Friday, July 22, 2011

The Loooooong Trip Over-Part One

Well.  You know that saying "right across the pond"?  I used to say that.  Once you have had not one, but two not awesome experiences "across the pond", you realize that a 3,000 mile ocean is no pond.  I am only halfway joking as I know there are more serious issues in life than pleasant journeys :)

But, for real yo.  Check out our craaaazy 48 hour journey.

Friday:
9(am)-ish:  Get on train with a.) baby b.) stroller + carseat c.) 2 checked bags d.) 3 carry-ons
While on train, rearrange bags with Hubby.  Try to find the "best" way to carry all that crap.
9:15-ish: We have appoximately 2 mins to change trains...with a baby and all our crap
10:30-ish (ok, I am going to quit writing "ish".  Just know that I have no exact times!): Realize we are a carry-on short!  Which carry-on?  Why, the one with our diapers, our social security cards, our passports, our birth certificates, and our plane tickets.  Oh yeah, we are awesome.  And freaked out.  And now very, very sick to our stomachs.  Tell attendant who doesn't speak English.  Tell attendant via pantomime.  Attendant responds "Tell them in Nuremburg" and leaves us. Sad face.
12:30:  Arrive in Nuremburg.  Go to the office where you go when you are screwed.  Guess what?  Attendant doesn't speak English! Ok, to be fair, he spoke a little.  Enough to realize we are totally freaking out and need HELP.  Sit around entertaining poopy pants baby (diapers are in the lost bag, remember?  And we are in a German train station so noooo diaper stores!) while Hubs and attendant try to fix our situation. 
13:15-Attendant: "They did not find your bag".  Begin to hyperventilate. (Not really).
13:17-Ring, Ring! Attendant" Oh wait, they did find your bag".  Breathe again, just breathe.  This is what we have to do: rent a car, get a German road map, find a rinky dink town we have never heard of with no GPS, go get our bag, drive directly to Frankfurt to attempt to catch our 6pm overnight flight.  We go ask about a car.  Does the train station have one available?  Noooo.  However, the airport does and all we have to do is catch the subway, take a 15-min ride, and voila! We can have a car.  Go to ticket machine to buy tickets.  Insert 20 Euros.  Machine only takes 5 or 10 Euro bills.  Go to McDonalds to break our large bill.  Scarf down burger.  Feed baby french fries.  Buy tickets and get on Subway.
14:00-Get car. 
15:00-Arrive at rinky dink town and drive around for a looong time trying to find the train station. Get bag.  Feed baby real food and change poopy pants!
15:30-Give up on catching flight.  Decide to drive to Frankfurt in the hopes of getting on a later flight.  Call United and sit on hold for a full entire HOUR.  Run out of minutes on Hubby's cell phone.  Get out my cell phone and call mama!  Mama calls United and they tell her the plane is delayed so we still have hope of catching it.
18:00-Arrive at airport and watch our plane fly over our heads (can't know that for sure of course!).   Go to United desk, stand in line behind others.  German United worker to lady in front of us, "I must go".  Lady, "You are just going to walk away from us?" United worker, "Yes, I am".  What?  Excuse me?   Well, Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore...(but we really wish we were!).  Apparantly, the desk closes at 6.  On the dot.  Redonkulous. 

Ok, kids, I gotta stop.  I'm giving myself a friggin' headache reliving this trip.  Stay tuned for part two!! And a happier ending :)


See Part Two here