TobyTime: January 2008

Some were in New York enjoying the festivities in Times Square, others in Sydney watching the fireworks off the Harbour Bridge and most in Dubai partying the night away. I however was sat in the flight deck on the ground in Munich, waiting for the tug to push us back and watching the ground staff conga up and down the terminal! When the clock struck 12 (European time) on New Year's Eve my flight, EK52, was just beginning it's journey back to Dubai from Munich. We were supposed to be somewhere over Turkey at the time but due to mechanical problems we left 4 hours late. The trip had started really well. In the briefing room I met Belinda who I had heard about from some of my other friends. We hit it off straight away and were inseparable for the rest of the trip. The loads were light with only 80 passengers flying each way with us. The crew arrived at the hotel around 9pm and decided that we would have a bite to eat before bedtime. We went to the beer garden downstairs in the hotel and the food was amazing (as it usually is in Germany). The next day Belinda and I caught the U-Bahn (underground train) into the city to do some sightseeing. The place still had a very Christmassy feel to it which was really nice. After 2 hours of running around and taking photos it was time for another ride on the train back to the shopping area near the hotel. We visited the supermarket and spent a small fortune on some nice meats, cheeses and wines to take back to Dubai with us. When I got back to my room I discovered that the TV had UK channels on it so I spent the rest of my time catching up with all my favourite soaps and programs from back home. I'd been waiting for a Munich to appear on my roster for the last year and 2 months and this one definitely didn't disappoint!