Since yesterday morning I’m here in Wiesbaden again, in a daze without a clear frame of reference, in a kind of agony trying to adjust myself and touch ground. The return travel was the icing on the cake. Again United had collected an impressive 😉 delay from Chicago to New Orleans. We left the Big Easy one and half hours behind schedule. Arriving in Washington Dulles my flight to Frankfurt had already left. I had got preliminary boarding pass already from New Orleans for a flight at 5:00, in my mind it was without any doubt 5:00 am.
At the customer service counter of United in Washington (the term services seems in somehow exaggerated) I got 2 vouchers for the Hilton, one for a bed, another for a dinner. Still I was convinced that I would leave early morning to Frankfurt. I set the alarm, jumped out of bed shortly before 2:00 am, took a shower, brushed my teeth (I had nothing with me except a toothbrush, the little thing was a welcome leftover from my flight with Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Sydney) jumped into my old cloths and left the room. At least the teeth were okay, so I could take the taxi with the good feeling of brushed teeth. It took 20 minutes until the taxi came, a grumpy guy who was not motivated to work at this time of the day. Not even a generous tip could make him smile or say bye, at least.
I arrived at a totally abandoned airport, it was difficult to find a person alive. United counter was closed, no plane was departing at this time of the day. No choice, I was desperate and called my travel agency in Frankfurt. Within a second, I had it all clear: no planes leave for Europe early morning, only in the late afternoon and evening. I had got it all wrong, and I almost lost my temper. Cool down, I told myself, cool down… I went back to the hotel, took a nap, exhausted as I was I fell asleep easily.
Wednesday I spent mainly at the Airport. The return flight to Frankfurt was on time, smoothly with a few bumpy parts interlaced. My girls were at the Airport in Frankfurt, and this was good, they cheered me up immediatley.
