Friday, May 22, 2009

On arriving to Denmark

Yesterday, upon arriving at the Johannesburg airport we were told that our already paid flight on Swiss Air to Zurich had been canceled and we had been put on a flight leaving tonight, Friday night, and set to arrive in Copenhagen an our after the beginning of the wedding ceremony we are supposed to attend. No one had thought to tell us.

Luckily, hubby is a total sweetheart (and now possibly has an Indian girlfriend/concubine in Jozi) and managed to get us on a Lufthansa flight leaving yesterday night. The only problem was that the flight was already almost full, so we would have to sit in the middle, in the last possible row. The hubby said okay.

On the plane we found out that what really sucks about sitting in the middle of the last row is surprisingly not the close contact with the toilets (even though that is definitely not a bonus either), or the fact that there is just a little less leg room, or that the stewardess never looks at you when she is offering folks more wine (and that really truly blows so much that the poor woman probably now thinks that her name is "ma'am, can I have some more wine, please, MA'AM!"), but the sorry, sorry fact that regardless of the people on the row in front of you being able to lean back their seats so far that you can comfortably rest your front teeth on them should the need arise, you are in fact unable to lean the seats back in the last row, even an inch.

11 hours of flying.

In this time I managed a whole 3 hours of punctuated, neck wrecking sleep, 1 bottle of white wine, and 1 whopping squabble with a group of people hanging about by the bathrooms loudly yapping when I was trying to sleep - about fokken friendship of all things.

I won the fight resolved the issue with an I'll-wring-your-neck eye roll and my tried and tested "I'm this close to snapping. If I were you I would quit while I'm ahead," followed by a menacing display of crazy/evil eye, which left the hubby's mouth gaping, since I don't normally threaten people who I'm in a confined space with for hours.

But then we finally arrived in Copenhagen and this happened:


Life is good again, I'm happy that my hair stands up after wearing a hoodie for 15 hours, which must mean I'm thoroughly defying my Finnish genes, and I've spent a day taking pictures of bicycles and drinking all kinds of coffee.


Freezing weddingpalooza to follow.

10 comments:

Sarah said...

Did hubby get jealous of the loving fondling of Starbucks? I seem to be destined to sitting in that row. But is OK cannot recline seat because I am clutching the arm rest in terror for entire flight.

julochka said...

all i can say to this is welcome to denmark and the husband needs to look more carefully at his ex-pat contract, b/c surely it specifies business class tickets (esp. on lufthansa, which bites even in business, but is unbearable in monkey). otherwise, he needs to renegotiate the contract. seriously. no one flies in monkey on a long-haul flight (especially not to frankfurt).

oh yeah, and welcome to denmark!

where it's pissing down rain intermittently. and is really rather cold.

Fidgeting Gidget said...

I always look at my Starbucks with the same look.....it is so refreshingly wonderful, no matter when you have it.

Enjoy the wedding festivities!

My name is Erin. said...

Ummm... almost peed my pants with laughter at this line, "regardless of the people on the row in front of you being able to lean back their seats so far that you can comfortably rest your front teeth on them should the need arise".

Also, completely relate to the miracle that your hair still stands up after being mashed under a hoodie. I also have inherited that awesome Finnish gene. Hair does nothing but lay flat regardless of the copious amounts of product I put into it to make it do something, anything, else. Have finally given up. Kind of.

Have fun at the wedding. So nice to see a photo of you whispering sweet nothings to your coffee. I couldn't have captured the moment any better myself.

Optimistic Pessimist said...

The look on your face says it all. Can't wait for some great wedding stories as there will undoubtably be many.

Anonymous said...

That shit was funny. Wish I could have seen your evil/crazy eye. Still lmao.

stepforddreams said...

I'm sorry but I refuse to accpt that you think Starbucks coffee is nice. I just can't do it, I can't accept that. Oh and I gave you a blog award on my blog here Fri 22May post: http://stepforddreams.blogspot.com/

rxBambi said...

Very funny post! Pretty much got me out of the pissy mood I've been in. I have, in fact, been in that last row seat from Rome to New York...and I think the toilets were broken because the smell would have knocked me out had I not had the Ambien to do it for me. And sbux; I'm with ya. Usually I'm a grande skinney caramel latte, but on work days I'm a triple venti. I think they put something in it to get us all addicted :P

Extranjera said...

Hi y'all!

Will have to get to answering you later, since this thing requires me to actually wear make up, it is pissing down in DK (waterproof make up?), and we have to get to driving to Møn.

Logistical issues and smelly rented cars....

Since when did you being family with the groom mean that you get to participate (read: do weird tasks involving cars and bows, or empty (GASP) wineglasses) all day long?

Bear with me.

Extranjera said...

VEG - Hubby was holding his own SB pretty tightly, and the man doesn't even really drink coffee..

julochka - unless going straight to a customer meeting, not even the big boys in the company fly business. Sad, but apparently saves a lot of money.

Fidgeting Gidget - There is just something about that SB. Makes you feel all warm inside...

Erin - Finnish hair gene bites. Really bites. I can totally pull off that trendy bald look though, if I don't use any product. See through hair.

Marathoner - I get a warm feeling even just from the logo.

Just a Girl - It's pretty evil/crazy and then some... ;o)

stepforddreams - Thanks! I have to say however, that once you live in Africa, Starbucks becomes like a beacon in the sea of weird food experiences, and sometimes you just want that certain latte that you are really comfortable with. Wont apologize... ;o)

rxBambi - I'm still working on repressing the memory of the smell. Must. Not. Think. About.
Gross.