The joys of travel

The following at the two blog posts I wrote during transit.  -- Since I got to the castle, it has been crazy. I have not really had much time to process it let alone write about it. So, hopefully sometime in the future I will. :) 

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Sitting at the Airport by the windows. 

I like airports, normally I am giddy to be in an airport and I sight where I can watch the hustle and bustle. Today is different, Im not sure why or how, just different. 

So, Im sitting in the airport in Norfolk, Virginia with my back to all the people, watching the window at my gate. 

I think I pissed off the TSA agent running the screener. I don't want to say she is permanently in that mood, I don't know her personally and I would never wish that on anyone.. however I digress. I got all my stuff on the belt, pulled my laptop, removed my shoes and belt, the whole nine yards. I forgot one thing. It is something that is so natural I totally didn't realize until the machine went off… I left my cell phone in my back pocket. FAIL. Oh well. I made it through with a laugh. No worries ma'am I have no other plans than to fly to Dresden, Germany. 

After my little tiff with the TSA agent (Really I'm making more of it than what happened, reality: she gave a look and then used a tone) I went to stare out the window.. across the tarmac there was luggage carts, cones, gates and ladders, and those funny little cars they wiz a round out there.  No one in sight. Then I saw it.

Off in the distance two small objects slowly moving closer. These two small things got bigger   until I was able to distinguish it was two men walking. They were wearing hawaiian shirts, kaki shorts and sandals. I believe one of them was wearing a hat. Im not sure. They looked lost. I really had the urge to open a door and tell them that the beach was 20 mins in the other direction. However I resisted.  

so far this trip has been good…. or Im going crazy. either one. :) 

If Im going crazy then the following posts will be bundles of fun. ;) 

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Guten tag from Deutchland!!! 

I made it, safe and sleepy. :)  My flights were good. Especially my last flight, from Frankfurt to Dresden. I had an entire row to myself. Three seats. Travel bliss. 

Story from today. Now at this moment I do question whether I should be sharing this story at all, for fear people won't let me travel ever again, but I can't help it. In the moment it made me laugh and I thought to myself, "I need to remember this so I can blog it later." :)

Exiting off the plane in frankfurt there were two airport workers, one holding a sign with a Munich flight and the other with a dresden flight. It was my flight to dresden. The guy holding the sign didn't speak english, so i kinda held out my ticket and said dresden and looked quizzical and he looked to the other guy who was able to get out, "dresden flight, Stand here and go to terminal" -- Keep in mind it was 5:45 AM and I had just walked off the dark plane from a crummy night's sleep. Oh I was also the last person to leave the plane too. So, I stood there. Praying I wasn't making a huge mistake, and missing something. 

When the German speaking fellow, confirmed with a mean looking German speaking woman that that was everyone off the plane, the two men looked at me and then escorted me down a set of stairs and out to the exterior of the airport. As we were walking down the stairs I thought to myself, "well this would kind of be an ideal set -up for snagging girls. If anything is to happen to me, this would be it. Oh, well I got Jesus." (Yes, 5:45 am logic was kicking in)  As I came to peace of the possibilities of what I might have gotten myself in to, we came around a corner and there was a shuttle bus. To my relief it had more people in it. "Good, Im not being kidnapped after all." 

But the fun doesn't stop there. We got to the terminal for the two flights, the men directed the 12 of us through a series of doorways, elevators and through to passport check. The first 7 people went up to the counters, got checked and moved on. I got to the counter, just as the guy working was clocking out and the new guy was clocking in. And apparently there was a delay with the system, and the guy kept leaving and coming back. As the police office kept spouting off german, and making faces at computer the rest of the group I was with made it through the passport check. FINALLY, the dude got it all together, stamped my passport and I went in search of the english speaking little man. 

I came around the corner and ran into a girl that had been on my Philly - Frankfurt flight and she was waiting for a girl that happened to be behind me in line. With my look of confusion, She asked if I was going to YWAM… and that is how I met, Alisa and Katherine. 

From that moment I had travel buddies and we made our way to dresden and the train system. I have two things to say about the train system, 1) It is remarkably on time. Like EXACTLY. 2) To my disappointment it didn't look like the Harry Potter train.