It feels surreal to be sitting here in the Charlotte International Airport with my good friend Jacob Hawkins (who will hereafter be affectionately referred to as Hawkins), waiting on our flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I woke up this morning still not believing this trip is actually happening, and here we are. This airport is enormous; I would venture a guess it's even larger than Reagan National that I flew into in Washington DC: past security is so large it looks like a mall from back home.
The drive to Charlotte was a simple one. All of my family came with us to see us off at the airport, and the trip through security was short and uneventful, thank goodness. For the first time in my life I saw an attendant in a bathroom...He was casually counting his tips with a towel draped over one arm and a bowl of mints at his elbow. For some reason all I could think of was the Looney Tunes Show.
We have about thirty minutes until we take off, and the next time I'm writing to you will technically be Day 2 of our trip...but for me it won't feel like it (YAY JET LAG!), so I'll just stick to one post. I'm starting to get excited. We'll be in Germany soon!
...As I checked in, the man who looked at my passport said "huh, I know a Creasy." I asked him what his name was, and he responded "Steve." Apparently, however, this Steve Creasy is from West Virginia, and works for US Airways. It's a small world.
As it turns out, every movie you've ever seen with the screaming child in the plane turned out accurate. I took a melatonin mom gave me to supposedly help me sleep, and I have white noise playing in my ear buds, but wouldn't you know it I can still hear that kid. This feels strangely similar to the 32 hour bus trip I took to Canada...still about five hours of our trip left.
Another update for you whitest we're on the plane: we have about 1.5 hours left, it's about 11 pm eastern time, and the sun is rising on the opposite side of the plane. Hawkins and I both have "slept" an hour-ish, and were just now awoken by the stewardesses offering coffee and muffins before we land. Currently it's -72°F outside, and we're just at 39k ft. We should touch down an hour early.
4,512 miles and 7 hours and 39 minutes later, at 6:40am local time, Hawkins and I landed in Frankfurt, Germany. Our adventure has begun!
We made it safely to our good friend Mr. Butch Smith's house in Frankfurt a few hours later. Both being exhausted, we are collapsing, surrendering for a few hours to jet lag. Oh, a bed has never felt so wonderful.
The rest of the day has been an absolute whirlwind. Here are a few things I have noticed, for your entertainment:
1) the average car in Frankfurt is an Audi. It's like seeing Hondas in the US.
2) I have yet to see a single natural red-head. I truly feel alone.
3) I am not tall compared to most people here. Some people make me feel short.
4) Interestingly enough, beverages in order of cost here are: wine, beer, and then water. The exact opposite of what they are in the States.
We started our touring by visiting a museum of Frankfurtian history, that dated all the way back to 1200ish. There, we saw lots of armour, swords, hand-paintings, and we even saw original polemics by Martin Luther. That was super cool. The architecture here is astounding, and everything is so much more quiet and relaxed compared to the constant bustle of America, even somewhere as small as my hometown. (Oh, if you'd like to keep up with photos for the trip, check here. I don't have time to creatively put them in posts. Jet lag, you know.)
As we walked through the town square just past the municipal building, we suddenly came upon a throng of angry, shouting people. As it turns out, it was a Palestinian protest, dealing with recent tensions between them and Israel. The German riot squad (looked similar to our SWAT team), a large police perimeter, and everything.
Escaping the protest (which was quickly overseen by a police helicopter and a news helicopter), we stopped by the remains of an old city guard tower turned into a restaurant (the bathroom was in the very top of the tower, so you could relieve yourself while you look over Frankfurt), and ritzy hotel that Mrs. Smith wanted us to see that featured a constant elevator. This particular elevator was different because it had sets of boxes that travel in a large oval shape from the lobby of the building all the way to the rooftop, and it never stops moving. Sound dangerous? It probably is. I nearly fell down the elevator shaft my first time getting in. Not really. But I wasn't graceful.
We finished our day at the Kanonesteppel, as authentic as German food gets. I ate Farmer's Style Bratwurst with sour kraut (yes Dad...I did in fact eat sour kraut), along with home-made mashed potatoes. I am now stuffed, sleepy, and quite content. If the food remains this good, I might gain 15 pounds (sorry, Virginia... ;) ).
The only sounds I can hear are an occasional car below, the whir of my own computer, and Mr. Smith's stone age old, "YOU'VE GOT MAIL." Not only are the Germans relaxed, but their builders are quiet and quaint: there is no air conditioning, and right now we don't need it. The temperature is perfect.
I could write to you for hours about all the new things I'm seeing here in Europe. It still hasn't dawned on me that I'm half way across the world. Getting used to the travel system here will be a challenge (as all directions are in German...go figure...), but I'm already greatly enjoying myself. Tonight, I go to bed satisfied, and expecting a wonderful internship ahead of me. Hawkins is succombing to jet lag beside me. A Skype call is all that is between me and the same fate.
Until next time, my dear reader! I can't wait to tell you more about our adventures.
Auf Wiedersehen!
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