The airports here are so quiet. You hear kids, but no screaming. None of the non-stop announcements and security messages. Comfortable chairs, magazines and papers to read, even free coffee if you seek it out.
I am in the Köln-Bonn Airport right now, writing this at a table, glass of red wine at hand, totally relaxed. I mean we could be in a cafe anywhere, people watching, but there are planes taking off and landing just outside the giant, 30-40 foot high windows.
Lorenz and Petra drove us through the technical University on our way to the airport, and I was pretty amazed. It is all so modern and cool looking. I mean, if you were young and thinking of a career, you might just be pursuaded to go into mathematics, chemistry, engineering or physics just to attend this school. I’d like to go back and spend a half day walking around.
They dropped us at the airport, and we were sad to watch them drive off. But we have places to be, and they have a life to live. I know Ralph and Angelika are heading home today as well, saying their goodbyes to Jürgen and Veronika.
I am sure we will all meet up again, whether in Lienz, Munich or California.
It was a quick flight on AirBerlin to Köln, and then a nice layover before the quick RyanAir flight to Copenhagen. AirBerlin gave us a chocolate heart when we deplaned.
We boarded the RyanAir flight and that's when the fun began. It is a low cost airline out of Ireland, pennies on the euro to fly. As we boarded Gail's carry on bag was suddenly tagged for the hold, but not mine.
I am in row 14, aisle seat, Gail in 25 aisle. There is a screaming Korean two year old right next to me and up one row. So loud I can't hear any announcement. The dad is back about ten seats.
A lady behind offers to trade seats with the kid and mom but the crew makes her go back. Against regulations.
The lady sitting next to me decides she will have none of it and gets up, moves me out of the way and proceeds to forcefully work out a three-way seat trade where I end up back in exit row 16, aisle seat, and the dad takes my seat. I don't know what she said exactly but the flight crew helplessly shrugged and stood out of the way as I was pushed back.
God bless her.
The kid kept screaming anyway, but I was comfortably back away from him and I got more leg room in the deal. I just put in the ear buds, cranked it up an extra notch or three and I had a great flight.
In Copenhagen we bought our tickets to Kolding. It is two hours by train, but we had to wait 40 minutes for the next one out. The seats are grouped in fours around a table, our group is full up. Once in Copenhagen we went downstairs and caught the direct train (2.5 hours) to Kolding, where Morten and Minea were waiting for us. We met them last year in Beaune, France, and they invited us to see their part of Denmark, so here we are.
It was great to see them again, and we looked around really fast before heading to their home. We are in a comfortable, low, modern home with art and light from big windows, in a quiet neighborhood.
We had to time to eat a great dinner of typical Danish foods; open faced sandwiches, called Smørrebrød, and take a walk down by the fjord.
Tomorrow we start to explore this part of Denmark.