Ah, Vacation!
I had decided earlier in the year to take the last two weeks of the current year and the first two weeks of next year for a nice, long, 4-week vacation in Europe. Trips like these are easy for me because I'm an airline employee, so I get discounted, space available travel. If I'm lucky, I might even get a first class or business class seat. I was going to begin my holiday in Munich, Germany by flying there from Chicago. I was planning on going to Salzburg and Vienna in Austria, Prague in the Czech Republic and then play it by ear. I had purchased a Eurail pass in order to get around on Europe's fantastic train system.
Unfortunately for me, the flight out of Chicago was very full and when my name was called for my boarding pass, I discovered I was in a middle seat in coach. At least it was in the 'economy plus' section which had a little extra legroom for my long legs. I should tell you a little bit about myself. I began working for my airline right out of college. The pay was pretty good and I had a lot of school loans to pay off and was able to take care of them within five years. I'm 29 years old, 6'2" tall with reddish brown hair and am rather lanky. My eyes are blue and I have been told, by several women, that I'm 'pretty cute'.
As I took my seat in the middle between the window and aisle, I prepared my area for the 8+ hour flight by stowing my water bottle in the seat pocket, getting my iPad out and my noise cancelling headphones. Before long, my seat mates joined me. On the aisle was an older business man and in the window seat was a cute woman who was about my age with bright white blond hair and very blue eyes. The business guy put on his headphones right away indicating that he wasn't going to talk. The woman, however, struck up a conversation as soon as she was settled in.
We talked a little about why we were on the flight and what our plans were. She had been in Chicago on business and was heading to her home in Munich. I told her I was on vacation for 4 weeks and was going to explore Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic for starters. As we took off and continued to talk, we found that we had similar interests in music and art. We talked through the meal service and after the lights had been dimmed, I introduced myself, "By the way, my name is Matt."
She smiled and replied, "Well, I'm Ilsa and am pleased to meet you. If you would like, I could show you around Munich while you are there. You know, give you the tour by someone who knows the city."
I grinned and said, "That would be great if you have the time."
She laughed and said, "Well, when I get home I'll be on vacation too, so I will have plenty of time. Do you know which hotel you will be staying in?"
"Not yet," I replied, "I couldn't find anything in my price range online, so I thought I would check with the information center at the airport."
"Actually, the information center at the airport doesn't do hotels, you'll need to use the one near the Hauptbahnhof, or, er, the central train station. I will go with you and show you the way if you would like."
"Thanks, that would be nice." We had been in the air for quite a while, so I told Ilsa to lift the window shade and see if we could see the northern lights. With the cabin lights dimmed, we could make out the green wall of light and enjoyed the light show cheek to cheek. After ten minutes, we looked at each other and then we both blushed with the intimacy of the situation, so I lowered myself back into my seat.
Ilsa turned to me and said, "I've taken this flight dozens of times and never thought to look outside for this. Thank you so much for sharing this with me." She then gave me a peck on the cheek and then settled back into her seat. She stared out at the lights for quite a while taking in the beauty of the scene. Finally, she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. I closed my eyes as well and fell asleep as I sat.
I was awakened by the sound of people stirring as the flight attendants began doling out breakfast. I turned to my left and saw that Ilsa had a hold of my left arm and was sleeping against my shoulder. She looked beautiful as she slept blissfully against me, so I didn't want to disturb her. However, the noise around us caused her open her eyes and it took a few seconds for her to realize what she was doing. She sat up with a start and began to apologize, but I stopped her quickly by saying, "Don't worry about it. I was asleep as well and when I awoke, I couldn't wake you because you looked so beautiful."
Ilsa blushed and said, "Well, okay then. You made for a wonderful pillow, so thank you." She leaned over and gave me another peck on the cheek, though this one seemed to take a little longer than the first one and this one seemed to spark a little flip flop in my stomach and gave me goosebumps.
