Isn't It Ironic?

05 September 2007

There we were, on the Autobahn in Germany, sitting at a dead stop. The Autobahn... the road where a person can drive as fast as they like because there is no speed limit was backed up for 9 kilometers and we were at the back of the line.

Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately because I was a little bit frightened), I was sitting in a taxi on my way to the airport in Dusseldorf and the taxi driver is a very bold man. After about 15 minutes of sitting, he determined that we would not make it to the airport in time if we didn't get moving. So... he boldly pulled on to the shoulder and drove right past many of the stopped cars. Once in a while we would approach a rest area and he would speed off, slide into a parking spot for one second, and pull back out onto the entrance ramp.

After about 20 minutes of this weaving and shoulder driving, we made it past the congestion and back into free moving traffic. Whew! Eventually and just in time, we pulled up to the arrivals gate at the airport. There was just enough time to check in, pass through security (which is much faster than in airports back home) and enjoy a quick cup of cappuccino before boarding the plane.

What an exhausting morning, and the day had only just begun.