Our luggage is loaded,
locked and ready to go. We departed our beloved Boise at 2:13pm on Sunday
May 19. We arrived in Frankfurt at 11:10am on Monday May 20. We
made it to Berlin at 4pm after we were detained on the runway because another
airplane hit a bird and they were "cleaning the runway and checking for
debris." That must have been some bird!
Once we arrived in cloudy,
cool Berlin, we were delighted to have not one, or even two, but THREE pieces
of luggage missing! The luggage was not as lucky as us and the kind folks
at Lufthansa have assured me they will "find" it. Luckily we
packed a carry on with the necessities for a day or two. But two of my
children are missing their luggage and one is understandably sad and the other
boldly said,"I will wear the same outfit the entire time if I have to, I
don't care!" I bet you cannot guess who said what?!?
After successfully hailing a minibus Mercedes cab, which was no small feat, we
happily sat back and enjoyed the scenery while we were transported to our
hotel. I had not had a chance to exchange any dollars for euros at this
point, so I had exactly 15 euros (from a trip to Europe last summer) to pay for
the cab ride, which is exactly what it cost. I had a few English pounds
so I offered the cabbie either the pounds or some dollars for a tip - he
quickly took the pounds and departed. Why can't we all have the same
currency? It would be so much easier...
Just like home, lilacs
blooming everywhere. Our hotel, “Pension
Peters, das Andere Hotel,” perfectly located and delightful.
We enjoyed a nice Italian
meal suggested by a German who spoke English with a British accent. That caught
me by surprise. Thus far we have encountered the nicest of people who are
willing to help us in any way. I am impressed with their mastery of the English
language and reminded of our lack of compulsory language skills. Shouldn't we
speak more than one language too? I was told by the man sitting by me on the
airplane that kids are required to start English by the 3rd grade. My British
accented German friend speaks German, English, French, and Latin.
Impressive!
The kids were exhausted but required to stay up until at least 8pm. They were
all successful! After a good night's rest (hopefully) we will be ready to go
and explore Berlin properly tomorrow. Bis später und auf wiedersehen!
Thats too bad about the luggage. If John's doesn't show up soon, just go out and buy him some Lederhosen. I think he could rock those. Leah would look cute in a traditional dress like those seen in the Sound of Music. I know that took place in Austria, but the Austrians are just German wannabes anyway.
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