The Land of Opportunities

Lufthansa prides itself on the fact that it is the safest air craft in the world. But going by my solitary experience on board the German airline, I thought that punctuality also ranks high in its 'customer satisfaction' goals. The flight took off from Mumbai on time and just before landing at Frankfurt, the passengers were asked to adjust their watches to the exact scheduled time of touch down at Frankfurt. My flight experience was nothing much to write about. The on board Hindi movie (No Entry) was something I had seen before. And yes, before you wonder...there were no personal screens to view movies.
To add to my excitement, it was snowing in Frankfurt. Getting out of the flight, I was caught full on by an icy cold gust of wind. My blazer proved brazenly inadept for this kind of weather. I almost ran into the waiting bus, which took us to the terminal building. After a wait for a couple of hours in the soothing air conditioned temperature of Frankfurt International, I was air borne again, this time to Chicago.
I had to get out of O'Hare International to reach the domestic terminal. And it was then that I saw those fascinating cars. It was a scene straight out of some Hollywood flick. A stretch limo , seemed almost strategically parked in order to welcome me to the 'Land of Opportunities'.
The United Airlines flight from Chicago to Baltimore made me miss our domestic flights back in India. Their service offerings far exceeded what I was experiencing in United. Anyway, I reached Baltimore somewhere at around 20:00 hours, tired to the bone.
My boss was there to pick me up, along with his son and my ex team lead. Office was the last thing I wanted to think about right now. But I couldn't thank my boss enough for the ride to his house and the hot chicken curry and rice. Stuffed to the neck, I was dropped at 'Park Charles' in downtown Baltimore, which would prove to be my abode for more than a year. The 'feels like' temperature of -10 degree centigrade outside, already made me say 'Home Sweet Home' upon entering the hallowed portals of appartment 1304.