DC through Germany
06.27.2008 - 06.30.2008
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Around the World - June 27-July 14 2008
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Oh what a day. If it could have been any worse, I cant imagine how. First we were up until past 1:00am packing for 7:30am flight out of Birmingham. We had to wake up at 3:30 am in order to get to airport intime for the 90 minute before flight recommended arrival time, so we are already running on only 3 hours sleep. Packing the car was an adventure in itself as half of the back seat was filled with luggage and Hayley and Michael had to squeeze in side by side. We get to airport with plenty of time to spare, but of course, I immediately find out that Southwest does have a 50pound weight limit. My 65 pound bag had to divided into two bags, which immediately stressed out my complete packing pattern. But we got it sorted out and the flight was relatively uneventful. (My newest toy (Casio watch with features that would make Batman jealous) indicated that we were flying at 8000feet, but who knows if that was accurate).
And then our trip hit the skids. We got our behemoth 12 person van (I won't mention I left my briefcase full of gadgets on the shuttle, but luckily someone found it and located us to give back) and off we went. This is where is the trouble starts. Ok, so I am a bad driver. I made enough wrong turns to make for a good National Lampoon Vacation). Sue was already into the slow down mode, when all of the sudden we did just that. Our major thoroughfare had 5 lanes, unfortunately they were all closed due to some type of accident, which meant we had to go offroading and of course no GPS system and 4 hungry people who were already late. We found our way through a detour and finally go back on track, but more than an hour later. And to make matters worse, we could find Dulles airport, but not the hotel. So we stopped to eat at McDonalds, which luckily had a WIFI network, where we could get directions to where we were (which we couldnt find on map) to the hotel. A few more misturns and we finally were able to meet my parents, Gena (not Gina), Brother Steve and niece Hayden (who was sporting a cute new do). But we were almost 2 hours late.
We quickly changed at hotel and all nine of us piled back into van for trip into DC, which of course due to a few misturns and 3:00pm Friday traffic was putting us even farther behind schedule. Then I learned how bad a driver I actually am. Coming around a turn on Memorial Bridge, I popped a curb and blew a tire out. We limped over the bridge and backed traffic up behind the Lincoln Memorial for about a half hour as my Brother Steve and I worked to get the oversized tire replaced. Sue said no worries, this is the photo op I've been hoping or. She and the kids dashed off to spend some quality time with Abraham Lincoln with the overlooking view of the Washington Monument Once the tire was fixed, we were even further behind schedule now and decide to go eat at Matchbox. It gets worse. We find the right address but in the wrong section of town, so we had to double back to the right side of town. By the time we got there (which was about 1 hour past our pseudo reservation time), the line had backed out of the door and we settled for the Subway next door. So we have at least eaten now and are back on schedule for the Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks. Michael has assumed navigation duties and directs the van to the 8th and I barracks without a hint of an incident. Parking for this event is a bit a problem. We had VIP parking, but it was a couple of blocks away, so we decide to drop the girls off at the door. But now the weather decides to participate on this god forsaken day. The clouds open up and the heaviest rain shower we have seen in weeks thoroughly soak my mom, Gena, Michael, Sue, Hayley, and Hayden as they exit the van and wait in line. Not sure exactly what they did, as we had to go find the parking lot. (Sue says they were whisked away to VIP coverage so they wouldn't get wet, which would be nice if you weren't already soaking wet.) To make a long story short, (without my navigator) we circled the barracks about 4 times, with each lot either full or reserved for someone else. We finally found our spot and thankfully the rain had stopped. We (Brother Steve, Dad and I) walked up to the barracks and waited for the seats to be wiped down. And FINALLY, the trip took a turn for the better. Perfect weather for a parade, perfect execution by the young marines and great music by the drum and bugle corps. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was the special guest of honor) and the parade went off flawlessy. Michael got us back to the hotel in no time.
But I shouldnt say all went well. Michael told us walking back to Car that Phoebe (our dog who is staying with sitters) had somehow gotten misdirected and was going to spend the night with the kennels owner at her home. Sue looks as though she has been informed that Phoebe has been kidnapped and someone is demanding a ransom.
Day 2-
We woke up this morning to find out that all was well with Phoebe and that our dog sitter retrieved Phoebe and she was very happy to be home.
Breakfast at the hotel was very good and then we headed out to the airport to turn van in (Yeah). Miraculously, we got to rental return location with no problem and even found a gas station to fill up with on the way. Thankfully as well, I had purchased insurance on rental van so that I didnt have to pay for that tire. 
We saw my brother off (he will be flying back to Kuwait on a later flight) and then boarded the plane, where I am busy trying to keep this journal up to date. A crying kid in front of me will force me to put on my Noise Canceling headphones any minute. (I notice that the father already has his on). The plane has a really cool display that tells us altitude and exact location of plane. Kind of scary to think that we are 36000 feet above the Atlantic. And just for followup, the altimeter on my watch is not accurate inside the plane. 
Time to load some pictures....
