the "accident" and the flight home

Thursday, April 12, 2007
The “accident” and the flight home.

This is the day we go home. After the strange comedy of errors last night, and we are safely tucked into the inn just across the street from the rent-a-car place, it seems that nothing else can go wrong.

We all slept soundly, yet with strange dreams. John says that it is the high altitude of our time on the Zugspitz that affected our brains.

I didn’t hear John’s alarm go off at 6 AM and was the last one to wake up (boy is that rare!) Even though the planes from the airport fly directly over us, we never heard a thing. Must be the thick window.

By 7 AM we’re out the door. The morning is cool, but looks to be another warm and clear day for Germany.

Eric and I walk over to the rental car place and John drives the car. Just as he backs out I hear the scrape of the front right bumper on a rock. Yikes!

So when the cute rental car guy comes out to inspect the car he sees the scratch and says, well, we’re going to have to make a claim. This takes a few more minutes of phone calls to VISA (the card I used to rent the car).

We finally make it to the airport. Everything in and around this airport is very expensive! Our simple breakfast ran more than $35. A ½ liter of water is 3.50 euros, or close to $5 US. Eric couldn’t find a water fountain. Even so, there is something of the Munchen airport that is not commercial or crass. It’s a notch above.

We made I through the general security line, but travelers going to the USA have to go through a 2nd security. My toothpaste, which I had put in my backpack at the last minute, had to be confiscated.

Watching the people come and go I feel myself nestled into humanity, and a great fondness for each and all of these peoples in their endless facets and form. I find myself envying Greg (my Peace Corps nephew), with his vagabond, traveling lifestyle.

The Lufthansa flight home is cordial, if a bit snug. Our flight path takes us across the Northern Atlantic, but not as far north as the flight over. We cross southern England and Ireland, and then are over the open sea until we engage the North American continent at Newfoundland.

Euronews offers film footage of Paris models. I picked up a Danielle Steele novel at the Munich airport, and finish the book an hour before landing. I now know why I don’t need to read any more Danielle Steele novels (so trite!).