Our first Icelandic adventure: Flying back to Germany! (part thirteen)

Saturday, September 7th got off to an early start. We had a 10:20 AM flight to Frankfurt on Icelandair. Since Reykjavik is about a 45 minute drive from the airport, which is located in Keflavik, Iceland Luxury Tours arranged for a driver to pick us up from the Saga Hotel at 7:30 AM. Breakfast at the hotel starts at 7:00 AM, so we didn’t really have time to eat before we left. Fortunately, because we were flying in Saga Class (business), we had access to the lounge at the airport.

The driver arrived right on time in an immaculate black Audi electric car. She was tall, slim, and dressed all in black. I noticed she had beautifully manicured nails, too. Our drive to the airport was very peaceful, as the car made barely a sound and delivered a extremely smooth and comfortable ride. I found myself thinking I wouldn’t mind owning such a vehicle myself! I got a few shots of the sun peeking through the clouds. We also noticed that the volcano that was active when we arrived on August 29th was no longer spewing lava. Instead, there was just a lot of smoke.

The airport was a bit of a madhouse, as there were many people wanting to catch flights. We managed to find the Icelandair baggage drop off. I got lectured by the woman who took our bags because my SOFA card and COVID vaccination card were loose in my passport. She told me I shouldn’t keep the SOFA card there because it could fall out. I quickly, but politely, corrected her, mainly because I was a little pissy and not in the mood for a lecture from someone who obviously didn’t know that the SOFA card is basically akin to my visa. Yes, it should have ideally been taped or paper clipped in there, but it also really does need to stay with my passport.

As for the COVID card, there was a time not long ago when that was an essential travel document. Most professional people can handle looking at a passport and not losing any loose documents that are kept within it. Anyway, I wasn’t in the mood for her shit. I just wanted to get on with the transit part of the trip. She made Bill drop off one of his bags at the oversized luggage desk, not because it was oversized, but because it had straps that couldn’t be removed. In the process of dropping off that bag, we got stuck behind some guy who had a big case (either some kind of musical instrument or a firearm) that blocked the way. He kept having to stop and maneuver the case through the awkward line.

Finally, with the bags dropped off, we headed for security, which was also annoying. The airport in Keflavik doesn’t have sophisticated screening machines. You just walk through a metal detector. Naturally, I forgot to take off my watch, and my shoes set off the detector. There weren’t enough bins to put stuff in, either. But finally, we were through that nut roll, and on our way to the Icelandair lounge.

I had heard the lounge in Reykjavik was nice. I would say that it wasn’t a bad place to spend some time. There was plenty of seating and a breakfast buffet, as well as the usual drinks. Bill and I had a small breakfast. Then he decided to try one last thing before we left… a parting shot, if you will. When Bill was in Iceland for the first time, he had the opportunity to taste Brennivín, which is Iceland’s signature distilled spirit. I remember he brought some home, and I hadn’t liked it. Although the hour was early, he decided to try it one more time before we left the island. I tried it, too, and liked it somewhat better.

We didn’t bring any back with us this time…

Finally, it was time to board the aircraft. We were in seats 2D and 2 F. Saga Class wasn’t full on our return to Germany. In retrospect, I wish we’d asked to move back a row, since no one was sitting in row three, and the people in front of us were shameless recliners. I know they had the right, and all, but the guy sitting in front of Bill slammed his seat back as soon as we were in the air and left it that way the whole flight, even when we were eating.

Even in business class, reclined seats make it a lot harder to get in and out of the seat to get to the bathroom. At one point, I had to contort my body such that I lost my balance and fell over. The woman with the guy, who sat in front of me, was at least polite when she reclined. The guy in front of Bill was a total jerk, as was evidenced when it came time to disembark. He had a bunch of airline privilege cards openly displayed on his carry on bag, at least one of which showing his name. So not only was he an inconsiderate clod, he was also kind of stupid. He probably gave me COVID, too… or maybe I gave it to him. 😉

Below are some photos from the flight:

The flight was very smooth and uneventful, except for the guy in front of us. I was very pleased with Icelandair and would happily book them again. The only thing I don’t like is that I signed up for Saga Points and they haven’t been awarded yet. And when I tried to add them manually, my request was automatically rejected. Oh well… I probably won’t have much occasion to fly Icelandair much, anyway. It’s still irritating, though, when these things don’t work properly. Below are a few sky photos… I think these are actually backwards. The ones at the bottom are of Iceland and the ones directly below are Germany and continental Europe.

