Anatomy of Trip Home

I finally made it back home. I’m too tired and don’t have the emotional resources to know how I feel about being home yet. I also am not exactly sure I’ve come to grips with what the trip means and how I was affected. I think it will take a few months to let those things sink in. I will be trying to note them over the next few months.

It was very weird being in the Denver Airport. It was even kind of weird sitting in the waiting area in Munich to board the flight to Denver. I have been away from America for so long that it was a bit unfamiliar to sit around people speaking only English. It was very strange being in the Denver Airport where everything was in English. I hadn’t been in an airport in almost a month where that had taken place.

I did run into someone I know on the flight from Denver to Billings.

Here is an account of my travel day home.

12:00 AM - put my book down and try to go to sleep.

3:00 AM – fire alarm goes off in the building and I’m up for half an hour before they finally get the alarm turned off. It was a bit disturbing because we were the first guests back in the place since it burned down.

4:30 AM – a “you have to be kidding” me alarm goes off. I start to get up and get ready for the day.

5:30 AM – my shuttle to the Munich airport leaves for Elmau

6:00 AM – Sunrise and a great turkey sando from Schloss Elmau

6:35 AM – We arrive in Munich, but it is another 20 minutes to the airport. The airport is quite a ways out of town after a plane crash in town killed a number of people. After that happened, they decided to move the airport.

6:55 AM – Arrive at the airport

8:13 AM – Arrive at gate H14 and await the boarding call for flight LH480 from Munich to Denver. By this time I have checked-in at the Lufthansa desk, gone through security, wondered the airport, passed through passport control, bought a soda – had to show my passport to buy the soda, show board pass and passport so I can go through another security checkpoint, chug soda because you can’t go through security with any liquids, go through security, get to the gate.

8:46 AM – Boarding Begins

8:52 AM – I get in line to board the plane

9:01 AM – Seated on the plane; actually not too bad for how long it usually takes to get on a plane.

9:33 AM – Wheels up on flight from Munich to Denver

11:05 AM – Lunch is served

11:20 AM – Lunch is finished – Local time in Billings is 3:20 AM

12:44 PM – Fill out Customs form. Luckily I didn’t spend over $800 in Europe.

1:00 PM – Movie Blades of Glory Starts

2:49 PM – I realize I’ve only seen 3 movies in the last month. All of them on the plane flying over the Atlantic

5:41 PM – Dinner Served

7:37 PM – Wheels Down in Denver – Local time 11:37 AM – Fight Time 10 hours 5 minutes

8:37 PM – Cleared passport control, picked up baggage, cleared customs control, re-check bags, go through domestic security

8:50 PM – Call the folks and schedule a pick-up at 4:30 PM Billings time.

10:00 PM – Hit the wall – tired of traveling

10:25 PM – Seated and ready to fly to Billings on United Flight 1233

10:43 PM – Wheels up for Billings

11:49 PM – Wheels down in Billings

12:25 AM – Folks pick me up at the airport

12:40 AM – Arrive at home. Total time in transit – 19 hours and 40 minutes. Boy am I glad I don’t have to go to work tomorrow.