so I'm hoping yeah, he's going to get off. Nope, he's just a freak, crazy or just both.
Now one of the girls ditches the others and moves to another seat section, sitting across from another woman. The guy follows her, stands in the aisle and just hovers. He doesn't say anything, just stands there again. She ignores him, continuing to play with her PDA or smartphone. He gives up and leaves but instead of sitting down he squats by the doors. The other lady, the one who had been sitting there, gets off at the next stop but she looks back at the girl who was being hassled as if to wonder if she's going to be ok, alone.
We arrive at the stop before the Munich airport - the one for cargo, etc. The guy who works here gets off and now it's just me, the older woman and the other traveler along with crazy guy. He stays where he is and thankfully doesn't get off at the last stop. I hurry and get off the train just in case. I figure he's just riding to try to bother someone because he's crazy, a freak or who knows what. I'm just thankful that the other traveler boarded and sat in the seat section near me or who knows if freak guy would have followed me.
So thinking that was enough excitement for the day, there's more. I get to the British Airways ticket counter and there's a problem with my ticket. Since I had initally booked it via LAX on March 23rd but changed it to SAN on March 28th the system is still showing my return trip from Boston to LAX. I had brought this to American's attention on the 28th but they told me it was fine not to worry. How wrong they were. The ticket agent tries in vain to help and after 15 minutes and ends up sending me to another counter.
So I'm hoping a few key strokes and viola, I'll be golden but no wrong again. 15 minutes go by and finally she has it configured so that yes I can return home to BOS like I had changed on March 28th and paid the $250 change fee to do.
I go back to the ticket counter, this time not only is the wait about 20 minutes, some punk college kid decides that since his friends are in front of me that he will just cut in line and join them. I'm too irritated to say anything but think, "What a smuck!!"
At the counter I figure now all should be good but no. Another 20 minutes and my tickets are printed but the ticket agent doesn't realize instead of saying BOS SAN it says BOS LAX. Thankfully I'm not too sleep deprived to catch this and another phone call, and 15 minutes passes. She can't get it to print my BOS SAN ticket and tells me I have to take care of this in London since American is not open now and there's no AA in Munich.
So I lost an hour and my tickets not right PLUS in doing so I have lost my coveted exit row seat in 21J and now have 41G. Argh!! I go wait in the security line - no Priority Access or Fast Pass lines in Munich. There's a group traveling together - and one of the couples decides that instead of waiting at the end of the line they will cut in front of 15 people and join their friends who are 2 couples in front of me. And of course they are Americans.
At this point I'm livid - not only is my flight messed up, I've lost my exit row seat, been already cut in front of by a putz college kid and now these adults think they too can cut. What is wrong with people. I'm so angry that I know if I say anything the outcome will be bad so I shoot them daggers everytime they look my way. I figure this way my displeasure is known and I keep myself from ending up in a bad situation.
It's now 5:52 and since the flight doesn't leave until 7:10am I head for the BA galleries lounge. As a Platinum on American I have access. The BA Galleries lounge in Munich is much smaller than the BA Galleries Lounge in Heathrow. Only 4 computer terminals, a decent amount of seating, no bathrooms or showers, and it overlooks the street. While it doesn't officially open until 6am they let me in.
I'm the only one here. See photos below. A much smaller selection of food but lots of alcohol. I did grab a Munich beer hoping that I can bring this home for Jeff. Grabbed some pretzels for the boys too.
Had a nice light breakfast - muffin, mueslix, apple juice and milk. Tried the Cafe AuLait from the machine but it was just so so.
Headed to the gate with about 15 minutes to spare, enough time to wonder through the Duty Free shops and see the posts on the cigarettes labeled "Smoking Kills". Took a picture but got chastized by the worker - apparently you can not take pictures of the duty free shops.
One of the first to board the plane (an Airbus 320) and settled into 6A (window seat). A gentleman sits down in 6C, says "Good Morning" in German. About 10 minutes later a couple approaches they are in 6BC. Now we learn that myself and the first gentleman have been booked into the same seat.
So said gentleman who also has boarding pass 6A seats himself into another aisle seat and the rest of the plane continues to board. He has to jump around a few more times until an empty seat becomes available. In the meantime our flight is being delayed since the GA announces that we are waiting on 2 passengers. Given the problems with my ticket I'm wondering, "Am I one of those two?"
The TA comes on, notices me and says, "Oh hi again." Then said gentleman explains what happened with the double issued seat and she says, "Oh yes, Schroeder." So apparently, he too is a Schroeder and it was him, thankfully, and not me who was one of the two "missing" passengers. That probably explains the double booking - Schroeder, Schroeder.
