Berlin- by the skin of my teeth!

After a lovely dinner with a friend from college I went to bed early last night in Edinburgh because I knew I needed to catch the 4:30ish bus to the airport. Unfortunately my roommates in the hostel decided it was more important to have the light on in the room so they could read until midnight or so. I'm pretty sure there are reading areas elsewhere in the building, but far be it from me to let my sleeping disturb their reading.

Anyway, I woke up at 4am this morning after very little rest and found my way to the bus. All was going well. I had a Ryan Air flight to Berlin at 6:30 but no bags to check so I went through security and to my gate. I sat around waiting for my flight. After nearly 1 hour of waiting we are about to board the plane when I am told, for the first time, that I had to check in at the front desk (before security) regardless of having a bag to check because I'm not European. This was written rather small on my printed boarding pass, but in my defense I had never flown Ryan Air before and all other European airlines allow you to just go straight to the gate as part of the online check-in+no bags preferential treatment.

I was told at that point that I had to take myself and my backpack all the way back through security to the front desk, have my boarding pass stamped, then go back through security and make my way to the far end of the terminal again within about 5 or 10 minutes or I would miss my flight.

To this I said, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" and a few other things and then started running with all my strength (not much at 6am without having eaten or drank anything since about 12 hours before at dinner) and extremely heaving backpack strapped on.

While I ran toward the check-in area I was calculating what a new flight would cost me, how this would ruin today and maybe tomorrow, and mostly was so angry with the situation and myself that I could cry... but I didn't, of course, because that would have only made things worse. I got lost a few times looking for the check-in counter because I had never been in this airport before, but eventually found it. I got my boarding pass stamped and high-tailed it back toward security and a very, very long line of people removing their coats and picking out liquids and gels from their bags. Thinking I had no hope, I plead my case to two or three guards who let me skip the line and I was through within about 3 minutes! It's a small miracle!

As my boots, coat, liquids and gels, and backpack came through the X-Ray machine I shoved my feet into my boots and all other odds and ends back into my pack and took off. I just had to get to my gate, number 21, at the complete other end of the terminal. I ran like my life depended on it, stopping to walk only when I started getting dizzy from being overheated (I was wearing a coat, scarf, and 2 tops) and exhausted from the experience. By some stroke of luck I ran up to the gate to find a still very long line of people waiting to board and took my place at the end of it, dripping with sweat, my heart pounding, my stomache turning over slowly.

I made it! As a result of my running in boots with an extra 20-25 pounds strapped to my back I now have very sore legs and a massive blister on the bottom of my left foot. Ick! Oh well, it's better than being stuck in Edinburgh all day hoping for a flight, right?

The rest of the morning went well. My flight was uneventful and my high school friend who lives here now was waiting for me at the arrivals door. We took the transit into the city and now I am enjoying some real internet time at her office while she takes a meeting. At some point today I will eat a real meal, take a shower, have clean clothes and relax. That will be amazing. What is even more amazing is that I get to see one of my favorite bands play tonight, An Horse! So exciting!

Well, that's all for now. I'm sure I have many German adventures awaiting me in the next few days. More to come...