Friday, May 14th---I have made it safely to Germany. Our plane was late taking off as we waited for passengers from a connecting flight. But luckily we took off before any thunderstorms hit. I had generously volunteered to give up my coach seat for one in first or business class. The gate agent asked what option I wanted to use for my upgrade. I don't think she was too impressed with my answer of, "the kindness of your heart". Obviously not since I remained in coach..... Even though the flight was overbooked I once again lucked out and the seat next to me was unoccupied. That makes such a difference. The regular route has been resumed, instead of going up over Greenland due to the volcanic ash.
The flight was OK. Once again I could not sleep on a plane, just dozed for a bit. I was glad I wore my jacket, as it was quite cool on the flight. We didn´t make up any time on the flight and landed about 25 minutes late. The idea of a red suitcase being easier to spot worked well, but the part that didn´t work out so well was that my suitcase was one of the last ones off the plane. By now it was only about 15 minutes till my train departed and I was rushing through the airport. I´d looked at the Frankfurt airport site and it looked like it was a simple ride to a lower level to get from customs to the train station. But, of course that wasn´t the case. Through the airport terminal, up a level, across a skybridge over the road, through the train station, figuring out which track I needed to go to and finallz down another level to the train tracks. But I made it with about three minutes to spare. I´d hoped to be able to stop for a little snack----because you know the airline breakfast was not overly generous---but didn´t want to risk it.
The train to Hannover was very comfortable, German trains are great. I did drop off to sleep a couple of times. It makes NO sense that I can sleep on a train, but not a plane. When I got off the train I realized that Heidi and I had not arranged where to meet. I looked around for her but didn´t see her. I was about to go downstairs to the terminal, when I heard someone call my name, and there she was.
After unloading my luggage and having a bit of lunch we set out. First we went to a cemetary. Which sounds odd, but it was so different than a typical American cemetary. It was much more like a park, with graves scattered here and there. There is a pretty lake with swans and ducks, and walking paths. There were several people walking. Many of the headstones were very old and elaborate. We had a nice walk around the lake and along the paths. Heidi said that family members are pay a fee for the upkeep of the gravesite. When someone chooses not to continue paying, or all the heirs have died the headstone is removed and someone else buried in that plot. She said that after her grandmother died her mother paid the fee for 25 years and then decided that was long enough. We do wonder what happens to the removed headstones, and what the material is used for.
Then we went to a nearby lake where Heidi's husband has his boat. We then walked along another path. I can see that I am going to get a lot of exercise!
We met Werner at an Italian restaurant at 7:15 and had a wonderful meal. I was starting to droop at this point, having been awake (more or less) for about 33 hours.
The flight was OK. Once again I could not sleep on a plane, just dozed for a bit. I was glad I wore my jacket, as it was quite cool on the flight. We didn´t make up any time on the flight and landed about 25 minutes late. The idea of a red suitcase being easier to spot worked well, but the part that didn´t work out so well was that my suitcase was one of the last ones off the plane. By now it was only about 15 minutes till my train departed and I was rushing through the airport. I´d looked at the Frankfurt airport site and it looked like it was a simple ride to a lower level to get from customs to the train station. But, of course that wasn´t the case. Through the airport terminal, up a level, across a skybridge over the road, through the train station, figuring out which track I needed to go to and finallz down another level to the train tracks. But I made it with about three minutes to spare. I´d hoped to be able to stop for a little snack----because you know the airline breakfast was not overly generous---but didn´t want to risk it.
The train to Hannover was very comfortable, German trains are great. I did drop off to sleep a couple of times. It makes NO sense that I can sleep on a train, but not a plane. When I got off the train I realized that Heidi and I had not arranged where to meet. I looked around for her but didn´t see her. I was about to go downstairs to the terminal, when I heard someone call my name, and there she was.
After unloading my luggage and having a bit of lunch we set out. First we went to a cemetary. Which sounds odd, but it was so different than a typical American cemetary. It was much more like a park, with graves scattered here and there. There is a pretty lake with swans and ducks, and walking paths. There were several people walking. Many of the headstones were very old and elaborate. We had a nice walk around the lake and along the paths. Heidi said that family members are pay a fee for the upkeep of the gravesite. When someone chooses not to continue paying, or all the heirs have died the headstone is removed and someone else buried in that plot. She said that after her grandmother died her mother paid the fee for 25 years and then decided that was long enough. We do wonder what happens to the removed headstones, and what the material is used for.
Then we went to a nearby lake where Heidi's husband has his boat. We then walked along another path. I can see that I am going to get a lot of exercise!
We met Werner at an Italian restaurant at 7:15 and had a wonderful meal. I was starting to droop at this point, having been awake (more or less) for about 33 hours.
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