Skyfaring

Grounded in Umeå for the rest of the summer, I pick up the story of a man who abandoned his academic career for the world of aviation. I would lie if I said that the same thought has not crossed my mind. Yet, as much as I love driving fast cars, I would probably make a lousy pilot. In any case, since I need my contacts with like -5.5 dioptres to see anything at all and laser surgery can impair one’s night vision, I guess I better stay put in the classroom.

Right now, I am finalizing my plans for the Chernobyl trip. Most likely, Jon and I will fly down to Kyiv with the Polish flag carrier LOT which I still have to try despite that they are a long-term member of Star Alliance. The return flight is more uncertain though, I have some orphaned United miles that I could use for an award as they would allow for yet more exotic routings, like Ethiopian Airlines Fifth Freedom flight between Vienna and Stockholm on a 787. Initially, I was even into a return by train through Russia and Belarus. Unfortunately, the logistics of that turned out to be quite complicated which is somewhat frustrating as I would have loved to finally see a bit of St Petersburg.