Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Easyjet ... Not!

Monday
Our trip from Dresden to Budapest had been via train, a relatively painless and easy trip. The trip back was via a budget Euro airline called EasyJet. I can't really say there was anything particularly easy about the airline except the booking process. Basically, it works a bit like Southwest where you boarding time is based on what time you get to the airport or if you pay 30 Euro to board early or if you check in via internet. The internet was out and for 30 Euro I'll sit in the middle for an hour. This is complicated by the fact that there are almost no local agents at the Hungary airport and they also end up shuttling you to the airplane. We ended up getting there early enough to get one of the first boardings. Quickly we entered the gate and managed to get a seat. Slowly people started crowding the terminal. The crush for the gate started about an forty minutes before the flight was supposed to leave. We joined the crush and got to stand for an hour ... About as long as the flight itself. In the end we boarded the first bus and had no problem getting a seat. In retrospect, joining the crush was pointless. We just joined into the heard mentality. The flight itself was easy. We flew into an airport just south of Berlin (Schofled - sp?). Dave and Lisa had there car there and we had a quick drive back to Dresden. Total travel time about 7 hours. Only a couple of hours shorter than if we did the train.
Back in Dresden, Dave and I grabbed the bikes and went for another tour around the town. A great way to see a city. On the way we had a couple of "flat tires" and had to stop and fix them. Dinner that night was at a local tapas place. At the obligatory watering hole I ordered a small beer. A "kinder bier", I say. They give me strange looks because a normal beer is about a half a liter. They serve it up though. I am done with the beer at this point and the waitress, ask if a want another. No she says, not even a kinder bier. I suggest that is even to big, so as a joke she brings out a thimbleful of beer. Silly.
Andy

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