Oktober 17 - Austin

We made it. What a long day. We took our first and only Taxi in Europe to the airport (tired of lugging the luggage and didn't want to waste time navigating the public transport) and it was a quick and short ride. Checked in, went through passport control, went through security and then had some coffee in the British Airways lounge.

Then, we went to our gate and had to go through a second security screening....with machine guns pointed at us. Well, not as aggressively as it sounds but they were pointed at the security area but the two Polizei were just chatting. Hopefully they root for the same Fussball team.

Got on the plane and settled in for a 10 hour flight to Atlanta. Watched 3 movies, ate twice, slept a little bit...how strange is it to ride the sun for so long. We left at 9:45 and arrived at 1:30 p.m. The next flight was not until 6:30 p.m. and because of storms that was delayed to 7:15 p.m. Luckily, we still had access to the Business Elite lounge so we went there and tried their Warsteiner beer...something we had plenty of in Germany...and it tasted soooo much worse! They pasteurize the beer before it comes to America and that makes it incredibly skunky! We need a secret hook-up, we think, to get contraband beer.... hehe! (Just kidding.)

Arrived in Austin at about 9 p.m. after a very long day...we did stay up until midnight, trying to trick our bodies into ignoring the jet lag, and I think it's working.

We are so amazed by Germany. We adore the country and still are blown away with how different each part of the country remains. In a time where each part of the United States simply looks the same (big box stores, strip malls, franchise eateries, boring glass box downtown skyscrapers) it was refreshing to see a country that retained its own cultural importance as well as architectural foundation.

Yeah, yeah, I know that the USA is a melting pot and and still a "new country" but Germany as well is incredibly diverse and its cities were absolutely leveled in WWII...but their conscious decision to "keep it real" made it an exciting country to visit.

Oh, and Austin needs public transport. Smaller cities in Germany have amazing public transportation...even Dusseldorf had an underground, light rail, and buses!

Thank you for all of your individual e-mails and well-wishes -- we were happy to share our experiences with you all! Also, a special thank you to Ryan's parents, Rich and Sandy, for keeping the homestead in perfect condition. Isaac was sooo surprised when we walked in the door, started squeeling and jumping all over his cage with pinpointed eyes! He still can't believe we're back and is still trying to feed Ryan (he thinks we don't eat outside of the home so obliges us with his leftovers). Thank you, Rich and Sandy!!!!!!!!

And since I am doing this update from the comfort of our couch, I can finally give you a couple previews....more to come!