Compared to the last few flights I have taken, this trip was longer but much smoother overall in terms of communication from the airline and staying on schedule. The last three flights I had taken all involved some type of cancellation or delay, so it was nice for this trip to be completely on time. Because of those past experiences, I was definitely nervous going into the flight.

This was also the first time I had been on a plane with a seven-across seating arrangement. It was interesting to see the first-class section as well, especially how it was divided into individual pods for each passenger. The flight to Newark (EWR) was also the first time I had ever seen the New York City skyline, and seeing it from the plane window made the experience even more unique.

The layover was fairly long, but I managed to tire myself out by walking around the airport for more than two hours after getting a quick bite to eat at a diner. Apparently it worked, because I was able to sleep through about half of the flight to Germany. The flight itself was very smooth, and even the turbulence was light. I have experienced longer travel days in the past, including a five-hour flight to California immediately followed by another five-hour flight to Maui, Hawaii. Germany is also interesting because it is six hours ahead of home, while Hawaii is several hours behind. I’m curious to see how the time difference affects me, although I adapted fairly quickly when traveling to Hawaii.

One thing I found especially interesting was the flight path we took. We flew over the upper part of Canada before gradually descending toward Europe. Looking ahead to the trip itself, I am most excited about exploring new places and getting to know everyone in the group better. Whenever I travel somewhere new, one of my favorite things to do is go for a run and experience the location that way.

Out of all the places we are visiting, Neuschwanstein Castle is definitely the most intriguing to me based on both its appearance and location. I also enjoy cooking in my free time back home, so I am very interested in seeing the quality of the food in Germany and experiencing the different cultures and restaurants represented there.

Garden State Dinner EWR Airport