Since we arrived in Munich in the afternoon and our flight was scheduled for the next morning, we had booked a room at Kempinski Hotel about two months or so beforehand (because of the early booking deal) in order to get at least some sleep.
The hotel is located conveniently between terminals 1 and 2 and no matter whether you arrive by car/bus, train or plane, there are always signs that'll lead you there. It's a five star hotel and it was my first time staying in one. The best hotel I've been in before was the Estrel hotel in Berlin, which had four stars.
So when we arrived, exhausted and sweaty from the heat and from pulling our suitcases and carrying our bags all the way there, and went to the front desk, we felt quite...cheap. Everything was so luxurious and clean and shiny and there even was a hotel porter and there I stood in my baggy tee and really short jeans, cut-off style. I was not used to stuff like that, because hey, I'm just a student after all and I'm used to youth hostels and budget hotels, so this was... wow. I really felt cheap and ashamed for being dressed so sloppily, but I had been some hours on the train after all and had wanted to wear something comfortable.
The hotel porter took our luggage and accompanied us to our room, here and there remarking some facts about the hotel and what offers we could use. In our room, he explained how to regulate the temperature of the room and other stuff we didn't even listen to because my friend and I were discussing whether we should tip him or not, because - obviously - he was taking his time with explaining so that we could take out our purses. However, before we were able to come to an agreement, he was already leaving and yeah... Ah well. Our image was already ruined by my sloppy look, so it couldn't get any worse than it already was anyway.
Instead of worrying about what other people thought about us, we busied ourselves with exploring our room, calling our families and telling them that we'd arrived safely and taking some photos. We had a standard room, which was - in our opinion - really big (30 square meters), with a king-size bed, a flat screen TV and a great bathroom.
The view from our window wasn't that bad either.
It was awesome, but only for a night after all, and not even a whole one since we had to check out at about 4 or 5am the next morning due to our flight. And we knew that our hotel room in Tokyo would only have 10 square meters, so it was best not to get used to this luxury and space.
After changing clothes, we decided to stroll around the hotel and airport and look for the terminal and check-in counter we'd have to go to the following morning, so that we wouldn't have to wander around and search for it in the morning.
A corridor in the hotel
The elevator
View from the elevator over the huge hotel hall
The front desk
Some kind of food stall in the airport
After returning to the hotel, we wanted to check out the spa and wellness area, so we took our swimsuits and the bath robes that were neatly folded together and lying on our bed and headed to the lowest story of the hotel, where we were welcomed and offered towels.
The pool area
There was a pool, many comfortable loungers, a whirlpool, a sauna, a steam bath and hardly any other people. Apples and water, which tasted slightly of lemon, were provided for free. We relaxed there for some hours and enjoyed taking a swim before going back to our room.
By now, it was getting dark outside.
After having eaten something in the airport, calling the front desk in order to ask for a wake up call at 3:30am and putting out everything that we'd need the next morning, we went to bed really early and went to sleep only to be woken by a thunderstorm at 3am. Well, actually, the thunderstorm seemed to be almost over by then, only some lightnings and thunders every five or ten minutes or so.
The airport at night when we woke up
When the hotel staff called us at 3:30am, we were already awake and at 4am, we decided to check out. After getting a luggage cart and putting all our bags and suitcases on it, we took the elevator down to the lobby. The front desk lady asked whether we'd liked to take the shuttle service to our terminal, but we refused and decided to walk the short way. We had lots of time left anyway until the check-in would begin at 5:20am.
It was not my first time to be in an airport in the middle of the night, but still, it was always surprising to see how deserted everything was, compared to how crowded it was the day before. When we arrived at the British Airways check-in counter, though, there were already about a dozen of other people waiting. We searched for a nice place to sit down and waited, taking care not to fall asleep since we were still really tired. Our excitement, however, was greater than our tiredness and after talking for a while and watching other people come and go, our check-in counter was opened and we joined the queue.
