Time Travel?

Flying internationally is probably the biggest loss of time and a day of your life I experience. We awoke at 0430 in Germany to catch the train to Frankfurt. Which meant we would need to be at the Hauptbahnhof for the 0541 RB (Regional Bahn) – for a 37 Euro ticket we could all get there by 10 AM (4 hours of our Lives.)

I had to say “You were right” to my husband, for the first time this day when we got to the US Airways line and found they had all of one person checking in the 1255 flight to Phillie. We finally got through their passport check.

“Who packed your bag for you!? – You ever want to say… my butler? Just for shits and giggles? I mean who would say if it wasn’t them and they were being bad guys? Some insurance CYA – well we ASKED them who packed their bags!! Brother – another hour POOF.

Which gave us time to get through passport control (got my stamp!) and then sit in the little holding cell after a quick scan through the gate security (Frankfurt doesn’t have the big chute wear all passengers head through the scanner, its like each set of gates has their own individual scan – for that personal touch) 30 more minutes. We board the plane. And wait. Our flight was 20 minutes late taking off.

I can say I was relieve to see that each head rest hosted its own mini monitor. That is truly one of the best ideas the airlines have had. For once it seems they took into mind how 6.5 hours of flight can not be spent sleeping in the sitting position (even with their ever so gracious one inch recline position they provide). And I was also pleasantly surprised to find – I was fed. A meal, hot! Chicken and veggies in a gravy. Rather tasty. Lots of water to keep me hydrated as my husband passed on the meal and preferred to attempt the upright sleep position.

Our flight attendant was FRIENDLY. Movie selection seemed to either want to make you cry or take a step back in time to your childhood. I opted to attempt a smile with “He’s Just Not That Into You”, and then completely ended up in a tear shredded tissue after selecting “Marly and Me”. Ah – emotion in the air. We had a holding pattern over Philadelphia, just to ensure we were absolutely numb from the buttocks down.  Landing Kayla was shocked to find we would have to get through the passports, wait for our baggage, get through customs and RE-Check the bags before she could be on her way to her connecting flight to Hartford.  “We’ll never make this!”  We had an hour.   The delay getting off the ground (we didn’t have a bad trip compared to the troops coming in from Rome that had the window in their airplane crack and ended up stuck there for an extra day!)  as well as the delay coming in to Phillie had eaten the 2 hour layover we had between her flights.  Luckily – DELAY was on our side, as we rechecked bags, went back through security (I am still trying to figure out where in the process I might have picked up something I wasn’t supposed to have) we found the monitors with the outbound flights reporting Kayla’s flight was delayed by and hour and a half. (AGAIN the “You were right” to the husband as he kept telling us ladies to stop stressing).  So we took our time.  Had our first taste of America.  Fletch and I enjoyed a Yuengling beer while Kayla realized Coke would be the strongest drink she would be able to order for the next two months!

After getting her settled in Fletch and I head back to our terminal, found a lounge to await our flight and were pleasantly told that no more delays in our adventure would there be.  5 hours in the air, and we arrived.  2300.  0700 in Germany – I was surprised to find myself feeling awake!  Even though our bodies were just.  DONE.  We went through the process of finding our bags, our two golf bags being brought through the oversized platform.  Again – happiness.  No lost luggage.  We found a kiosk of hotels – called Fairfield Inn and caught a shuttle.  By midnight we were checked in and happily dropping our luggage in an over priced American hotel.

So I type to you from their idea of a breakfast – Oatmeal, Yogurt, Coffee?  (You could make your own WAFFLE) the only fruit to find are oranges or bananas that look like someone put them in the basket of a bouncy bike ride to get here.  The differences of life in Germany and life here are vast.  We would awake at a Gasthaus to find meats, cheese, fresh fruit.  But, we would probably not have our own COFFEE POT!!

My cell phone is on, I’m happily texting with my unlimited sends and calling on my unlimited weekend minutes.  My handy is turned off with its 8 Euro balance – another difference.  Though I’m being told the plans in Germany are starting to move up.  But I begin to ramble… I will go find another cup of coffee.  It is 0700 Colorado time, my laptop reports my body thinks its 1505.  I hope we managed to sleep enough last night so that the time adjustment will be a quick adapt.

Dad’s flight comes in at 1400 today!  So we’ll be taking the shuttle back to the airport to meet him.  He best not grumble about that 3 hour hop he has!

Total began in Germany at 0500 – arrived at our hotel, midnight Colorado which is 0800 Germany 27 HOURS.  But I didn’t even loose a day