John Edward Cooper’s Notes

DAY 8 - RETURN FLIGHT
Our tour manager will advise the departure time for your transfer back to Munich Airport for your return flight home.

According to my notes, the “alarm” clock sounded at “6.40am”, and “Janet vacated the bathroom, ca.7.15am” (which I then used).
 …
 Also according to my notes, we “set off a little before 10.15am”; and “11:35–11:50” there was a “break”. We went “through Munich not around as [on the] outward [journey]”. (Part of the outward journey had skirted around Munich, though part had gone through the city; on the return journey we went wholly through Munich, south to north.)
 Janet reported, in her journal, “[a] good sleep and a comfortable night. Phew! The alarm woke me at 6.45am: that doesn’t happen often.… A glorious day. I went on the balcony and had an almost last look around. Sublime! Stunning! I could see all the tops of the surrounding mountains quite clearly. Breakfast. At 10.15am, 48 of us boarded the coach for Munich — and home.”


Seefeld to Munich Airport
as plotted by Google Maps


Friday 7 July 2023 10:24:04
On the way from Seefeld in Tirol to Munich Airport


Friday 7 July 2023 10:27:52
A queue of slow-moving traffic behind a tractor


Friday 7 July 2023 10:40:10
On the way from Seefeld in Tirol to Munich Airport


Friday 7 July 2023 10:51:14
Passing through Garmisch


Friday 7 July 2023 12:12:06
One of the tunnels on the “Middle Ring” road in Munich


Friday 7 July 2023 12:20:56
Passing the Olympiapark, Munich, constructed for the 1972 Summer Olympics


Friday 7 July 2023 12:21:28
The Olympiaturm, Munich, a broadcast tower with a revolving restaurant


Friday 7 July 2023 12:42:44
Following the signs to “München-Franz-Josef-Strauß”


Friday 7 July 2023 12:43:28
Following the signs to “München-Franz-Josef-Strauß”


Friday 7 July 2023 12:50:58
Heading to “Terminal 2”


Friday 7 July 2023 12:54:04
Waiting for the barrier to rise at Munich Airport, Terminal 2


Friday 7 July 2023 12:59:36
Heading to the Lufthansa baggage-drop at Munich Airport, Terminal 2


Friday 7 July 2023 13:01:46
Heading to the Lufthansa baggage-drop at Munich Airport, Terminal 2


Friday 7 July 2023 13:01:46 (detail)
Detail showing Bernie our Riviera tour manager


Friday 7 July 2023 13:15:08
No success with automated check-in at Munich Airport


Friday 7 July 2023 13:22:38
Waiting at the staffed check-in desks, Terminal 2, Munich Airport


Receipt from Wiener’s coffee house, Terminal 2, Munich Airport, issued at “14:01”, for 0.5ℓ draught Weißbier


Friday 7 July 2023 14:08:12
Wiener’s coffee house, Terminal 2, Munich Airport


Friday 7 July 2023 14:19:16
Refreshments at Wiener’s coffee house, Terminal 2, Munich Airport


Receipt from Wiener’s coffee house, Terminal 2, Munich Airport, issued at “14:45”, for a little bottle of Prosecco


Friday 7 July 2023 14:48:50
Refreshments at Wiener’s coffee house, Terminal 2, Munich Airport

Our flight was from the main terminal, not the annexe, so there was no boarding of the “people mover” to be undergone this time.


Friday 7 July 2023 15:18:26
Waiting at the boarding gate, Terminal 2, Munich Airport


Friday 7 July 2023 15:49:08
Boarding the aircraft at Munich Airport


Lufthansa Airbus A321neo, with our seats shown in red, highlighted in yellow

According to my notes, the aircraft was “reversing, 16:19; taxiing, 16:23; then waiting.” At “16:36” it was “taxiing” again till its “16:37 takeoff”. The captain came on the address system, saying that our “estimated [flight] time [was] 1 hour 40 min”; so I worked it out: “16:37” plus “1:40” less “1:00” for the time difference: “17:17”. “17:00 [was the] scheduled landing [time].”


The onboard refreshments menu

On this flight I availed myself of the snacks trolley when it came by, and I wish I hadn’t. Or that I’d had the courage to complain when I was charged more than what was advertised for something was not advertised. For on the “Onboard Delights” menu, there was sparkling Riesling for €7.50.



But what I got was not sparkling, and I was charged €9.00 for it. I also had a “Laugenbrezel”.



In the past I’ve only had hard-baked pretzels, so it came as a surprise when this one was soft.


Receipt, issued “17:38”

We “landed, 17:15”, were “taxiing till 17:20”, and the “door [was] open[ed], 17:24”.
 Janet wrote: “I had two very severe claustrophobia episodes: one on the plane getting out; and one at Passport Control. Not good. Never been that bad.” In the latter case, it was in the slow-moving multitude creeping back-and-forth, back-and-forth, back-and-forth between tape-and-stanchion barriers. One-of the waiters-in-line saw her distress and let her pass through. I kept my place, because I didn’t want to take undue advantage. But I heard my name called, so I too now went through the tape. The officer had seated Janet beyond the passport control booths and given her a little bottle of water. We were “through passport control and baggage reclaim [and had been to the] toilet [at] 17:52”, I called Graham (“18:01”). He said he was about four minutes away, and would meet us by the Travelex desk, in front of which we were, in fact, already standing. And indeed he appeared. He had to do a transaction somewhere close, then we proceeded out to the vehicle. At home… we opened the suitcases, so that Janet could remove power supplies and connectors, and medicaments, before closing them again till she would do the unpacking tomorrow. Connected up the computers. Transferred today’s 21 photos from the camera’s SD card to the WD Elements HDD (21:21–21:32), and also copied them from there to the Samsung computer’s “Pictures” (21:33). Checked e-mail accounts (21:40–21:42)… Janet showered and got ready for bed meanwhile. (“Bed, ca.10.30pm,” she wrote. “I was cold. Traumatised re earlier.” She concluded: “Another fantastic holiday. Finding ‘that waterfall’ was the highlight, and yesterday was — well, as Bernie said, ‘magic’. An exceptional day.”)…

[2023]