While standing in the line, we noticed that most people already had those suitcase tags that are provided by the airline when you check-in, but we hadn't any. So I left the queue for a moment and quickly walked to the British Airways info desk in order to ask where we got those, but I was told that it was given to me when checking in. I went back to my friend in the line and we waited until it was our turn. The check-in process went off smoothly, our suitcases weren't too heavy (they were allowed to weigh 23kg), each of us had one piece of hand luggage as well as a handbag or notebook bag, we hadn't forgotten our passports, so everything was alright and we were given two flight tickets each. One from Munich to London Heathrow, and one from London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita.
Quickly, we joined the line for security control and again, everything went off smoothly and fast.
Sweet! As it was only about 6 am, we still had more than an hour until our plane would take off at 7:20h. We looked around for a while, but in this terminal, there were only like, two or three shops and a small bakery, so yeah... We'd been in the other terminal the year before when we waited for our flight to Barcelona, and after security control, there'd been so many shops and drink machines were you could get coffee, cocoa and tea for free, so we were a bit disappointed upon seeing that there was nothing to see there. But well, we just had to wait for an hour, so we simply sat down and relaxed a bit more, talking and calling our families.
While standing in the line, we noticed that most people already had those suitcase tags that are provided by the airline when you check-in, but we hadn't any. So I left the queue for a moment and quickly walked to the British Airways info desk in order to ask where we got those, but I was told that it was given to me when checking in. I went back to my friend in the line and we waited until it was our turn. The check-in process went off smoothly, our suitcases weren't too heavy (they were allowed to weigh 23kg), each of us had one piece of hand luggage as well as a handbag or notebook bag, we hadn't forgotten our passports, so everything was alright and we were given two flight tickets each. One from Munich to London Heathrow, and one from London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita. Quickly, we joined the line for security control and again, everything went off smoothly and fast.
Sweet! As it was only about 6 am, we still had more than an hour until our plane would take off at 7:20h. We looked around for a while, but in this terminal, there were only like, two or three shops and a small bakery, so yeah... We'd been in the other terminal the year before when we waited for our flight to Barcelona, and after security control, there'd been so many shops and drink machines were you could get coffee, cocoa and tea for free, so we were a bit disappointed upon seeing that there was nothing to see there. But well, we just had to wait for an hour, so we simply sat down and relaxed a bit more, talking and calling our families.
And then suddenly, the boarding call for our flight came and we eagerly went to our gate, got our passports and tickets checked once again, and were finally able to enter the plane that'd bring us to London.
As always, there was a short film about what to do in an emergency, a film we'd be watching four times in total on our journey. The stewardesses gesticulated in order to show where the emergency exits were located and afterwards, checked whether everyone had fastened their seat belts. In the meantime, I was - again - taking some photos, even though there were raindrops on the window, maybe from the thunderstorm some hours prior. Nothing could stop me!
Ah well, except for the stewardesses who, as always, ordered to turn off all electronic devices.
Finally, we took off and could catch a glimpse of the Alps, before everything disappeared under clouds.
Since this was just a short-distance flight, the plane didn't have an entertainment system, like films or games, so we just spent the time relaxing and occasionally taking some photos. It was morning, thus we were served coffee, tea or juice for drinks, and snacks.
One and a half hours later, the clouds were clearing and we were able to get a great view over London. Quickly, we took some photos before the stewardesses announced that the plane would soon begin its final descent and that we had to fasten our seat belts once again and turn off all electronic devices.
That's it for now. ^__^ Comments are appreciated and if you have questions, please feel free to ask. The next parts will be published soon and will cover the flight from London to Tokyo Narita and our arrival in the land of the rising sun, so stay tuned!
~Mina
Ah well, except for the stewardesses who, as always, ordered to turn off all electronic devices.
Finally, we took off and could catch a glimpse of the Alps, before everything disappeared under clouds.
The Alps in the background
One and a half hours later, the clouds were clearing and we were able to get a great view over London. Quickly, we took some photos before the stewardesses announced that the plane would soon begin its final descent and that we had to fasten our seat belts once again and turn off all electronic devices.
That's it for now. ^__^ Comments are appreciated and if you have questions, please feel free to ask. The next parts will be published soon and will cover the flight from London to Tokyo Narita and our arrival in the land of the rising sun, so stay tuned!
~Mina
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