Upon arrival in Germany and waiting for some time for the driver to pick me up at the airport, I contacted the company I was visiting to inquire about the status of the driver. Of course within 10 minutes he has arrived to get me. For the next 4 days I hear about this from everyone, we are sorry the driver was not there but your plane was early. The more I heard it, the more I realized that they believed it was my fault that the plane was early and I had no patience to wait. Despite the fact that the driver was not at the airport 1 hour AFTER my planes intended arrival (7:40 was the original time and 8:40 is when I contacted them), the plane was early so he was not late. Strange, I didn't make any more of it than what it was, I contacted them because on the last trip I was stranded at the airport (by them!). I was simply making the inquiry to ensure I knew someone was coming, to them it was much more. I didn't mention this once to anyone at the company but they all felt they had to comment on it.
Can you hear me now?
Allegedly Verizon has International coverage......yeah, right. I think there could be a translation issue because my phone only indicates No Service. I guess that was the Verizon guy and his crew on the tarmac waving goodbye to me when the plane left the ground in Atlanta (he was probably giving me the finger). They are supposed to have coverage in China as well, I'm not holding my breath. And yes, I did contact them to inform them I needed to utilize the phone in Europe and Asia and they indicated it was no problem.
McDonald's
At the Frankfurt Airport there is an stand for McDonald's, note that to the left of the photo is where people sit down and eat their meals. Now it's not that it's a little cold outside, it's that the stand is basically by the terminal point where people will pick up and drop off people to the airport. There is no restaurant, it's like an ice cream stand or something. You order at the window and get your food and go take a seat. Image eating a Big Mac right by the Parking Lot at Hartsfield Airport (I know it's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport but I'm sure it will soon be Obama-Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport).... all the noise, confusion and not to mention car fumes to add to the ambiance. I love the smell of diesel exhaust and grease in the morning....mmmm, Big Mac.
Wealthy American
I walked through the airport when I got to the hotel (connected to Terminal 1) to ensure I knew where I was going tomorrow to save time and missteps when the pressure is on. I found a currency exchange post where I could get the Chinese Yuan (RMBs), I don't think this is available in the US. I changed out 42 Euros for 260 RMBs....this is crazy! Find out what the average wage is in China and it'll bring it all into perspective.
All in all, the trip to Germany has been worth the time spent here and tomorrow I head on to the big destination. We'll have to see what the Shanghai airport looks like at the end of Chinese New Year. I've been warned not to be overwhelmed when I walk outside of the customs/baggage claim area and try to find my driver. The advice, take it slow and easy, there will be a large crush of people as soon as you walk through the doors. Yeah, that helped my anxiety a whole lot.
再见
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment