Today started out with an early start to get everything packed. For a change I was not really in the mood to get everything done before I went to bed even though it was relatively early. So I showered and packed up the suitcase as well as I could before going down to breakfast. At breakfast I waited until Sid showed up so I could make sure I said goodbye to him. I had already talked to Juliano the night before because he would be off at class before the official breakfast time. After chatting for a few minutes I headed to downtown to do a small bit of souvenir shopping but really didn’t find anything much and then headed back in and checked out of the hotel. I was able to get on the road by about 11am. Maybe a few minutes before I wanted to but really I didn’t have much else to do and I wasn’t sure exactly how long the drive to the airport was going to take. I have to mention exactly how expensive gas was at this point. I paid a fortune for the various fill-ups I needed during my epic drives and such. I managed to get gas on the road for the most expensive price I paid on the trip. I shudder to think how much it was and will not admit it publicly. The car was not really my favorite but I have certainly driven worse. I drove 2008 kilometers during the trip.
The GPS took me on a different route to get to the airport than I had taken to get to Oberammergau so I was seeing new things including driving basically right on the edge of Munich. I was lucky that there was little road construction and the traffic was still fairly light even in the city. I think it took me about an hour and forty minutes to get to the airport from the hotel including the stop for gas. Checking the car rental back was fairly quick and I was in the wrong terminal when I was done but it was not really that hard to get to the right terminal so I can’t complain on that. Check-in at the airport was quick because there were no lines and I managed to be under weight on the luggage which sort of surprised me. I think I should have put more into the suitcase than I did but I wanted to make sure I was not getting extra charges. After check-in I was able to find the gate area quickly and did a bit of souvenir shopping in the airport before eating at a small restaurant named Airbrau. I had a couple beers and the Kasespaetzle, which is basically the German version of Macaroni and cheese. I liked the food and the beer, which was unfiltered quite much. After eating I basically headed right to the gate. It was very early but I really had nothing else to do. Unfortunately I had a couple of gay guys who sat down next to me and commented on all the other passengers for the duration of my sit. I was quite happy to get on the plane and get away from them honestly.
On the plane I sat next to a woman named Beth who was coming back from a vacation in Budapest. She lives in Malden so this was her last stretch of flight. We chatted for a while through the meal and then she started to read then slept and I watched a couple of movies on my laptop. There was a weak selection on the entertainment system so I didn't bother with anything on it. The flight was uneventful really and we landed on time and I managed an easy passport control, the guy directing traffic was wearing Bruins things and I got to talk hockey and the Stanley Cup Finals for a few moments before passing through that. It was not a long wait for my bag and customs just took my slip and I was out the door. My brother picked me up and we were home quite quickly.
I have to say that this was a great trip from beginning to end. I had great fun with the class at the start and did some fun stuff around Brussels and saw Amsterdam of course. I also had an incredible time on the vacation portion of the trip. Yes it was a long time to be away from home but I was fine with that. I was still a bit disappointed when it came time to pack up. Bavaria is beautiful and really the location and the history is just something I love. I got to hike and bike aside from see castles. If only the ocean were also nearby, then I would have found my heaven I think. I would definitely enjoy going back there. I am sure I have other places to visit first but it definitely is going to rate amongst my favorite vacations I am sure.
I will try to get all the pictures posted in the next couple days and a quickie slide show for those of you who want the condensed version hopefully before the weekend is out.
On the plane I sat next to a woman named Beth who was coming back from a vacation in Budapest. She lives in Malden so this was her last stretch of flight. We chatted for a while through the meal and then she started to read then slept and I watched a couple of movies on my laptop. There was a weak selection on the entertainment system so I didn't bother with anything on it. The flight was uneventful really and we landed on time and I managed an easy passport control, the guy directing traffic was wearing Bruins things and I got to talk hockey and the Stanley Cup Finals for a few moments before passing through that. It was not a long wait for my bag and customs just took my slip and I was out the door. My brother picked me up and we were home quite quickly.
I have to say that this was a great trip from beginning to end. I had great fun with the class at the start and did some fun stuff around Brussels and saw Amsterdam of course. I also had an incredible time on the vacation portion of the trip. Yes it was a long time to be away from home but I was fine with that. I was still a bit disappointed when it came time to pack up. Bavaria is beautiful and really the location and the history is just something I love. I got to hike and bike aside from see castles. If only the ocean were also nearby, then I would have found my heaven I think. I would definitely enjoy going back there. I am sure I have other places to visit first but it definitely is going to rate amongst my favorite vacations I am sure.
I will try to get all the pictures posted in the next couple days and a quickie slide show for those of you who want the condensed version hopefully before the weekend is out.
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