Weekend in Hannover

We checked out of our hotel and headed for the airport, a 10- minute walk away. My  carry-on bag was pulled aside so that they could check my plastic bag of toiletries—whatever. We got to departures and only had to wait 5 minutes for the gate to be announced. British Airways in Heathrow has this annoying policy of putting up your actual gate only 45 minutes  before the flight, and then it’s a mad dash to the gate, which can be a 10-minute walk away.

So anyway, we got onto the plane with relative ease. Another annoying British Air policy: not even a cup of coffee is free! I had managed to get us coffee in the terminal, which we finished on the plane. And then, of course, I had to use the bathroom. I went to the back of the plane and saw the green light on but couldn’t see a bathroom door. It turns out that the fold-down seat for a crew member is ON THE BATHROOM DOOR!! Oh, and the seats don’t recline. Crazy.

We arrived on time in Hannover, but there was a big line waiting to go through customs control that stretched onto the ramp from the plane to the terminal. And then we got into the line behind 3 teenage boys who were unaccompanied and Middle Eastern. After 15 minutes of watching them have issues, the control guy finally moved them aside and let us go through. Tom picked us up and took us to his home,  where food, fun, and children ensued. We had grilled wurst and vegetables for our meal — delicious. Tom’s parents came for a visit, and we had kaffee und kuchen outside. After they left, we enjoyed another light meal and then went to our hotel. Bed by 9:30.