Random airport observations

Now that I've got some money that works and eaten a bite, I'll share a few more random observations from my first hours in Austria:

I understand the principles of household-grade electricity. I'm no John Gibbons, but I get it. And even though my laptop's power adapter says 240V right on it, I still shuttered just a little when I plugged it in for the first time...

With all the US airport security measures of the past years, the concept of "meeting someone at the airport" has basically died. You sit in a parking lot a mile or two away and wait for them to call. But here the old way is still alive and well. Non-passengers still can't go to the gate, but hundred wait right outside of "customs" with signs, noisemakers, and such. About every 5 minutes you hear shouting or cheering, which makes any Americans in the area think someone is getting the TSA treatment. And you can bring dogs right into the terminal - lots of people do.

The weak US dollar is a real downer. I found a place that offers 1€ (euro) for $1.44 USD (departure level, right next to the duty-free shop). According to XE.com the current market rate is $1.42665, which is pretty close. That means I got 138.50€ for $200. Then they take an additional 4% commission, for a grand total of 132.96€. I have no idea if I got a good deal or not, but I needed to eat and it was the best in the airport (from what I can tell - see below). Buying things with foreign currency is usually a multi-variable equation, but here it seems to be pretty straightforward. In the airport most things seem to cost the same as in the US. For example, McDonald's has drinks for 1€ here, and for $1 in the US. So once you get the right currency in your hands, things don't seem too bad. It's just the 33.5% currency transaction "penalty" that hurts.

In college I minored in math, so calculating currency exchanges usually isn't a problem for me. It really is the universal language. HOWEVER... At all the currency booths there's a bunch of numbers and flags for various countries (no problem there) AND a bunch of German words. I suspect those words are additional charges for things like "commission" and "people who look lost". So right now I'm wishing I took my Hope College math classes from Lee Forester or Sander deHaan instead of in VanZoeren Hall.




In 3rd grade I would've been all over this place...







Like Japan, I ate my first meal at McDonalds. Apologies to everyone who thinks I should have been more daring, but just like at home all the airport food looked the same. At any rate, the family that sat next to me had a son who was about 5, the same age as Andrew. The kid was really crying, upset about something. As his parents spoke to him in German, he looked up, pointed at the menu board, and said very clearly "Happy Meal". He had just a burger and fries in front of him, no toy. My first reminder of home...





We probably won't see this in the US anytime soon...