Advertisement
Published: August 14th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Our Van
This is Tdom Bah's new van. We're squeezing 8 of us in there plus pulling a trailer. Germany Day 1
So, I’m a little behind. I’ll backtrack.
Kim and I had a second wonderful day in Brugge, Belgium. We did some shopping, ate some more food, did some final, final shopping (Belgium is famous for chocolate, lace, waffles, beer, French? Fries (which should be called Belgium fries), and some more wonderful things that I can’t remember.
The couple next door left early in the morning. I think they had a fun night. The elder couple, Hazel and Mike (who I kept calling George for some reason) headed off for parts unknown, and Kim and I schlepped her two new lanterns by taxi, two different trains, and a tube back to her flat. They look really nice in her fireplace.
I packed for Germany, repacked, unpacked and gave up trying to consolidate into one suitcase. I have had fun shopping in London!
So Thursday we are up and I’m off to the airport heading for Germany. My taxi driver, Danny, and I became “friends” on our 45 minutes, 60 Euro drive to Heathrow, and he even gave me his email address so I can send him pics of our travels to different pow wows.
Roland and Annya
This is their 500 year old house. It has four levels. Actually it is big enough for all of us. They are so nice to put us up for four days. Danny must be in his late 60s and started dancing the Argentine Tango about four years ago. And no, I didn’t invite him to visit us in Tucson. I have sorta learned not to pick up strays during my travels!!!!!
Danny left me at the curb, and I dragged my two suitcases and two carryons inside the airport. Spotting a bunch of carts (and by the way carts are free in Europe), I, of course, went to the wrong end, couldn’t get the cart out, didn’t want to drag my bags back to the other end, left them, got a cart, and on the way back to my bags, two security guards pointed and asked if those were my bags. “Yes,” I said, starting to run with my cart back to my abandoned bags. “Don’t hurry,” they said, “it’s okay.”
After checking in, I made my way to the bag drop off spot. I managed to get one suitcase on the scale. Of course my carryons were in the path that I needed to haul the biggest, heaviest bag to the scale, but a nice gentleman standing behind me offered his assistance, and I said “thank you.” And
David Yazzie and Lee
So they just got off the plane after so many adventures. They're a little loopy! I was done! Wow. And who said Europeans don’t like Americans. Okay, so maybe I’m not in the European Union quite yet.
I had plenty of time. Decided to get some water. On the departure screen I saw what time my flight was leaving but no gate. Now, there are three terminals for British Airways: A, B and C. I have no clue what terminal to go to, and I can’t find any information on my ticket. Oh, there. Right there on the ticket is BA7045. Now the screens have BA, AA and CA. I’m thinking that’s it. B terminal, A terminal, C terminal. But I need to check. So after paying for my water, I asked the clerk if he could tell me what terminal I needed to go to, B? “Where did you get B from,” he questioned. “Right there,” I said pointing to BA7045. NOT! Okay, so BA stands for British Airways, and I guess AA is American. Whatever. He told me that about ½ hour before the flight the gate would show on the screen. He assured me that my flight would most likely depart from A terminal, but if it didn’t to come back
Pow Wow
One of the German vendor's trailers. and he would tell me how to get to the right terminal. Gee, another nice encounter.
I spent the next hour wandering around Heathrow expecting to see Lee and the group any minute. The gate information appeared on the screen. No Lee. I wait at the gate. No Lee. I get on the plane. No Lee. I knew that they had a very short time from arriving in Heathrow and leaving again to Germany.
They did not get on the plane. When I got to Germany, I picked up my bags, and first thing went to the British Airways info in baggage. I told the woman at the counter that I hadn’t lost my luggage, just my husband and four other people. Of course she couldn’t give me any information, German law, you know, but told me the next flight from Heathrow would arrive around 4:30 p.m.
I left baggage, went through the “Nothing to Declare,” hall and spotted Tdom Bah and Jackie and another woman I hadn’t met (Annya, whose 500 year old house we have now invaded). “Here comes the first one,” I heard Tdom Bah yell. Well, yes, first and last. After relaying the
Pow Wow German Style
They put up a big canopy for the arena. At least there is no ruts! sad information that Lee and group didn’t make it on the plane, and really who knew if they even made it to London. We went again to another British Airways representative. Tdom Bah was wearing our traveling group t-shirt, which has our names on the back, so at the counter he just turned around and told the woman to look for any one of five names listed on the back. Again, according to German law, she could not give out any information, but after a few minutes she told us that perhaps it would be a good idea if we were at the airport around 4:35. So nice! Another nice encounter and this time in Germany!
The house we’re staying out was only ½ hour from Frankfurt airport in Rodgeau, where our first pow wow will be held. So we went to the house, then the pow wow grounds and then back to the airport. I was relieved to see Lee coming out of baggage claim. We had everyone! Except for Elliott, the lead singer for Pumpkin Vyne. He had some major stumbling blocks put in front of him and he just couldn’t make it. But we still have
The Gang
Here they are! David Yazzie, John Oberly, Wil Gover, Lee Jackson, Tdom Bah and Mariah Gover. four drummers and Mariah and I can help sing backup.
Those guys looked whipped. Tired. A little cranky. Then Lee told me of their ordeals traveling to Germany.
Leaving Tucson, the airline rep for American (their first carrier from Tucson to Chicago) told them they couldn’t have two carryons on British Airways (the next leg of their trip), just one. I had told them they could have two. Frantically they managed to shuffle things around.
It was in Chicago that the trip started to become a nightmare. Mariah is still having to dress her foot where she had surgery. They had given her some bleachy stuff to put on it. Customs, security and the bomb squad were called in to deal with this bottle. It couldn’t go on the plane. They couldn’t hold it for her because they weren’t sure what might happen … would it explode? Mariah is pleading for them to just throw it away. Not worth all the commotion. She’d find something in Germany. She understands that she should have packed it in her checked luggage, but it was prescription and she didn’t think it create such an incident.
When they get to
The Village
People over in Germany go teepee camping instead of using tents. London they are assured that airline personnel would get Mariah off the plane first. Not. They were so slow, they missed their connection. Lee said the airline reps were really nice; gave them money for lunch.
Tdom Bah, Jackie, Annya and I were back at the airport at 4:45 and picked up our party. Went to the house, took out the luggage, back to the pow wow grounds and then to dinner for Weinnerschnitzel. The special of the night. Schnitzel however you wanted it. Mexican Schnitzel. Italian Schnitzel. Everyone ate good, and went back to the house for a good night sleep.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.197s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 9; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0726s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Susan
non-member comment
OMG
Oh no! will I'm so glad you all came together at last! yay! Love ya, big hugs Susan