While all this is going on, the wife of the security line cutting couple, has seated herself in 1D. The FA knows she's in the wrong seats and kindly asks her, "Is this your seat?" She realizes she can't sit there so instead walks to 3C and asks 3B, "Is this seat taken?" The astute FA tells her that 3C is Club Europe and she'll need to take her assigned seat which of course is at the rear of the plane in the middle. :)
Seat 6A is a bit thinner than my seat on yesterday's flight and the cushion feels a bit stiff but all in all for a short flight it will suffice.
The flight finally gets underway, the FAs are quick about serving breakfast (ham and cheese on a roll) since it comes with mayonnaise I decline. Lovely view from my window:
I manage to get a little bit of sleep during the flight. I realize that I'm probably going to have to give up the beer I got for Jeff so take a photo of it before I have to turn it over to security at LHR.
A quick walk through the airport and towards Flight Connections and we're at security and as surmised I have to surrender the beer.
I took it out of my backpack and put it in the bin, surmising that by outright declaring it, my process through security would be faster vs them finding it in my backpack and having a more thorough screening.
My assumption was correct and the security agent asks, "Is this your cocktail?" When I acknowledge that yes, she politely informs me that I will have to surrender it. And that's it, I get to continue on my way.
I head for the AA Admiral's Club - it's roomier than the BA Galleries Lounge at Munich but much smaller than the BA Galleries Lounge at Heathrow. All in all it's about twice the size of the San Diego Admiral's Club. There are 4 computer stations, printer, plenty of seating and bathrooms - but these are tucked way in the back behind the bar so I never found them. Plenty of drinks, some beers, nuts, crackers, some prepacked small slices of chocolate cake (about the size of half a playing card), tea and coffee.
Since my gate is at the other end of the airport and boarding begins at 10:30am I decide to leave about 10:15am. It's a 5 minute brisk walk from the AC to my gate. On the way I pass by a book vending machine - yes a vending machine that sells books.
There are 2 lines to approach the GA - one for Priority Access and 1 for General Boarding, and everyone has to approach the GA. A secondary security screening is set up and as you walk by the security agent decides if you fit the profile, the man ahead of me was selected, and had to go off to another area for additional screening.
Boarding is quick (Priority Access helps) and I take my seat at 21J. My seatmate is a woman who lives in Singapore (US resident) whose mother is traveling in J. They had come to London for her mom's 80th birthday. We have a pleasant conversation during our flight inbetween meals and on/off naps.
Our meal was a choice of cheese tortellini and beef. Since I had the cheese tortellini on my Frankfurt trip I opted for the beef. The beef was served with rice and vegetables, small salad and a tiny slice of carrot cake. No photos this time but it was quite tasty for airline food.
Snack was Pizza Margherita with a prepacked cookie.
As our flight arrived a litte early there wasn't much of a line for Customs. Boston has 3 lines: one for Wheelchairs and Diplomats, one for US citizens and one for non US citizens. There was also a line for Aircrew but the Wheelchairs and Diplomats could use the same line.
When the young customs agent asked the purpose of my trip and I responded "for the miles" he seemed confused. Apparently he had never encountered a mileage runner. He then asked my occupation and decided I needed additional checking, sending me over to secondary screening.
The screeners asked if I had any fruits or vegetables and I surrender my banana and Subway sandwich (which was fine since it was from Friday and had seen better days). And that was it, quick and painless.
At Boston airport, the terminals are separated so I had to leave the building (Terminal E) and board a bus to Terminal A. Once again I had to go through security, no worries this time. Headed straight to the Boston Admirals Club and the kind AAngel (Erma) gave me two drink chits. I had planned to hide these in the AC but the computers were being used. It was a bit crowded in the AC.
Quite a few non typical mileage runners. A gentleman I had seen on the Boston London flight was also on the London Boston flight - turns out he had gone to Hamburg. And while at the Boston AC I met a nice pleasant older couple who, while weren't part of FT (Flyertalk) were combining a MR with visiting a new grandchild. We talked MR strategies and tried to come up with routes so that the wife could reach EXP, she only had a few thousand miles to go with the DEQM promo. We didn't have much time to talk before they had to leave for their flight.
The flight to San Diego was full. The crew was Boston based and like the previous crew quite happy to have the San Diego Boston runs back. I had picked up a Caesar Salad wrap from UFoods to eat on my flight - quite tasty but a bit strange since they put croutons in it.
Another uneventful flight and due to my seating in 9E I was one of the first off the plane. A quick trip to pick up my car and I was home after what had been a quite eventful day. Only 18 more days until I do it again.