Travel in a Time of Tension

Greetings from Munich in Germany!

I hope this post is coherent.  I am more jet lagged than usual.

Don't worry, Pil.  No one can tell the difference.

Very funny, but I am going to be serious for a little bit.

The morning I booked my trip was the day that the airport in Brussels was attacked.  Today the day before I depart there was another attack at the airport in Istanbul.
Scared Pil?
No.  But I am aware.  Continuing to travel is my protest against terror and my way of striking a teensy blow for civilization. I expected Major Security at the airport, but no such thing.  I did not have to take off my shoes, and no one was interested in my plastic bag full of toiletries. But the trip has already had its adventurous features.

Like?
On-line check in and the first time ever. I have done it.  Lufthansa now as a policy that if one wants a confirmed seat one must pony up an additional thirty bucks at booking.  Well phooey on that, Lufthansa.  I set an alarm on my google calendar and went on their site twenty-three hours in advance with the assurance that within limits I could choose my seat.
Didja get a good one?
As it happens, yes.  I sat on the aisle mid plane, but I did not choose my seat.  There was no way to choose, I guess unless one creates some kind of Lufthansa account with password and pin.  And the process was anxiety making.  They rejected my frequent flyer account, and I couldn't figure out at first that I needed the USA's international code to enter my cell phone number.  Once I got all my info entered and confirmed it was quick, and now that I've done it once, I won't dither around so much next time.  But I pity the poor saps that forgot to check in or think they are getting decent seats once they arrived at the airport.

I rode on one of the new air busses.  I liked it.  It was almost comfortable.  Alas I got no sleep.  Here's the second adventure.  We had a very smooth flight and were about to touch down at Munich airport.  We were like 100 meters above the ground and expecting the landing bump any second, but instead the pilot pulled up and we climbed--and he must have been amazingly skillful to pull that off safely.  We did another circle and it was explained to us that some kind of wind shear was detected, and the pilot did not think it was safe to set down.

Added to which when I was leaving the airport my cell phone kept beeping at me.  It was a text from Lufthansa saying my gate at LAX had been changed.  Now they tell me!

One nice thing about returning to a place is that one knows the ropes.  I got my S Bahn ticket from the machine and had a nice ride in free from beggars and buskers.  Everything is green!  And I remembered the short cut to Citadines.

The Munich Citadines is a class act.  There's a welcome bottle of water in the fridge, and they have normal hangers and not the "we're sure you're going to steal these" kind.   I can't settle in though.  This is not my final destination.  In a couple of days I am off to Salzburg in Austria--city of Mozart and Maria Von Trapp.  Please join me!