The day could have started better. Woke up around 2 o clock and couldn’t get back to sleep, so ended up just scrolling Facebook for an hour, before I realized that the Packers were playing the Bears at the time so I started watching that game while slowly eating breakfast.
Got a notification from Taxi Stockholm that the car was on its way so I said goodbye to the cats and then headed out. The setting couldn’t be more perfect. Dark. Temperature about 8 degrees. Some light rain. Exactly what you want to leave behind when you are going on a sunny vacation.
I arrived at the airport and got in line for check-in. I didn’t bother checking in online yesterday because I am under the impression that I would need to visit the desk anyway since I’m flying to the USA. At least that has been my previous experience. And I chose the seats on the flights at the time of booking. Perks of flying in business.
Check-in was in terminal 5, but the plane left from terminal 4 so I took a walk through a rather empty Sky city. At the security checkpoint, one woman that I think was going to Gotland, and had like seven minutes until the gate closed, didn’t take out her makeup from her bag. So the officer had to open the bag, get it out, and run the bag and the liquids through the x-ray again. No idea if she made her flight, but she did seem somewhat experienced (her other liquids were in a proper bag) so it was a bit odd to take a chance or forget.
Since I was at terminal 4 and only had an hour to kill before boarding I just hung out at the gate, fixing VPN on my laptop and downloading the rest of the Packers game since I only had time to watch the first half at home. I had seat 1D and when you have a business class ticket with LOT and they don’t have a business class, the seat next to you is blocked. And on this type of aircraft, there were no seats on the opposite side of the aisle either, so I had the flight stewards opposite me keeping an eye on me during take-off and landing.
As I’ve stated I’m flying with LOT Polish Airlines, basically because they were the only ones offering tickets in business class last Christmas when I bought them. I flew home from the USA in 2019 with them and even though Air Canada or SAS is a fancier experience, I’ll take LOT biz any day over an economy seat 🙂 #spoiled
After the take-off first I got a blanket and a pillow. The blanket was rather nice because I was wearing shorts. Then I got surprised with some snacks and bread. Since I ate breakfast at around 4:30, I really appreciated it and it was quite delicious.
When I had finished eating and watching the second half of the game (Go Pack Go!) I took a well-needed nap. Not sure for how long, but I woke up by the bell stating that we should fasten our seatbelts because we were on approach.
When I arrived at Warsaw Chopin Airport I tracked down the gate of my next flight and checked out where it is. A habit of mine so I know where I’m going and how long time it takes to get there. I then headed to the LOT Bolero lounge. Got lucky and a nice seat opened up precisely when I got there. Got some sausage, bread, and soda while writing the first part of this blog post.
Boarding got delayed about 45 minutes, not sure why. When the boarding commenced at least I got the questions, “Do you have a return ticket” and “Are you vaccinated” upon where I had to show my covid-certificate. Hence, the boarding took about 25 minutes.
While the rest boarded the plane, we in the business class section got some sort of appetizer, and some orange juice (or champagne), and made our choices for the first meal. I chose some ham canapés for the entree and pork for the main course. Cheesecake for dessert. Before landing, we got another meal. I only remembered taking photos of some of the items.
Except for eating I slept for about two hours and saw the whole TV show Suspicion. Maybe a bit complicated story sometime for someone who had a lack of sleep, but I’m satisfied that I watched it.
We landed roughly on time in spite of the delay from Warsaw. A nice contrast from when I left home this morning. Daylight. About 30 degrees. Humid. No wind.
The airport felt empty while walking through the terminal, which included a two-minute ride on an unmanned train, until I arrived at passport control. It took an hour in line before I got to speak with a CBP officer and got let into the country. The only advantage with that waiting time was I didn’t have to wait for the luggage.
Left the terminal and got into a cab. I don’t think I have ever ridden a car before at ~120-130 km/h with all four windows down. And the driver didn’t seem to care for the speed limit either. I think I saw a sign stating 70 km/h, radar enforced. He kept going in 110.
Anyhow, I arrived at the hotel safe, checked in, unpacked, and then headed down to the beach. It was now completely dark but I had to feel the water. Nice and warm 🙂 Saw a couple of lightning strikes but didn’t hear any thunder, so I guess it must be far out on the ocean. Went on to find some more food cause I got hungry again and realized that Monday Night Football just had started so I found a TGI Friday that had the game on with sound. Combine that with a burger and I was happy!
Now I’m back at the hotel, the local time is 22:30, which means it’s 04:30 in Sweden. It also means it’s roughly 25 ½ hours since I woke up. I don’t think I’m gonna have any trouble falling asleep.
