The Ugly American

---

Today has been a very fast-paced day, as are all travel days. Yesterday I found out that coincidentally my flight was with one of my good friends from home. I am flying Lufthansa, a German airline, and will be landing in Münich, so it helps that Sebastian and his dad are German and can get me sent off in the right direction for my transfer flight to Bilbao. After a short trip to the Charlotte Airport and a little string pulling by my German friends, I was able to sit in the business lounge to wait on the flight. This was a definite benefit, because I was able to watch Arsenal secure their spot in the Champions league group stage.
Right now I am sitting in Germany in the Munich Airport awaiting my transfer flight to Bilbao. Lufthansa is without a doubt the best airline I have ever flown with. They are extremely professional, kind, helpful, and the food is actually pretty good. Plus with my generation fly discount the flight was the cheapest I could find. The airport in Münich is unreal to say the least. It seems as if it is one of the most modern and sophisticated in the world. It is like a city it is so large, and I almost wish I had more time to explore the shops, cafes, and restaurants before taking off to Bilbao. This place would rival any high-end mall in the United States. My friend told me that soon it will be the largest airport in the world.
I have already heard several different foreigners bashing Americans, so I hope I don’t fit this ugly, typical stereotype. Spain is so close I can almost smell it. When I arrive in Bilbao I dive headfirst into testing my somewhat confident Spanish skills. After a two-hour flight to Bilbao, I will be heading on another two-hour trip to Pamplona, this time by bus. I hope to get some much-needed sleep during these two hours because I didn’t sleep a single minute on the flight. However, it turned out to be worth it because I got to see an absolutely beautiful sunrise. It looked as if lava was bursting through the clouds.
If all goes well I should be in Pamplona at 3:30 but that is only if I catch the bus at 1:30. I have many expectations of how this experience is going to be, but I’m sure all this will change when I actually get there. I want to get a lot out of this once in a lifetime experience. Going into it I hope to meet as many people as I can, see as many sights and cities as possible, travel throughout various parts of Europe, and perfect my Spanish. This should be an exciting four months.

---

Photos

Business Lounge
Charlotte Douglas Airport

Terminal
Charlotte Douglas Airport

Boarding
Lufthansa Airlines, Charlotte Douglas Airport

Sunrise over the UK
In flight, about 2 hours from our destination

Lava Sunrise
In flight, about an hour and a half from Münich

Arriving
Arriving in Münich, on the descent.

Arrival
Franz Josef Strauss Airport, Münich Airport

Comments

[Cousin Glenn]

Stand up, Jeff. Oh wait, you ARE standing up. :-)

[Cousin Glenn]

you lucky duck!
Jeff, I am very jealous of you! Back when I was in college (yes, they had college back then), I minored in French and wanted very badly to make a trip like this to use my second language in the real world. But I was never able to find the time or money to make the trip. So without sounding too much like an old geezer (like your mom), I hope that you appreciate the opportunity to make a trip like this. Once you graduate, get a job, get married, and start a family it becomes exponentially more difficult to do something like this. So enjoy every minute of every day, take lots of pictures, continue to update your blog when you have a few spare minutes, and travel safely!

[jeffbowers]

Thanks for checking out the blog, it has helped me stay on top of remembering and cataloging my experiences. You are right when you say I am lucky to be able to do this. I am having a great time so far and will continue to I\'m sure. Keep a look out for new posts, and I hope to see you soon!