Tag 1, Departure

The necessary clothes are packed in the suitcase, the ski boots are packed in the hand luggage for safety, and the skis are packed in the almost dusty ski bag. The unnecessary purchase of heated socks in the summer is also in the luggage. According to our staff, it is icy cold and windy in Korea.

To prevent any anxiety, we enjoyed a fine dinner at the Restaurant Krone in Speicher, including a Prosecco with Faluder Gold and a sensational dessert.

After this very nice evening, we had to get up early on Sunday and then rush to the train station shortly before seven (as every morning). From St. Gallen to Zurich, it was a comfortable journey. In Zurich, we quickly found the check-in counter and there were actually two other people with ski equipment. We were greeted happily by Peter, his wife, and his little daughter. The check-in was a mere formality and we could already enjoy our last Ovomaltine at the "Bye Bye" bar. After chatting about the ski areas in Toggenburg and Pizol and their challenges for a while, it was actually time to say "bye bye" to our loved ones. It was a bit easier for the almost grown-ups, but tears rolled down Peter's daughter's cheeks. To make sure that the ladies were really certain that they were rid of us now, they waved at us from the spectator terrace when the plane took off.

Our flight first took us to Istanbul. The flight was uneventful. My neighbor, an Eritrean, was also very pleasant. When we arrived in Istanbul, we had to go through security again, and then we enjoyed a cool drink and got to know the other crew members from the Tpc.

At 18:40, it was time to "board" again for Seoul. It quickly became clear that practically only Asians were flying here. I have never experienced such a civilized boarding. We can learn a lot from the Asians. Interestingly, my neighbor this time was not an Asian, but an African. This must have inspired me, as I got involved in watching the movie about Nelson Mandela on the in-flight entertainment. The food on the Turkish Airlines plane was excellent, as were the slippers provided by the crew.