Other than the free beer, the smallest can of Coca Cola Light (Diet Coke in Europe) and a very satisfying dinner (see picture), the rest of the flight to Munich was very uneventful.. We landed at 6:30am, glided through customs, hopped aboard out tour bus headed first to the hotel, which is located in downtown Munich. I was able to get afew pictures inside the airport and suffice it to say, the Germans are car crazy, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes Benz all had magnificent car ads. Anyway, our tour guide Heim, let us know that we would have about 3 hours to sleep or wander the city before the morning tour started at 10. Sue took a nap, but I took the opportunity to gets some Euros and ventured out into the city. So the first thing I found was the train station, where scores of Germans dressed in Red, Yellow and Black were headed off to the Euro finals that Germany was playing against Spain (more on that later, but what I saw rivaled the best American futbol tailgate). Just outside the trainstation was one of the cities largest beer gardens and even though it was Sunday morning and now before 9:00am, beer was already being served. So there were basically four groups of people out and about. 1) Futbol revelers-although everyone was excited about the soccer match to be played later Sunday night, these are the ones dressed in variations of the German flag and seemed to have been up all night partying. 2) People getting ready to go to church. Bavaria is as Catholic as Birmingham is Baptist and people were headed off to one of the many churches all sporting domed temples. 3) Beer drinkers in general. These were people obviously not going to church, but enjoying the fabulous morning in one of the plentiful beer gardens. 4) Fitness freaks. I started following literally hundreds of bikers and runners, all wearing yellow jerseys who were headed to city square for the start of the Munich city marathon. On the way to the square, I ran into Michael who had decided also against sleep to venture out. We went to the city square and saw the beginning of the race, which took over 10 minutes for the runners to cross the starting line (see picture), which started promptly at 9:00am.
I made me first Euro purchase, when I tried a Chocolate biscuit and Coca Cola light. It was ok, but probably not worth $6. After the race started, Michael and I headed back to the hotel, but of course we had to stop at the local McDonalds. You could get just about anything you could back in the states, with the biggest difference being that the drinks come cold, but with no ice. This will be something that we see over and over around Munich. We got back to the hotel and instead of taking a nap, I decided to go up to pool located on top of hote. It featured another fabulous view of the city as well as a current machine that you try and swim up water against.
The morning tour included a quick stop at the BMW museum, the summer palace of one of the former kings of Bavaria, but we found out that our tour guide was very much the German Disicplinarian. Strict and frustrated that we were not paying attention to him, he let us know over and over that we did follow the German rules of law, order and discipline.
After we got back from the morning tour, we had about 2 hours to eat lunch or sleep. Sue again decided not to eat, but I ventured out to a local restaurant where I tried to order Chicken dish. I ended up with Chicken (which was great), but also with potatoes, rice, salad, bread and a coke for about 6Euros. I took a picture of it, but can't name it. It was very good though.
The afternoon tour included a walking tour of the city followed by dinner at the HofBraus house. Dinner consisted basically bratwurst, sauerkraut, red cabbage, but did enjoy the beer. Its the one meal that I wished I had taken a picture of. After dinner, Hayley, Michael, Hayden and I decided to soak in some of the German culture by going out with a Nick, Dylan, Melissa, and Davemo and watch the “futbol” match at a local sports club. Obviously Germany was being heavily rooted for. despite being in Germany for this playoff, Hayley the ever loyal Spain fan, still cheered (maybe silently) them on. She claimed to have made cheering noises when Spain scored that were somewhat vague and could easily have been misconstrued as disappointment in case someone was paying attention. Despite what is said about the enthusiasm of Europeans for soccer, it was very quiet that night. Of course, its probably explainable with Germany losing 1-0. I was definitely hoping for a German win just to see how crazy the streets would have gotten. Oh well, maybe the world cup.
The next morning (I am beginning to lose track of days now), we ate and headed out into the Bavaria countryside. Our tour guide, the disciplined Heim, seemed to be in a better mood today. The Autobahn truly is a wonderful idea and although the bus was limited to 80kphh, it was spectacular to see cars zooming by with no speed limit. Heim explained that it would be unethical for Germany to build high performance cars and then limit buyers to go at slow speeds. The primary purpose of our trip into Bavaria was a visit to Neushwanstein (sp) castle. The castle sat on a very picturesque hillside overlooking a stream on one side and a lake on the other and although only 30 percent complete was fascinating on the inside as well. Breathtaking would be an understatement for the views from rooms in this castle. King Ludwig obviously had way to much time on his hands but an incredible vision for this castle. On the walk back down the hill, we stopped at a wonderful Bavarian restaurant, before heading back to bus for our trip back to the Munich airport and our evening departure to Delhi. Again, we flew Lufthansa. Same deal, you fly into the night for awhile, and before you know it, it's time to turn on the lights and pretend it is breakfast time.
Posted by jgglasgow 07.02.2008 09:05 Archived in Germany Tagged family_travel Comments (0)
