On the Road To Europe

The Beginning May 16-17

The longest part of any trip abroad is always the initial travel to get where you're going! Our experience up to this point is no different. Like all travelers we sat around at our separate airports, Natalie in San Antonio and Morgan in MSP, watching people, listening to music, reading books and paying exorbitant amounts of money on small quantities of food and beverages.

Morgan:  I have to admit I am not the most savvy person when it comes to planning for airport eating. I always have the idea of buying food on the way to the airport but then inevitably forget too. It's nothing new, I was the kid Freshmen year who would go to badger football games and have to have friends hold my wallet so I wouldn't make a detour concession purchase when on a bathroom trip. Life lesson: "Eat before you go to the airport and pack a snack for on the plane!" I know what you're thinking, "No shit dumb ass!" but I truly never register the legitimacy of this idea.

Natalie: I left San Antonio this morning heading to Chicago to meet up with Morgan. As usual, my pack back ended up being stuffed to the brim! In San Antonio I was asked how in the world I'm able to carry it. Good question.

Upon both of us arriving in Chicago, we followed the normal greeting protocol for when you haven't seen a friend in a long time (ie big hug followed by "I can't believe it's been sooo long!").  We then grabbed a bite to eat while catching up on what's happened in each others' lives.  Once we finished with our airport meals we moved on to the Goose Island brewery bar where we drank our first pint of the journey. While sipping on our pints we were suddenly greeted by the sight of our enormous oversized plane, realizing that the plane was suppose to board in ten minutes we chugged our beer (we're badgers, what do you expect?) and made our way to the gate.

After about forty minutes waiting in line, we boarded our overbooked flight and found our seats in the second to last row! The flight was uneventful, other than a a fiasco at the bathroom. Essentially we had just eaten dinner and were ready to down some benadryl and get some shut eye but first both of us needed to use the bathroom, after all no one likes getting up in the middle of the night to go. With excessive turbulence, we watched as the stewardesses told each person making their way to the bathroom to go back to their seats. We were going to have to do this mission impossible style if we're gonna get to sleep son. We waited until all the flight attendants had gone to the middle and then up shot Natalie making her way to the bathroom. Two words for you "epic fail;" the door was locked. Since no one had passed Morgan on the way to the bathroom for fifteen minutes, it meant some one had been in there for a while. Ten more minutes passed and still no one has exited the lavatory and after another ten minutes the following conversations ensued....

Morgan: "I wonder if the door slid into the locked position during the turbulence?"
Natalie: "I don't know but if it didn't that person's been in there a lonnnggg time, i don't want to go in there!"
Morgan: "Well there are only three explanations. One: a person is taking a massive dump. Two: the door locked during turbulence. Or three: a person died in there! I wondered what they would do if a person died in a bathroom while in flight? Would they quarantine the bathroom? Or would they put it in cargo or the back where the flight attendants sit?"
Natalie: "Maybe up above?"

The suspense was killing us, we just had to know. And so we asked the flight attendant if the door had locked itself during turbulence? The nice Midwestern accented attendant made her way back and rapped on the door three times and asked "excuse me, are you all right? I just want to make sure you're all right." and to  our unfortunate surprise a voice answered back. We had our answer and a sad one at that. Neither of us used that bathroom!! Now we know what you're thinking, if you didn't use that bathroom where did you go. Well to answer that question here's a little insider info: there is more than one bathroom on a plane that size. Shhhhhhhh! That's top secret, the kind of intel that's guarded by Langly. (Yes, this is Morgan being delirious after no sleep - Nat)

With four hrs of sleep and two plane meals later, we arrived in Munich, Germany. Having four hours until our next flight we perused the different duty free shops and ogled the beer steins and cafe selections until we found our gate and sat down to write out this blog! After some decent people watching we boarded our plane. With Natalie in row 10 and myself in row 26 we were ready to go.

The flight from Munich to Sofia, Bulgaria was pretty uneventful. We both pretty much just read and slept. The only slightly eventful experience was the exotic chicken wrap that really didn't taste that great, let's just say it was interesting.