Icelandic volcano causes major travel problems throughout Europe

Monday, April 19, 2010 update:
Day 4 of flight disruptions because of the volcanic ash over Europe. Airports throughout Europe continue to be closed. Airlines are getting very grumpy. UK sending 3 Royal Navy warships to Spain to pick up stranded passengers.

Interesting links:

• Iceland 2010 A great list of links about the volcano: blogs, webcams, satellite and other photos, seismic information, etc.

• SwissEduc: Source for the spectacular photo at the top of the blog. Aerial and ground shots of the volcano.

Fri., April 16, 2010 update:
In our Friday French class we covered vocabulary in the following sequence. We found the progression quite amusing...

• volcanos (un volcan: volcano, "un volcan est entré en éruption", la cendre: ash, la lave: lava, la caillou: pebble, le nuage: cloud, etc.)
• airplane engine (le moteour d'avion)
• phobias (avoir peur de ....)
• spiders (une arignée, une patte: leg for animals/insects)
• earthquakes (un tremblement de terre)
• dizziness ("J'ai la tête qui tourne.", s'evandour)
• bungee-jumping (le saut à l'elastique)

Thurs, April 15, 2010

Like a scene in a disaster movie, the Icelandic volcano under the glacier with the unpronounceable name of Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH'-plah-yer-kuh-duhl ... see? even with the guide did you say it correctly?) erupted again on Wed, April 14 2010. This same volcano erupted just prior to our April 1 flight through Iceland, though the March 20th, 2010 eruption only caused a few disruptions.


Friday April 16 update: With the volcanic ash able to bring down aircraft, some 60% of flights in Europe have been grounded, and more than half of trans-Atlantic flights cancelled, the European air traffic agency, Eurocontrol, said.

As a gigantic cloud of volcanic ash drifted towards Europe, it caused upwards of 6,000 of flights to be cancelled. Half of North American flights are expected to be affected on Friday. On Thursday, France shut down 24 airports, including the main hub of Charles de Gaulle in Paris, and several flights out of the U.S. had to double back.

Airspace over the United Kingdom was closed to all flights except emergencies at least until Friday. The National Air Traffic Service said Britain had not halted all flights in its space in living memory, although most flights were grounded after Sept. 11. Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands also announced the complete or partial closure of their respective airspace.

...An aviation expert said it was the first time in living memory that an ash cloud had affected some of the most congested airspace in the world, while a scientist in Iceland said the ejection of volcanic ash — and therefore disruptions in air travel — could continue for days or even weeks.

It's the second time in 200 years this particular volcano has erupted. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for some beautiful sunsets here in Rouen!

Friday, April 16 update: Sunset was faintly pink. Perhaps Saturday will be more dramatic....

10 Tips to Make Flying Coach Less of a Pain

We've been on many long (3++ hour) domestic and international flights over the years. Travel has become more of a hassle with crowded flights, reduced services and increased restrictions. Here are a few simple things we do to help keep us sane when flying coach.

What about you? Do you have some good plane travel tips?

1. Wear comfortable clothes. Light layers work well; a seat near an exit door can get mighty chilly while another seat on the same flight may be too warm. Comfie, easy to remove shoes make getting through security-and taking shoes off when on the plane-easier.
2. Go to the bathroom before getting on the plane. I’ve been stuck on the tarmac for several hours waiting for takeoff, and caught behind the service cart as it slowly inches down the aisle.
3. Bring water with you. Dehydration can lead to headaches, itchy eyes, contribute to fatigue and may increase your chance of getting sick. I take an empty bottle through security and fill it on the other side or purchase a bottle of water in the terminal prior to boarding. Saline nasal spray works well as does eye drops if you are prone to dry eyes.
   
4. Bring food with you. BYOG (bring your own grub): nuts, jerky, cheese, dried and fresh fruit are all filling and compact. When flying internationally, I usually either eat or toss food I’ve carried on before going through customs to avoid potential food importation hassles.
5. Keep a few items handy; try not to put anything under the seat in front of you. Put items you want to have handy-water, snacks, etc. in a small bag to keep in the seat near you or put them in the seatback pocket.
   
6. Count seats to your nearest exit(s). This tip came from a friend who survived a major plane crash. While unlikely I’ll need to a) evacuate a plane when b) I can’t see, it’s trivial to do as I’m boarding or buckling my seatbelt. On this trip, I counted in French.
7. Change the time on your watch to match your time zone destination after you are on the plane. This way I start thinking--and try to act like I'm in--my new time zone for sleeping and eating. The only caution is if you are changing planes in yet another time zone.
8. Reduce your personal noise level. Earplugs are cheap and tiny. Sometimes I play white noise on my iPhone/iPod/MP3/other device or use noise-canceling headphones. Even without other noises, just the sound of the engines makes me tired.
9. Move around and take off your shoes...after getting to altitude. Feet tend to swell on long flights. Pick a pair of shoes you can slip back on after having had them off for a few hours. I regularly flex and extend my feet while seated, and get out of my seat every hour or so if not sleeping.
10. If sleeping on the plane, make your own small travel kit. I bring a small travel pillow, and a blindfold in addition to the usual earplugs. I having like a window seat: there's something to lean against. I don't sleep well on planes so I've started taking some kind of sleep aid-on this trip, ambien worked well for me. For when I wake up, mints and hard candies containing caffeine are handy.
    

It All Begins with a Plane....

April 1st and 2nd, 2010 Seattle via Iceland to Paris


Icelandair planes are named after Icelandic volcanos. Our plane was the Hofsjökull, which is the largest active volcano in the country. On March 20, 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted and caused some flights to be rerouted or cancelled. Luckily, we didn't have any problems.

As if to calm the nerves of anyone who noticed their plane was named after a mountain that randomly spews fiery molten death, the captain spoke reassuringly to us in Icelandic. Or perhaps not…my Icelandic is pretty much limited to coffee (kaffi) and he never said that. Pity.

Stewardesses in their dark blue pillbox hats ensured our seatbacks were upright. In the event of a crash. we were now safely locked in that razor thin 3 inch zone separating “alive” or “dead”.

On a positive note, the seat was comfortable with at least reasonable legroom. My sleek personal seatback entertainment system refused to play Tetris, offered to teach me Icelandic and carefully pinpointed my flight’s progress. There was even a USB jack! I kicked off my shoes, took a sip of water from my Sigg bottle, popped in my earplugs, and settled back into my travel pillow in the yoga pose known as “airplane pretzel”.

An uneventful 6 hours later, we landed in Iceland. That was one odd landscape. Treeless, snowless and flat, the land was smoothly undulating yet also fissured. Fascinating geology. But in just a few minutes we were on the ground, quickly clearing EU customs, and off to catch our 3 hour flight to Paris.

Other than one exploded bag (figuratively, not literally), all our luggage arrived intact in Paris. Monsieur Blanchard met us at the gate. He spoke a little English; our sleep deprived, jet lagged brains didn’t offer up much French. After a 2 hour ride, we arrived in Rouen. And so, we begin the next part of the story at Madame Lejamble’s home, which will also be our home until June...