Airport Shenanigans!
I hate flying. There, I said it. It's uncomfortable, takes forever, and I always feel like I'm just another number. But, it's a small sacrifice to pay for something I love so much, traveling. So I make the best of it by treating myself to my favorite candy, dosing up on Dramamine, and watching the latest Marvel movies on the plane for free (kinda). Plus, the vegetarian in-flight meal option is usually much better the chicken. Here I'll post my quirky airport ratings (was the airport boring, helpful, and/or fun? Did they have good food options?), my people-watching experiences, and a minute-by-minute account of my 8 and a half hour flight to Vienna (I'm kidding! I wouldn't put y'all through that). I appreciate you sharing my journey with me!
NOLA to Salzburg!
Saturday morning, I hopped out of bed and threw last minute things into my bag. I woke up to a mix of emotions: joy, anxiety, excitement, and determination. My mom and dad drove me to the New Orleans Airport at 7:15. Lake Ponchartrain was peaceful and I couldn't help but imagine that it was saying bye to me! We got my bags checked, and went to the security line. It was a tough goodbye. I started crying and must've hugged my parents at least five times. Once I got through security, I got my favorite smoothie (strawberry kiwi breeze) at smoothie king and waited for my flight to Newark, New Jersey!
I slept the entire flight to New Jersey! Haha! I woke up for landing just in time to see and realize that New York City was on the left. It was sort of comical how I realized, too! I thought, "Wow this city seems really familiar, like I've seen it in a movie or something.....oh my gosh! Thats NYC!!!" WILD! We landed and I found my gate in the international terminal, which was under construction and there weren't many options for food. So I got a seat at the high top bar at a small Italian bistro. I ordered a mushroom pizza (one of my favorites), and the couple next to me started asking me about my travels! They were so sweet, and were heading to Norway! We chatted about their travels and mine, as well as their son's trip to France. We parted ways for our flights, and I was grateful for some friendly conversation while I had a surprisingly good meal!
The International Terminal was such an experience because I heard so many languages! I really enjoyed people watching and munching on the box of Sour Patch Watermelon candy my friends got me.
We boarded, and when I scanned my boarding pass, it was denied! *cue panic and a racing heart beat* The girl at the desk said, "Oh! you've been upgraded to premium!" *Cue thoughts of a happiness and pure relief*
I got to my seat on the flight to Vienna on Austrian Airlines. It was such a nice plane! The seats were cloth, and they gave us each a blanket with red gingham on the border as well as a little bag of essentials. We got a beautiful menu to choose dinner. I got the swordfish with potatoes and spinach! They had all Austrian and European brand foods which was really fun! I watched Captain Marvel and Avengers: End Game on the flight, and then slept until breakfast!
​
Breakfast was the best I've ever had on an airplane! We got an omelet with tomatoes and peppers. It was so so good! We landed, I went through customs pretty quickly, and got to my gate for Salzburg. They took us by bus to our plane, which was a small propeller plane! It was so cool! The flight took only 40 minutes, and I met a sweet lady who is a professor at Georgetown in DC. We talked the whole way, and Aurelia told me it was her dream to visit Salzburg one day, and she finally was! What a beautiful gift to hear that and listen to her talk about her life!
We safely landed, and I got to my cute hotel, where the concierge was so kind to me and I happily walked into a cozy room after a long journey!
