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Deutschland!
In the summer of 1978, my parents packed up their things, along with six children and a few suitcases, and left California for a promising new future in what was then called West Germany. I was nine years old at the time.
Fast forward 30 years, Axl is nine years old, his brother seven, and we are heading to Germany again, landing in Frankfurt Germany, same as then. The only difference is, we will not be moving on to Bavaria, but will remain in Frankfurt, our posting for the next four years.
After the Middle East, Asia, South America, and Africa, we are happy to add another continent, Europe, as our next stop. So far, the readers have more or less read about third world countries, now they will get to read about a first world country and life in one of its major cities.
First, the trip there. Here I'll add a few extra tips for the last week before moving. A week before flying to Germany, we stop shopping altogether. Here we need to consume what we have, eat out or order in if we need to. No need to buy anything (especially perishable), now that we're about to hit the road.
Next, we cancel our trash pick-up service and take the cat to the vet, since the European Union requires a certificate of health to be issued within 10 days of our flight. You will also need a micro chip for the EU. As an aside, some extra advice: on the day of the cat's vet visit, keep Kitty inside. We have to postpone the first vet visit, because she is nowhere to be found, as if that darn cat had a sixth sense. Next, keep your laser pointer handy. Use it to play with the cat a lot, and on the fateful day, have the cat follow the laser point directly into her cage. It's like taking candy from a baby.
Last but not least, cancel any outstanding services you may have: internet, trash pickup, cable, etc. There is nothing more frustrating than to pay for services that are no longer required.
We take a United Flight from Dulles to Frankfurt, total flight time seven hours, forty minutes. The cat is in the cabin with us, and the poor thing can't stop shaking. Axl and Bash are bored until they realize that they can check out as many movies and games on their little screens as they want. I'm guessing I sleep no more than 30 minutes for the whole flight, I'm just too uncomfortable. The next day, I will have to whip the jet lag the hard way. It happens.
Although Frankfurt Rhein-Main is not my favorite airport, it's done very well, considering how it's expanded over the years. Too many airports do not account for the prospective sudden growth spurts that are as much a fact of life to major hubs as population growth and the expanding infrastructure that needs to go with it. We will discretely withhold the names of the offenders here. On second thought: no, we won't. Paris, New York, Rome, Berlin...come on down.
From the moment we get off the plane to the time we arrive home, 45 minutes have passed. Frankfurt, of course, is the well tuned machine I've grown accustomed to over the years. It is, after the Ruhr Area and Berlin, the third largest metropolis in Germany and arguably the most important with its location and banking business.
Spring greets us in Germany. There is still a bit of a chill, but nothing that will stop us from taking a walk outside, either to the park or the supermarket.
So after day one, a warm hello from Germany. Get ready for many interesting new posts from Europe.
Fast forward 30 years, Axl is nine years old, his brother seven, and we are heading to Germany again, landing in Frankfurt Germany, same as then. The only difference is, we will not be moving on to Bavaria, but will remain in Frankfurt, our posting for the next four years.
After the Middle East, Asia, South America, and Africa, we are happy to add another continent, Europe, as our next stop. So far, the readers have more or less read about third world countries, now they will get to read about a first world country and life in one of its major cities.
First, the trip there. Here I'll add a few extra tips for the last week before moving. A week before flying to Germany, we stop shopping altogether. Here we need to consume what we have, eat out or order in if we need to. No need to buy anything (especially perishable), now that we're about to hit the road.
Next, we cancel our trash pick-up service and take the cat to the vet, since the European Union requires a certificate of health to be issued within 10 days of our flight. You will also need a micro chip for the EU. As an aside, some extra advice: on the day of the cat's vet visit, keep Kitty inside. We have to postpone the first vet visit, because she is nowhere to be found, as if that darn cat had a sixth sense. Next, keep your laser pointer handy. Use it to play with the cat a lot, and on the fateful day, have the cat follow the laser point directly into her cage. It's like taking candy from a baby.
Last but not least, cancel any outstanding services you may have: internet, trash pickup, cable, etc. There is nothing more frustrating than to pay for services that are no longer required.
We take a United Flight from Dulles to Frankfurt, total flight time seven hours, forty minutes. The cat is in the cabin with us, and the poor thing can't stop shaking. Axl and Bash are bored until they realize that they can check out as many movies and games on their little screens as they want. I'm guessing I sleep no more than 30 minutes for the whole flight, I'm just too uncomfortable. The next day, I will have to whip the jet lag the hard way. It happens.
Although Frankfurt Rhein-Main is not my favorite airport, it's done very well, considering how it's expanded over the years. Too many airports do not account for the prospective sudden growth spurts that are as much a fact of life to major hubs as population growth and the expanding infrastructure that needs to go with it. We will discretely withhold the names of the offenders here. On second thought: no, we won't. Paris, New York, Rome, Berlin...come on down.
From the moment we get off the plane to the time we arrive home, 45 minutes have passed. Frankfurt, of course, is the well tuned machine I've grown accustomed to over the years. It is, after the Ruhr Area and Berlin, the third largest metropolis in Germany and arguably the most important with its location and banking business.
Spring greets us in Germany. There is still a bit of a chill, but nothing that will stop us from taking a walk outside, either to the park or the supermarket.
So after day one, a warm hello from Germany. Get ready for many interesting new posts from Europe.
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