Made it to Germany Safely

We made it safely to Germany and are now waiting in the hotel lobby for my German exchange student, her family and another young man who was also an exchange student to America this past year.  All is well, no ability to send photos, and I will try and write a summary tonight from my room.  The weather is a bit cloudy,  but a moderate temperature, and the scenery is very green.  It reminds me of an area I will be visiting in a week, Peach Tree City Georgia.

Since our student is so late, I will continue the blog of today.  Of interest is an e mail I received from my high school best friend who happens to be in Frankfurt.  I wrote him back and told him where we were too, and what if we were to hook up!!??  It is truly a small, small world.

This morning I saw my first sunrise in Cavtat and it was as beautiful as the sunsets.  I was packed to go and sitting in front of the Monastery by 6:15am; please be impressed.  No coffee!!!  I walked to the Villa where we had stayed our first three nights, but the staff was not there yet.  The cafes were not open yet.  I watched the fisherman going out to work on their boats and then Mom and Dad joined me.  Our cousins picked us up by 7:00am and we drove the very short distance to the airport. ( http://www.cavtat.com/93-links-en/official-sites/dbv-airport) They promised to wave to our plane as we flew over Cavtat, which we knew we would, literally.  It was sad to say goodbye to them.  It was a fantastic visit and we felt so welcome. Our stay was made all the more pleasant by having so much family there and so much love bestowed upon us.

Croatia Airlines provided a nice flight and the last sights of Croatia were beautiful as well.  We arrived safely in Germany.  Frankfurt airport (http://www.airportcity-frankfurt.com/cms/default/rubrik/9/9682.htm)  is absolutely gigantic and we spent  much of our time being lost there , trying to find United to upgrade our tickets from "sardines" to "tuna".  We bought outselves five more inches at about twenty bucks per inch.  Then we got directions to  the shuttle for our hotel. The fun began.  We went up a level in the airport as instructed and could not find the exit.  We were then instructed to go down.  We had two giant luggage carts that we were taking up and down the escalator.  No sooner did we get down and wander around that the next information booth told us to go up.  We took the luggage carts up again and found another booth.  You get the picture.   We went down next.  Finally we met a brilliant German woman who led us to the doors outside.  By this time we had been in Germany for two hours and not breathed the air outside, which, by the way, was pleasant.

Airports are interesting as you will note from the photo of the glider in the Croatia airport.  You will see also my pics representing  various ethnicities, including the one man who was dressing in the bushes across the street and putting on a very elaborate dress.  I think I might have been spied taking photos so I only got in three frames of this interesting form of dress.  We arrived at the Holiday Inn Airport North to plush accomodations and I look forward to a bath tonight!!!!!

In the lobby there is a sign- up board for "lust and massage".  I did not sign up but of course took a photo.  The rest of the words were in German.

Thanks to my sister back home for helping my daughter with her English project last night and I am sorry I missed the birthday bash for my nephew's 21st.  I understand my husband, youngest daughter, two sisters and all my nieces and nephews were there.  It sounds like it was great. There was no time for him to go to the bars for his 21st bday because he was working long hours for the Napa Valley Crush. I understand he went to the local grocery store, the Ranch Market instead,  but was disappointed to not be carded!!!  The next day he went to Blockbuster Video and was carded for a movie!  They wanted to be sure he was seventeen years old!

I am looking forward to being home tomorrow.  We are still waiting now for my German student to arrive.

Ciao,  as I think they say in Germany!!!

PART TWO

WE JUST RETURNED FROM OUR WHIRLWIND TIME WITH my students and their family  THEY HAD BEEN STUCK IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC:  FINALLY THEY ARRIVED!!!  We took two taxis and toured Frankfurt for about one hour and a half.  The majority of my pictures were taken from a cab window, but you will get the idea.  What a difference!!!  i enjoyed the experience and tried hard not to compare to Cavtat!!!  Upon our return to the hotel, we went to a German restaurant.  We really had a good time and they brought a suitcase full of gifts!  I have no idea at all where i am going to put these things in my already full suitcases.  Upon return to the room I had a note under my door from hotel staff that my high school friend had called and tried to hook up with me.  The hilarious part was the translation made from the phone call by the German speaking staff.  I can't wait to show him the letter they wrote.  I am trying to think of any pictures I would need to explain but most of them are of houses and  churches.  One is of a community garden and one is of a nursery.  Since most of the houses have no yards whatsoever, they have giant communitg#y gardens where people can plant fruit trees, vegetables and flowers and even sheds for gardening and picnic areas as well.  people can host garden parties in their little garden.  next door to the community gardens are usually nurseries.  we were also taken to a community place similar to the town of cavtat but there were absolutely no people to be seen and the cab driver explained this was due to the recession.  Things are not so great here.  it was interesting to us that a good part of our tour was them taking us around to show us the homes of "rich people."

anyway we upgraded our flights and leave tomorrow and i am sooo glad to be coming back home to my family whom i miss sooo much.  xoxoxo  love, denise