Since my flight leaving from Dulles was delayed an hour and a half, I was left with very little time to make my connecting flight in Frankfurt. I was a little disappointed by this, since I was really looking forward to spending some time in Germany (even if it meant not leaving the airport).

The first thing I noticed as I was walking to the Gate for my flight to Bangalore, was the the clouds of cigarette smoke in the main terminal area. Instantly, memories of previous trips to Europe ran through my mind: the schnitzel, the pretzel bread, the heavy wheat beers, the Magnum ice cream bars ... Why is it I associate cigarettes with European food?

Anyways, within 10 minutes of deplaning from my United flight, I was already boarding a Lufthansa flight. Travelling business class as been really great, and I understand why my company is willing to foot the bill for it employees: business class is hassle-free.

As I stood in line to board the Lufthansa 747, I was suprised to see so many non-Indian nationals in the gate area. All in all, I'd say that about only 10% of the flight contains Indian passengers. The remaining 90% look to be from all over the world and on business just like I am.

Right now we are cruising at 650 mph at an altitude of 35,000 feet. The outside air temp is a balmy -49 degrees farenheit. We've got about two hours left until we land, at 1 AM Bangalore time ...