The day flew by and it was time to get to the bus station. I was mentally prepared for another night of little to no sleep. So I readied my phone to listen to the audiobook of Michelle Obama's biography. I am still tossing the thought of whether I publish my review of it or not. Shortly after departing, my attention got drawn to the weather. It had started to snow more and more, and I would spend most of this trip looking outside my window at the eerie landscapes and thinking about this and that while everyone else on the bus was sleeping, except the driver, obviously. After a while, I stopped listening to the audiobook and soothed my hearing with my Celtic, Nordic, and later some Latin pop music mix. Hour after hour the night receded and soon the sun timidly pierced its light through the clouds. Snow was falling less densely and I calmed my worry about not being able to fly out of Munich for bad weather conditions. It was time to get ready for my German day and I was looking forward to hanging out with my friend, who had graciously suggested picking me up at the bus station.
The bus arrived on time at the central station and as I stepped out, I took the opportunity to stretch out my numbed limbs. I was happy to fill my lungs with the crisp wintery and fresh air and didn't mind one bit that it had started to snow again. My friend picked me up soon after and we spent the day doing errands, laughing, and just chilling together. By mid-afternoon, the weather had turned colder and the snow was heavier. I had concerns about my return flight and managed to remain smiling to enjoy every single minute spent in Munich. Soon, my friend drove me to the airport with all my boxes, yes I had been shopping online and was collecting my things on my passage, and I was eager to go back home. It was one of those moments where I missed sleeping in my own bed and being in my own space... Everything went smoothly at check-in and I was already thinking about all the tasks awaiting me at the office in the morning. To kill time, I took out my earphones and tried to listen to Obama's biography. It got me fidgety and I soon paused the audiobook and started observing people and their dynamics. I have to admit it turned out to be quite interesting...
It was already 21:30 and we were supposed to depart at 21:45. The chattering was starting to get noisier, kids were complaining and most people around me were nervous about whether the plane would take off. See, it had been snowing heavily and nonstop for the past 4-5 hours and several flights had already been canceled. I remained calm as we would soon find out: Munich Airport is usually open 24/7. However, no commercial flights are permitted in or out during nighttime, i.e. midnight and 05:00. Exceptions are granted according to certain criteria to provide a "quiet sleep". You have to be German to enforce such regulation and abide by it! But hey, noise pollution is as harmful to health as other types of nuisances. In any case, by 22:00 we were first informed that we are being delayed because of the snow and that everything was being done to be able to fly out. But it was snowing heavier by the minute. I started checking for hotels as it seemed that we wouldn't be able to fly out that night. The problem was, almost every room was already booked, even in the city! And then it dawned on me, that many flights out had been already canceled and we were the only ones left in the airport. So naturally, the hotels were booked for the night. I quickly calmed my mind and tried contacting my friend, although it was already past 23:00, and couldn't reach her. So I waited to see how things will unfold.
Shortly after, we were informed that we will not be flying out because of bad weather conditions, and the airport regulations prohibited it. We were ushered out and had to wait for 30-40 minutes to collect our bags and boxes and we were then informed to find accommodation on our own. Someone had the wits to ask when would our flight be scheduled, for us to know whether it was worth it to leave the airport or wait there. No clear answer was given. Many families had driven 300 and 400 km to take that direct flight to Beirut and wouldn't be able to go rest in their homes if the plane was due to leave before noon. I pitied the ones traveling with children, several of whom switched from nagging to crying. By 01:00, I had taken the decision to remain at the airport and fly out on the first available flight to Beirut. The only direct flight was with Germania and their offices would be reachable by 8 am. I informed my manager that I was stuck at the airport for bad weather conditions and wished I had my laptop with me to work a bit. Instead, I gathered my stuff around me, made myself comfortable on my seat, and took a book out...
At 7:30, I called the Germania offices for the first time. No one answered. I was grateful I had recharged my German mobile number, and it came in handy. I was thinking of ways out of Munich and couldn't decide on how to proceed. I had to be back at work and couldn't wait unknowingly at the airport. Shortly before 08:00, I emailed Germania asking whether we would be flown to Beirut, as it was Monday and they didn't fly to Beirut every day. I called again several times and couldn't reach anyone. The airport was starting to get busier with people so I headed to the information desk to inquire about any news regarding our flight. But no clear answer could be given. Finally, at 09:30, I received a reply to my email inquiry stating that the estimated time of departure would be 21:45 on February 4. Somehow, I felt something was off. So around 10 am, I called again and could reach someone on the phone. I was told that our flight would be taking off in the afternoon. This was good news, although contradictory and just then, I realized that it had actually stopped snowing and the sun was shining very bright in the clear blue skies. At noon, the information desk was still not aware that our flight was scheduled and I was starting to worry again. My friend called me and suggested to take off from her work to spend the time with me but I told her that in the worst case, we would fly out in the evening at the same time we had been scheduled for on Sunday and that I could very well spend the next couple of hours window shopping inside the airport.
I was longing for a shower and never had I wished so much to return to Beirut. This was the first time I experienced such a situation and was constantly worrying about piled-up work at the office. Luckily, the Munich Airport provides an Internet connection and I was able to remain in touch via WhatsApp. The group of skiers/snowboarders who were on the same flight were seated close and they were discussing possibilities of the flight taking place that night. Or not. I couldn't contain myself anymore. I grabbed my phone and started checking for flights to Beirut. The last one would be with Pegasus, via Istanbul, and would land in Beirut at around 20:00. It was departing within 30 min, so I was already too late since I had luggage to check-in. Therefore, I called Germania again. This time, a young man answered and said that his colleague hadn't been accurate and that our flight was taking off at the same time, i.e. 21:45 on Monday. I hung up frustrated. It was almost 13:00 and I had been stuck at the airport while I could have gone out and enjoyed the weather. Or taken another flight back to Beirut. I grabbed a quick bite at the café, refreshed myself in the ladies' room, and weighed my options: I had another 4 hours to kill because I would need to check in again by 19:30, and getting in and out of the city would require about 90 minutes... so I went back to my seat, I somehow had started to feel comfortable with it, and plugged my phones. I took out the book my friend had gifted me in Paris and immersed myself in the story. It was quite captivating and didn't feel the hours pass.
