Tag 1 - Flight and other disasters

Finally the day has come! The day of departure that we (Marcel, Sabrina, and Thomas) have been waiting for weeks. 

Direct flight to LA from Dusseldorf. 

As agreed, we met at the check-in counter at 8 o'clock in the morning. It should be noted that Marcel (my girlfriend's tall brother) has never flown in his life. So it must have been even more exciting for him to join the rather manageable line at the AirBerlin check-in counter 3 hours before departure.

After a successful check-in, we had a small breakfast at 4Cani - everything was great except for the incompetent waiter 😂

Next step: Security check.

As usual, it was packed. But the staff were friendly and in a playful mood. My personal favorite was a small lady about 1.60m tall who had the task of separating the lines of people in two directions - you wouldn't believe how difficult it can be to distinguish between EU citizens and other countries! While queuing, we constantly heard the following phrase 'Attention, please continue. Close rooms, please continue!' Unbelievable! But somehow funny too 😂😂

After the border control, finally: the Duty-Free...

At international airports, you always have the luck to meet people who have become somehow famous...we met Michael Wendler.. And before anyone asks: yes, he is just as the newspapers describe 😖 Terrible.

Finally, we made it! Boarding begins. I thought it would be calm soon.

Due to our extra large seat for a measly 160.00 per person round trip, we were allowed to board first - said the announcement. Unfortunately, the check-in agent had a different list and we had to wait 🙈

Suddenly, I noticed frantic movements next to me...Sabrina's brother lost his boarding pass...somewhere between the waiting area and the gate...something always happens 😂😂😂😂 The shock was clearly written on his face. Thankfully, a competent Air Berlin employee joined the completely overwhelmed employee of the local airport operator and printed a new boarding pass without complaint.

So far so good. Probably due to the frantic movements and discussions, the federal police decided to do a second security check on Marcel. Full program! Better safe than sorry!

But finally - boarding! Departure at 11:20 am - flight time 11:45 hours - which means 6 movies of 2 hours each 😂