Before long, we made our descent into Munich airport. We gathered our possessions and then made our way to baggage claim after getting through passport control. Ilsa and I talked the whole way as she told me facts about Munich. I helped her grab her sample case and suitcase and then grabbed my backpack. As we exited through the customs area, we stopped at an ATM so we both could get some cash. We headed next to the train station, Ilsa bought a ticket and then we headed in towards downtown Munich. Ilsa lead me to the Information center and found quite a few people in line. When I finally made it to the front, I asked about hotel availability and was informed there were no hotels within a 50km radius. Ilsa queried the clerk in German and, apparently, got the lowdown.
"There's a big fußball match in town with an Italian team. That's why there aren't any rooms and won't be for several days since the match is tomorrow." Ilsa stood there looking at me for a few seconds and then said, "You know, I really like you, so why don't you stay in my apartment? My sofa folds out to a bed and you are welcomed to use it."
I looked at her and then asked, "Are you sure? You hardly know me. I don't want to put you into an awkward position."
Ilsa smiled and said, "I know you better than all of the people in my building, if you want to know the truth. I've enjoyed your company and would really like to have you stay with me. So, let's go, it's a short bus ride from here. We'll need to get you a bus ticket." We got my ticket, boarded the bus and within 10 minutes were exiting the bus. We walked a short distance to an old 5 story building and took the lift up to the top floor. Ilsa laughed and said, "I usually run up the stairs to my flat for the exercise, but with our bags that's not very practical."
She unlocked her door and lead the way into her small apartment. My initial impression was that it was very neat and tidy. There was a small living room, with a chair and the aforementioned sofa, and a small kitchen/dining room combo. Next, Ilsa showed me where the bathroom was and then pointed towards her bedroom. All in all, the flat suited what little I knew of Ilsa and it made me smile. She then showed me where to put my backpack and said, "We should take a quick shower and then go walk around for a while to stave off sleep until about 3pm.
I let Ilsa take the first shower and then followed when she had finished. It felt nice in the hot water while I washed my hair and body. I brushed my teeth, shaved and got dressed. When I made my way back out into the living room, Ilsa was waiting for me dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. On the plane, I hadn't been able to make out her body because of her winter clothes, but now she sat before me with a little less on, I could see that she had a nice figure with medium sized breasts, a thin waist and a very pleasing backside. I had caught myself staring, so I pulled my eyes away and looked at the floor before she kicked me out for being a pervert.
"There's a nice sized Christmas market nearby that doesn't see too many tourists. I think you'll like it. We can get some food and have some glühwein," Ilsa stated.
"Glue what," I asked?
"Glühwein. It's warm, sweet, red wine and tastes nice on cold days like this. It's a traditional winter drink. You'll find that we have a lot of traditions here and I think you will learn to enjoy them."
We set out on our 'stay awake' walk and headed for the Christmas Market Ilsa had mentioned. When we arrived, I was amazed by all of the little wooden huts lined up with all sorts of food, candy, trinkets and beverages. We walked amongst them all as Ilsa explained what they were selling. We stopped at a bratwurst stand and had a couple of sausages. I was surprised to discover that there were many different varieties of the sausages in different sizes and flavors.
We managed to kill a couple of hours during our walk in which we sampled roasted chestnuts, several different pastries, lychees and glühwein. Ilsa had been right, the warm, sweet wine hit the spot during the cold afternoon. As we walked back to her place, I thanked her for a very entertaining day. She smiled, hooked her arm through mine and lead us back to her flat. By the time we got back I was yawning continuously and thought that nothing would feel better than to lie flat and catch some sleep. We made up my bed on the sofa and then Ilsa gave me a peck on the lips and then she retired to her room.
Ilsa woke me at 7pm and said we should grab some dinner, so I got dressed and then we headed out on a bus to the Augustiner beer garden where we had traditional German food and beer. Ilsa told me that Augustiner was the only brewery left in Munich owned by German's. The food and beer were delicious and I told Ilsa that it was my treat to thank her for allowing me to stay at her flat. When we had returned, we sat and talked as I began to become fascinated by this lovely woman. Finally, at 11pm we decided to call it a night. I stripped down to my skivvies, crawled into my bed and was out in an instant.