We are off! At 9:30 AM, our bus departed from Tower A, where we slept the night before, to the Pittsburgh International Airport. This is where we will begin the longest travel day I have ever experienced. There was no baseline for this trip, because I have never traveled internationally.
Before our first flight, we played a few different card games, like Palace and Spoons, which were complicated but I really liked it. The first plane to Newark was your standard United flight. Then we had about a 3-hour layover, during which the food options were slightly limited, and we landed at Wendy’s. This layover also gave me time to get closer to the people we are going on the trip with!
Our flight from Newark to Munich was much bigger with three rows. United gave us a blanket and neck pillow to use, which was surprising becuase I feel like airlines rarely give out free things to economy class. I sat next to Taylor on an aisle seat, on the screens I watched The Sound of Music to prepare for our free day in Salzburg, Austria! I also read a bit of Sunrise on the Reaping before attempting to fall asleep. Thankfully, I had my sleep mask with me to block out the light and use my noise-cancelling headphones to cancel out any noise. I’m not going to lie, I was very uncomfortable and kept “tossing and turning” if that is even possible in an airplane seat. Taylor and I both curled up into balls, and thankfully, she let me rest on her shoulder, where I managed to get about 2 hours of rest. While trying to fall asleep, I thought about visiting the castle, Dachau, and was excited to see the factories. The food they served was not very good…I got the pasta, and it was mushy. The salad was okay, and the blondie they gave us was pretty good! The breakfast wasn’t too bad either.
I don’t think I can even say what I am most excited for, though becuase I am excited for all of it! I have been looking forward to this trip for months, and it is finally happening!