Saturday, December 20th, 2008

Today is the day – 20 minutes past midnight Bernhard and I took our suitcases and got on a taxi to Munich. Almost three hours later we entered a deserted terminal, realizing that we were the only ones who wanted to check in for a flight that early. The next two hours we spent sleeping on top of our own backpacks trying to prevent them from being stolen. Around five in the morning the first Lufthansa employees showed up and we finally could hand over our luggage, hoping that it would follow us to Chicago.

Since the cheapest flight available back in October was with the Polish carrier LOT our route to Chicago was not a straight line: At 6:30 am a regional jet of Star Alliance partner Lufthansa took us to Warsaw where we had to wait for our connecting flight for four hours.

In theory there is nothing more boring than waiting for time to pass at an unknown airport. However, that changes if two beautiful local girls pick you up from there and take you for a quick city tour. Guess, what was the case for the two of us? J

At quarter past eight – Bernhard and I were just having breakfast in the arrival hall of Warsaw airport – Karolina showed up together with her younger cousin/sister Paulina and proposed to get on a bus to the city center. After we all had finished our coffee/hot chocolate we did so, always keeping an eye on the time.

We could not do much, given that Bernhard and I wanted to be back at the airport at eleven, one hour before our flight was scheduled to take off and the bus ride to the center took 20 minutes. Karolina, Paulina, Bernhard and I decided to go up the highest building of Poland – the 231 meters high Palace of Cultures. The view from the 30^th floor was impressing, yet not breathtaking - winter time in European cities is simply too grey. Next time we will try it during a warmer season.

Right on time, but still way too soon we had to say/wave/kiss “Good Bye” to our two cute city guides. Bernhard was introduced to the Polish habit of kissing three times (instead of two times like in Austria) and seemed to like that tradition.

Fifteen minutes later than scheduled our Boeing 767 soared up into the cloudy skies of Warsaw, heading west.

We landed in Chicago with about one hour delay and made it through immigration without any problems at all. A commuter train took us right to the city center where we caught a bus that brought us to the doorstep of our hotel.

The first impression of Chicago is great: Huge buildings, a language I understand without any problems and – SNOW! It is snowing, the radio plays Christmas carols all the time and everybody wishes a Merry Christmas. What a great start of our trip.

More will follow soon.