A tiny update as I bounce in and out of Düsseldorf. I’m on my way to Venlo, to Stone Soup, an “experience design camp.”¹ My flights yesterday were miserable: a 90 minute delay getting into Vienna to make my connection, then a rush through the airport trying to reach the gate, having to get through passport control and then back through security and making my gate only to discover my flight to Düsseldorf was also delayed 90 minutes. Both flights had that kind of low-grade turbulence that suggests that you could start bouncing off the walls any moment but never breaks out into anything serious, just enough to keep my anxiety on alert the whole time.²

I did learn you can totally take two full bottles of tequila through airport security. I had thought I had screwed up by buying two duty free bottles of Tequila in Sarajevo,³ not considering I’d need to go through passport control and check in for the second leg of my flight in Vienna; it turns out the indefatigable forces of capitalism have foreseen this problem, and solved it — they put them in a sealed bag and airport security just shoves it through the scanner without a second glance. Do with this knowledge what thou wilt.

I’ve rented a car for the weekend, since it’s a four hour train ride and only a 45 minute drive. Plus I need to go grocery shopping on the way. My plan was to pick up the car last night, but the place I rented the car from squinted at my license and declared that since I renewed it less than a year ago, they couldn’t rent me a car. You need proof you’ve had a driver’s license for more than a year.

So make note of that, as well. International Driver’s Licenses totally aren’t necessary. A picture of your old one might be. Who knew?

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Footnotes

¹ Which was apparently started by a couple people who attended the College of Extraordinary Experiences

² I am aware that actual serious turbulence would have been much worse, but that’s not really comforting.

³ Not exactly a hub for quality tequila, but I think I did all right.

The tequila’s for the group meal I volunteered to prepare for Stone Soup. I pitched Mexican food — it’s hard to find decent Mexican food in Europe — and I thought it would be nice to open with a shot of tequila. A shot of tequila for 40 people is … about two liters.