Flight Adventures

Hello Readers….

Passing the Time at the Airport
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

As promised in the last post, I will give some feedback and insight into what happened when my flight had been delayed in Toronto. I went to the Airport Via Robert Q bus from London at 2:30pm January 7, so I had said good bye to my family in London, Ontario. When I reached the airport the attendant at the Check-In desk informed me that the flight had already been delayed. It was originally scheduled to leave Toronto at 8pm but at this time it was delayed until 9:40pm. Given that I was traveling in the middle of winter from Canada it wasn’t entirely a surprise to have a delay due to weather conditions.  I was slightly concerned as I had a connection to make in Iceland, however the Iceland-air Attendant during check-in informed me that if the connection was missed that Iceland-air makes it their responsibility to reschedule my flight.

Anyone who knows me, knows that usually I would have panicked and gotten upset at this point however, as I continue to travel and gain experience I managed to stay calm and decided to just go with the flow at this point. It was completely out of my hands, and it was the flight coming from Iceland that had been delayed due to storms. I enjoyed some dinner at my gate, and got comfortable to sit around for about 3.5 hours at the airport, thank goodness for technology.

The flight boarded late around 9:30pm which meant take off was around 10pm. They had to de-ice the plane so that created more delays for take off. Once in the air it was smooth sailing. I did get around 2.5 hours of sleep and enjoyed some Orange Juice and some great movie options from Iceland-air. Once the plane landed in Iceland it was local time 9:40am. My Flight to Germany had departed at 7:20am. I had missed it. What was next??? I had to go through security as I was entering Europe and then proceed to the Customer Service Desk. The line was relatively short and moved quite fast, as I am sure they were expecting us (pretty much our whole plane was in line). I got to the counter and they informed me that I would be re-directed with a flight to Oslo, Norway and then to Munich, Germany my final destination. I also received a voucher for some food as they apologized for the delay, I was very grateful as I was getting hungry. At this point they also informed me that I would have to go to baggage claim and re-check into the airport and go through airport security, I had time since my Flight wasn’t until 12:50pm local time. The line to check-in was abnormally long (Again mostly all of the travelers from Toronto) but there was only one check-in counter open. This to me was the part where passengers would get very angry, which some in line were getting impatient, but again it was out of my control so I remained calm and went with the flow. I got to the counter, the man checked me and my luggage into the airline and away I went to security. The bonus for me was that I had done airport security in Iceland from the trip I took with my parents in the fall 2016.

Snapchat from Oslo Airport, Checking
Flight Status Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

The flight boarded and left on-time from Iceland, even though again the plane needed to be de-iced. It was only a 2.5-hour flight, but I managed to sleep about 1-hour. I arrived in Oslo, Norway (checking in with my family the entire trip, so someone knew where I was at all times). I had even woke up mom up out of a sleep at one point. I had never seen Oslo, but even though it was local time 4:30pm local time it was already pitch black. So I got to see the Airport J. I still had my sandwich and some snacks left from home, so I enjoyed those at this time while waiting to board. I had about 1.5-hour layover then to travel to Munich. This flight also boarded on time, it wasn’t full so there was no one sitting beside me, thank goodness for extra room on this flight. Again it was a 2.5-hour flight and I managed to sleep another 1-hour or so.

I landed in Munich at local time 9:10pm January 8. This was 3pm the next day at home in Toronto. I had been traveling for over 24hours and still wasn’t to my apartment in Kempten yet. I had some naps but not an actual night of sleep. I managed to get a ticket on the last train from Munich to Kempten and finally arrived to my apartment safe and sound at 1am Tuesday January 9 (7pm January 8^th in Toronto).  Whew!!!!

I showered and went straight to sleep, and slept the entire day Tuesday. I finally got adjusted by Wednesday evening to the time change and have been fine since.

This was a different adventure than I had expected, but I did it and was treated very well by Iceland-air. There was nothing I could do, nor could they change the weather so making the best out of the situation was all I could do.

Although they only happen occasionally, I hope you can make the best out of unfortunate situations.

Thanks for the support from my Mom, and Sister through this. Love you.

Bye for now…

Update...

Hey Readers,

The Market. A Band playing Christmas Carols
Photo Credit: Eugene Kim

I have not forgot about my blog, I just haven't gone on any trips. The last few weeks before Christmas Break were filled with presentations and final seminar paper preparation. I did however take a break on December 2nd to attend the Christmas Market in Kempten, or in German "Weihnachtsmarkt". It is a tradition in Germany that they have Christmas markets in the city centers.The one in Kempten runs from November 29 to December 22, 2017.

One of the Vendors at the Market.
Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

I traveled home for Christmas on December 23rd without any delays. It was an adventure to get to Munich Airport though. From Kempten you have to take a train to the city and hop on the subway S8 to take you to the airport. I had not traveled to this airport as when I arrived in Germany we arrived in Berlin. Once I got to the airport I quickly discovered that the Terminal in which I was flying out of was fairly new. Therefore, there were many signs and many many shops to browse in during your layover or stay at the airport. I was also taking a direct Flight from Munich to Toronto, so I was not worried about food (there was a meal on board) or being late for a connection. The plane was like new, new technology and new window dimmers instead of the traditional window shades.

I was ecstatic when I arrived in Toronto to see my family. My mom was waiting for my arrival. We are a very close family so being apart for any length of time makes it very exciting to see each other once reunited. I was surprised when I got home because my family put up outside Christmas lights and had decorated the house for the holiday season. I was excited for Christmas because it is a great time to relax and hang out with family members. This is my favourite holiday for the food and spending uninterrupted time with family.

Our Christmas Tree at Home. Photo Credit: Kathy Gadsby

There was time in the SHORT two weeks to visit many family members and friends, sorry if you were not one of them...see you soon-ish. I got to relax and celebrate the holidays and do some shopping. I got to ring in the new year with some great friends by my side and celebrated with my parents on January 1st.

New Years Celebrations with Kayla Burr. Photo Credit: Kayla Burr

Currently I am writing this blog from the Toronto Airport while I await my adventure back to Germany. It should be an exciting adventure as the weather has already delayed the flight 1hour and 40minutes....This means that the connection might be missed, as I only had 1 hour between my flights. Hopefully, it is exciting and I have some experiences to share on this blog once I arrive in Germany.

STAY TUNED...

Danielle