O texto a seguir conta a história de uma viagem e as suas complicaxões. O texto foi feito para o nível B2.
Preparation
Have you ever experienced any unexpected delays or challenges during a trip?
Imagine you're stuck in an airport for 10 hours. How would you spend your time?
When facing travel disruptions, what are some strategies you can use to manage the situation?
Listening
Reading
What should have been a one hour connection turned into a five-day adventure. Here's the story: I found myself stranded at Munich airport in Germany due to bad weather. Now, you'd think they'd be prepared for some little snow - we're talking only 20cm of snow and and -2°C, what happens every year in Munich. But there I was, in my Miami Beach hoodie, totally out of my element. Therefore, I needed to go out and buy some clothes. I got some gloves, scarf, a coat, thermal pants, and a beanie. After it, my life became much better.
After enduring a 10-hour wait in a extremely long line. I made the decision to seek out a hotel on my own. But it wasn't easy; over 700 flights were canceled, and delaying the trip of more than 100 thousand people, who like me, missed their connections. With every nearby hotel fully booked, it took two subway rides through a snowstorm to find a distant shelter.
While walking on the snowstorm in my hoodie, I even joked loudly, much to the amusement of some locals, "It's my first time seeing snow, and I already hate it."
Finally, I was rebooked to Porto via Frankfurt. But even that wasn't smooth sailing. Due to issues on the runway and limited Sunday operations, my flight was delayed by three hours, causing me to miss my connection. Stuck in Frankfurt for two days, I decided to make the most of it. Despite eager to reach my destination, I explored the city and shopped for warmer clothes – essential in the -4°C.
The issue arose because the snow arrived earlier than usual this year. The airport hadn't prepared the landing strip in time. Usually, people use salt for snow, but airports rely on chemical products. However, these need to be applied before the snowfall, not after. Once the snow has settled, mechanical removal is the only option, which is a tougher and more time-consuming task. This led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights, causing inconvenience to hundreds of thousands of people.
After a series of unforeseen delays and detours, my odyssey concluded, and I finally arrived in Porto, Portugal.
Munich covered in snow
International Munich Airport
Line to get information in the airport
Mechanical snow removal
Miami Beach Hoodie
Man wearing gloves in his hands, scarf in his neck, a coat, and a beanie in his had