Leaving home this morning was rough, my wife and I hate to be apart and on a trip this long it is near-impossible to say goodbye. I know sales guys and other types of that like a little time apart but we hate it. I know it affects her more than me but with both suffer mentally and physically when I have to travel.
I made things even worse because she dropped me off at the boss’s place and I had to make another round trip because I brought the wrong shoes with me. When she finally had to drive away I felt like my heart was going with her. All the excitement of traveling to a foreign country and learning German fell away in that heart-breaking moment. I wish more than anything she could have come with me or that I did not have to go.
Once we left for the airport I was amazed at how fast the time went; the hour drive to the airport and hour flight to Washington D.C. seemed to pass in a flash and now I find myself in the lounge of the D.C. airport waiting for my connecting flight that will take me over to Munich. It’s almost depressing to sit here and feel compelled to write about how much I miss home and hearth instead of how excited I am to be traveling.
Once I board flight UA902 for Franz Joseph Strauss airport I imagine I will feel different but I’ve heard nothing makes you feel the distance more than flying over the ocean. Since this is an over night flight I wonder if I will dream I am where I belong or if I will slumber to thoughts of adventure.
The flight over was less annoying that I thought a flight that long would be. We had a strong tail-wind and a good flight crew. There was some turbulence over the middle of the Atlantic and dinner was almost ruined but then I decided to not eat the airline food and dinner was saved. We flew on a 777 and it was the first time I have been on a plane that big. It had the 2X5X2 rows of seats like you see in the movies. I was lucky enough to score a window seat but because it was dark all I got to see was lights when we were over land.
As the flight descended into Munich I was amazed at how pastoral and agricultural the area was. Around a city Like Munich in the U.S. you would see tons of suburbs and McMansions. The airport was very modern and I was quite impressed until the first display screen I saw was the Blue Screen of Death in German. Customs and immigration we easy to breeze though and I sure will be in sharp contrast to returning home.
Once we got into the city via the subway/tram systems I was shocked by how clean and “safe” the city feels. There are more bicycles than cars which makes for a clean and efficient system when paired with a good public transportation system. I was pretty excited about this until I had to walk a few miles in the cold rain. Thank goodness my wife finished repairing my pull-over fleece or I would have been miserable. (Extra kisses for you when I get home sweets.)
We did have some time today to hit a simple German pub and have a drink while eating a quick snack of pretzels, sausage and a spicy mustard that made me fall in love with German food despite the things they call “food” that other countries call “processed meat for dogs”. I am not a beer fan but today I found a German Light Wheat that I would drink again if I can find it. I also enjoyed a glass of semi-sweet white wine before doing some basic tourism around downtown Munich.
We saw the Church of St. Michael and the Glockenspiel (not in motion) and many of the finer architectural highlights of the city. I spent some time learning German before coming over but it seems I wasted my time; by the time I get out, “I don’t speak German well.” they are answering me in bemused English. I think they appreciate my efforts, that or they are laughing at how bad my German really is.
As expected I miss my wife something awful and I often imagine her with me. I’d like to be able to point out some of the things I see to her. It’s also weird how my “types” of people fit in here. Many people I see on the street in a populated area share a surface similarity and that even carries over into there voice and speech. It’s very odd to see my “pinched face girl” or “dorky kid I grew up with” speaking German.
Internet access is spotty so I will try to upload as often as I can and out up a flickr photoset if you want to see some pictures.
