- Kinda clever to use a design similar to a kiddie gumbal machine, like the ones you often see that cost two quarters in the US or 1 GBP here.
- Kinda highway robbery, 1 GBP (1.20 EUR/1.58 USD), for a plastic baggy. Especially so, when you consider that more often than not I've forgotten to put an item or two, such as my eyedrops, contacts, or blistex into the separate plastic baggy, and I've never been called out on it.
When I was in Germany last month, they didn't even bother to ask people to show their plastic bags or to separate out their liquids from their hand-luggage. Everything went through the x-ray in Frankfurt and the very serious Germans took a long time to look at my backpack on the screen.
Herr X had something identified on the screen and Frau Y asked if she could search my bag. However, my bag has many zippers and she was not finding what she wanted, so I peered over to see what they spotted. In my 'school' section, I carry a small metal pencil sharpener, it is encased in a metal capsule to catch the shavings. I pulled it out.
Ach so! says Frau Y, and holds it up for Herr X.
Herr X: Ach so! Eine kosmetisch yadda yadda.
Yes--my 'cosmetic pencil sharpener' and I have spent over two days here, that was long enough, thank you.
And they didn't give a rat's behind about all my liquids like my hand sanitizer, eyedrops, contacts etc. rolling around in the various pockets, sans plastic bag. But all that brainpower was working hard to confirm that my pencil sharpener was authorized to travel internationally to the US.
3 comments:
Well, I'm sorta glad that Germany noticed a sharp blade (hidden to the eye, not the x-ray) in the machine. I'm a bit afraid that in the US they might miss the hidden blade and notice the water clinging to the sides of the bottle that I have already emptied.
And I did think the baggie dispenser was a rip-off: in Orlando, they used to hand them out free although I don't know if they still do so.
G: Yeah, I am vaguely appalled that I have taken said pencil sharpener to *numerous* locations, including other German ones, without notice. I think it's the lack of consistency that irritates me.
I've never understood how the plastic bags are going to stop a bomb going off if someone has one in their deodorant.
They give you free plastic bags in Bangkok, not that anyone bothered looking at my liquids or even asking me to take them out of my carry-on in Bangkok or Dubai.
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