Germany Frustrations

Alright, before I describe Rome, let me tell you a story about Germany. I flew into Frankfort and had about an hour layover before my flight to Rome. My ticket said I would fly out of gate B, but the flight departure board said A. So I went to A, where the guy told me I was in gate B. Okay, so I just had to walk back a bit. At these gates we had to go through security again and then I found B07. No one was there, but there was still almost an hour before we left. And then it was almost boarding time and no one was there, not even an airline worker.

I should quickly mention, when I first got to the gate I decided to go to the bathroom...the sign said "Toilets"--as in plural, more than one. So I opened the door. To a guy zipping his pants. Apparently there was only one toilet, and it was the handicapped one. And the lock didn't work. Luckily he was American and we laughed about it.

Also, I tried using my phone card to call home and at least let them know I was in Europe. But that didn't work either. I tried all the different numbers and even got an operator, but she was only willing to help if I called collect or charged the call to my credit card. She couldn't help with calling cards.

Back to the Gate Fiasco: I have five minutes to get to my gate before boarding starts. I find an airline worker and ask her to check what gate I'm supposed to be at. And what do you know, it's A26. So I was right to begin with and the German guy told me the wrong thing. The walk back to A26 is a long one involving many moving sidewalks and stairs and when I finally find an elevator it gets stuck. I jog back to the stairs, down more hallways, in between people and finally I make it to the gate. Auf Wiedersehen, Germany!