Airport chaos – have you experienced it in Germany?

With Covid restrictions easing across many parts of the world – including Germany – many of us are desperate to jet off. But although travellers are raring to go with their suitcases packed full of suncream and swimwear, there is one thing making it harder to get away: airports across Europe have been struggling to cope. 

As The Local reported this week, it’s mainly down to the handling of the pandemic. After two years of restrictions that made travel impossible in some instances, airlines and airports cut back, and got rid of a lot of staff. Now there are debilitating staff shortages just as peak travel season is kicking off. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the staff shortages are worst at security and baggage check areas.

We’d love to know if you’ve experienced airport problems in Germany either when trying to leave or coming back. Drop us an email: [email protected] and tell us what it’s been like.

Tweet of the week

Not sure if we’d like to know what a German creative bureaucracy festival really involves but we are intrigued…

Only in Germany… pic.twitter.com/tuPbz09wnm

— Travis J. Todd (@travisjtodd) June 1, 2022

Where is this? 

Photo: DPA/Robert Michael

The poppies are beautiful and blooming – but can you recognise the background? It is Dresden’s historic Old Town with the Ständehaus (l-r), the Hausmannsturm and the Hofkirche (Dresden Cathedral). The photo was taken on Friday morning when the sun was shining ahead of the long weekend. 

Did you know?

Perhaps it’s the French influence, but the German state of Saarland is considered a region of pleasure, especially from a culinary point of view. Lots of menus in Saarland, which shares its entire southern and western borders with France, include French dishes, from Schneckenpfanne (a dish of snails) to Flammkuchen (Tarte Flambé, a flat tart with onions and bacon). The area is also known for having a higher proportion of Michelin chefs than anywhere else in Germany.

But despite the French influence, Saarland is definitely German too, and potatoes are at the heart of many traditional meals. A speciality like this is Schales – a large potato pancake. Another dish that uses the same ingredients but is prepared differently is the Dibbelabbes – a sort of German hash brown created from grated potato, dried meat, onions and parsley.

Rachel and Imogen @ The Local Germany 

This article is also sent out as a weekly newsletter just to members every Saturday. To sign up and get it straight into your inbox just go to your newsletter preferences.