Zwiedzacz.
A QUIET FLIGHT. LANDING IN QATAR AS PLANNED. A SPOT OF SHOPPING – COOL COSMETICS’ PRICES. NEXT FLIGHT. NOW TO FRANKFURT. FROM THERE TO KRAKOW AFTER ONE HOUR WAITING TIME. OUR TAKE OFF FROM DOHA WAS DELAYED, WHICH CAUSED US SOME WORRY AS WE DID NOT HAVE BOARDING PASSES FOR THE FLIGHT TO POLAND. WE HAVE FINALLY FLYING OUT.
OUR PLANE LANDED IN FRANKFURT ON TIME. BUT WE HAVE HAD OUR FIRST PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY AFTER LEAVING THE PLANE. THERE WAS A DOCUMENTS’ CHECK OF SOME PASSENGERS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE AIRPORT BUILDING. THIS HAVE NOT BOTHERED US, BUT STILL WE GOT FEW MINUTES DELAY. THE OFFICER DIDN’T CHECK OUR DOCUMENTS SO WE HAVE QUICKLY MOVED TO A CHECK IN COUNTER. ANOTHER QUEUE. THIS TIME WE HAVE OUR TICKETS. OK. FEW MORE MINUTES AND WE GOT OUR BOARDING PASSES. OUR PLANE IS LEAVING IN 40 MINUTES. WE HAVE POPPED IN SOME SHOP. THEN IT WAS TIME TO GO THROUGH A BOARDING PASSES AND SECURITY CHECKS. ANOTHER QUEUE – ABOUT 40 PEOPLE IN FRONT OF US. IT WAS A REALLY SLOW MOVING QUEUE, SO WE WERE GETTING SO ANXIOUS THAT WE HAVE FINALLY ASKED IF WE COULD BE PROCESSED SOONER. THE ANSWER WAS: NO … THERE WAS PROBABLY SIX CHECK POINTS, BUT ONLY TWO WERE OPEN. THE CONTROLLERS SEEMED TO WORK IN A SLOW MOTION. WE LISTENING TO THE AIRPORT ANNOUNCEMENTS REALLY CAREFULLY. THEY WOULD USUALLY CALL ANY LATE PASSENGERS, BUT WE HAVE NOT HEARING OUR NAMES … WE HAVE ASSUMED THAT THE AIRPORT STAFF KNEW WHERE WE ARE, AS WE HAVE PASSED THE FIRST DOCUMENTS CONTROL SO WE SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED. FINALLY AFTER STANDING FOR 45 MINUTES IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE PASSED A VERY THOROUGH CONTROL AND STARTING RUNNING TO OUR PLANE. BOTHER … IT HAS TURNED OUT THAT OUR PLANE WAS ALREADY SHUT AND WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO BOARD IT. THERE WAS AT LEAST ANOTHER PERSON IN THE SAME SITUATION. AFTER RETURNING TO THE LUFTHANSA COUNTER WE WERE TOLD TO GO TO QATAR AIRLINE COUNTER, AS WE HAVE BOUGHT OUR TICKETS THROUGH THAT AIRLINE AND WERE DIRECTED TO THEIR COUNTER WAS AT ANOTHER TERMINAL. WE WERE A BIT SURPRISED, BUT NEVER MIND, WE HAVE HAD TIME. WE BOARDED THE TRAIN RUNNING BETWEEN TERMINALS (AUTOMATIC, NO DRIVER), ARRIVED AND ASKED FOR DIRECTIONS. THE STAFF AT THE TERMINAL LOOKED AMAZED BUT AFTER SOME EXPLANATIONS IN ENGLISH AND IN GERMAN, WE WERE TOLD TO GO BACK TO THE MAIN TERMINAL AND FIND THE QATAR COUNTER THERE. THIS TIME WE GOT THE CORRECT DIRECTIONS …
WE HAVE EXPLAINING THE WHOLE MIX UP. WE HAVE EVEN ASKING IF THE SECURITY FIRM WAS ON ITALIAN STRIKE – APPARENTLY NOT. THIS TIME ALL WAS QUICKLY RESOLVED AND WE EVEN GOT A NOTE FOR THE STAFF WE WERE TO REPORT TO. THEY WOULD TRY TO GET US ON THE NEXT FLIGHT AT 5.30 PM. WE HAVE ALSO LEARNED THAT THE SECURITY FIRM WAS AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS. WE GET PLENTY OF TIME. WE HAVE TO EAT SOMETHING. EARLIER WE SPOT AN INTERESTING ITALIAN RESTAURANT NEARBY, SO WE GOING THERE. WE HAVE ORDERED SOMETHING TO EAT AND A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE FOR GOOD LUCK. WE HAVE OVERHEARD A COMMENT „YOU ARE DOING ALL RIGHT, HAVING CHAMPAGNE AT 9 AM” FROM A GERMAN COUPLE SITTING AT THE NEXT TABLE. WE HAVE REPLIED, IN GERMAN OF COURSE, THAT WE WERE DELAYED FOR 8 HOURS AT THIS AIRPORT BECAUSE OF LAZINESS AND POOR SYSTEMS, HAVING ALREADY BEEN TRAVELLING FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THEY WERE TAKEN ABACK. WE ARE WAITING. TIME SEEMED TO GO REALLY SLOWLY. WE ARE TRYING TO PASS TIME BY READING, THEN WINDOW SHOPPING, THEN BACK TO READING AGAIN …
FINALLY THE DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVES. UNFORTUNATELY IT HAS TURNED OUT THAT ONLY TWO PEOPLE FROM OUR GROUP CAN FLY THIS TIME. OUR LUGGAGE STAYS WITH THE OTHER COUPLE WHO WAS TO TAKE THE NEXT FLIGHT, AS IT WAS ALREADY „ATTACHED” TO THEIR NAMES IN MANILA.
THE TWO OF US ARE DEPARTING, TWO ARE STAYING BEHIND …
WE HAVE WAITED FOR THE NEXT FLIGHT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. OF COURSE THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE THAT THERE WAS A PLACE FOR US … AND THE NEXT AVAILABLE FLIGHT WAS ON THE NEXT DAY. BUT WE GOT LUCKY. BEFORE BOARDING STILL WE ASKING THE STAFF TO DOUBLE CHECK IF OUR LUGGAGE WAS LOADED. A WOMAN AT THE COUNTER CHECKED IT ON THE COMPUTER AND TELLS US THAT ALL WAS LOADED. FINALLY WE TOOK OFF … AT THE AIRPORT IN KRAKOW WE HAVE WAITED AND WAITED FOR OUR LUGGAGE AND NOTHING CAME … WE WENT TO THE LOST LUGGAGE COUNTER. THERE WAS A QUEUE, WE WERE NOT THE ONLY ONES WITH A LOST LUGGAGE 🙂 WHILE WE WERE WAITING WE HAVE PHONED THE OTHER COUPLE WHO WERE WAITING FOR US JUST IN CASE THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE LUGGAGE. BINGO! IT HAS TURNED OUT THAT TWO OF OUR BAGS WERE SENT WITH THE OTHER COUPLE AND TWO OTHER WERE LEFT BEHIND IN FRANKFURT… THOSE WERE DELIVERED THE NEXT DAY. AND THIS WAS THE END OF OUR ASIAN JOURNEY.
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