This time, my trip started in my hometown of Hanover. I had been working in northern Germany beforehand, so flying out from there made perfect sense. I had booked the entire journey through British Airways, with a connection in London and an onward flight to Chicago.

American Airlines, which was operating the transatlantic leg, had other ideas. My flight was canceled on the very same day, and I was rebooked onto a rather adventurous itinerary that would have taken me from London to Venice and then on to Chicago. Why I first had to fly to London when there was also a direct flight from Hanover to Venice was something nobody at the airport could really explain.

So off to Heathrow I went to sort things out there. The British Airways staff seemed just as surprised by American Airlines’ rebooking, especially since several BA flights were still heading across the Atlantic that same day. In the end, they managed to put me on a later flight to Chicago, although it did mean spending a few extra hours at Heathrow.

With a considerable delay — and at least the right to some compensation — I finally arrived at Chicago O’Hare late that evening. By that point, I was already starting to regret not simply booking a hotel near the airport. Instead, I picked up my rental car and drove on to Monticello. Well after midnight, I finally checked into the Best Western Plus Brandywine Inn & Suites, just a short drive from Indiana Beach.

The original plan was to head straight to Indiana Beach the next morning. Shortly before my visit, however, the operating calendar had been changed and the park was now opening much later in the afternoon. That suddenly left me with a few hours to fill.

I decided to spend them in Lafayette. Downtown Lafayette turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. The old brick buildings, small shops, and restaurants give the city center a lot of character, and the whole place felt remarkably tidy and well kept.

For lunch, I ended up at Revolution Barbeque, where I had an excellent meal. What started out as a few unexpected hours to kill turned into a really enjoyable stop before finally heading back toward Indiana Beach.

Pictures Lafayette

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