Life During Strike Time

The list of things I did not expect when I started out for what I assumed was going to be a weekend of epic gnar shreddage in the Swiss Alps included a fancy hotel, a ghastly buffet dinner, a sauna and being trapped in Düsseldorf with essentially no way out. I mean, technically there are ways out, but I'm too poor to pay for a train or rent a car, and not quite desperate enough to hitchhike... Yet. If I was musically inclined there's probably a song in this somewhere. But I digress.

Now, call me ill-prepared, but airport workers' strikes are not something I regularly check for when booking a trip. Not that checking would have done me much good in this case, as the strike is apparently a 'surprise' one. And just to add to the fun, it appears to be taking place at all German airports, essentially paralyzing air travel in the country. Germany is all well and good, but id prefer to visit the country on my own terms.

One thing I do have to give people credit for though is the orderliness and calmness with which they are reacting to this state of affairs. There is a line for check-in over 200m long, but it is a very orderly and unhysterical line. Only one man, that I've seen, has freaked out at the ticket counter, and he appeared to be a drunk hobo. So that doesn't really count.

Another thing I'm totally impressed with is the quality of service provided by AirBerlin. Seriously, they're fantastic. They've been very nice and incredibly helpful and hard-working, providing hotels and even partnering with DB to get people a step closer to where they need to go.
At this point I've given up on Switzerlandand am focusing my energy on getting home. But even with the help of trains, it seems Copenhagen is an extremely difficult place to get to if not by air. How long I shall fester in Düsseldorf is unknown. At least I certainly can't accuse this trip of being uninteresting.

Pictured, order.

By far the most civilized line I've ever waited in.