Once we landed in Frankfurt, we had a short walk to baggage claim (for once!) and then a short wait for our bags. I was a little nervous, because we still had to pick up the dogs and, because of the two hour time difference between Iceland and Germany, we arrived back in the middle of the afternoon. But it all turned out okay… we quickly found a cabbie who got us home speedily, and with no trouble. Then, after we started the first of a few loads of laundry, we headed off to the Hundepension to get Charlie and Noyzi.

Normally, Bill handles picking up the dogs by himself, but Charlie isn’t very comfortable with car rides yet. He plants his feet and backpedals, and Bill was worried he might need help. So I went with him to get the dogs, and I made a video of our reunion!

Excuse my laugh…

As you can see, they both did fine at the Hundepension. Natascha, who takes good care of our boys, said Charlie was so cute! His helicopter tail was going full blast. I would have liked to have let them get acquainted with a shorter visit before our Iceland trip, but there simply wasn’t time for it. Fortunately, there were no issues, and Charlie did brilliantly. He also didn’t have trouble getting into the car. I think maybe he’s afraid he’s going to be dumped when he goes in the car. Noyzi used to be afraid of the car, too. Now, he LOVES car rides. Hopefully, Charlie will get there, too.

Well… that about does it for my “blow by blow” account of our Iceland trip. I will write my usual “ten things I learned” post next, and then perhaps it’ll be time to move on from Iceland. I’m not sure where our next trip will be. At this point, we’re thinking about Spain, but that’s not definite yet. We’ll see.

In other news, as of yesterday, I am now COVID free! 😀

advice, airlines, dog rescue, dogs, pets, rants

A rant about the CDC’s new rule about importing pets…

If you are a regular reader of my blogs, you know that I have two adorable furry family members. At this writing, our dogs are Arran and Noyzi. Prior to our acquisition of Noyzi, we had another dog named Zane, who sadly died of lymphoma on August 31, 2019. The featured photo today is of Zane and Arran on August 2, 2014, when we flew from Houston, Texas to Frankfurt, Germany on a Lufthansa flight.

Bill and I have always had dogs. Next month, we will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. Our dogs have been our family members, because we were not able to have children. Although I don’t require an emotional support animal, I do rely on my dogs to keep my company when Bill travels. Prior to the pandemic and, more specifically, the new CDC restriction on bringing animals into the United States, it was a pain in the butt to move abroad with pets. Now, it’s become a real hassle for people who have to return home from living overseas. I fear that this new rule may cause a lot of pets to be abandoned. Here in Germany, that is bad news, since Americans already have a terrible reputation for abandoning their pets when it’s time to move. It really sucks for those of us who are dedicated pet owners.

This morning, The New York Times ran an article about the new rule and how it affects people who travel with their pets, or Americans who live abroad. I am a subscriber to The New York Times and have gifted this article, so you should be able to click the link and read it for free. I am a member of a Facebook group for people who are “PCSing” with pets, and there’s been a lot of worry about how to get dogs and cats safely to places abroad. Many of the people traveling with pets are young folks who don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on hiring pet shippers. And many of the people in Germany or other countries with pets brought their animals before this new rule suddenly went into effect. I have noticed that the government has, sort of, been trying to gradually phase in the most draconian parts of this new rule. But they still pose a huge problem for a lot of people who make their living abroad.

My dogs have always flown as “excess baggage”, which means they flew on our flights in the hold of the aircraft. That is the most economical way to transport pets. When Bill was still in the Army, our dogs flew on United Airlines and Delta Airlines respectively. Last time we flew with dogs, back in 2014, they flew on Lufthansa, which is a wonderful airline for pets. The luggage hold on Lufthansa is light and temperature controlled, and the animals are loaded at the last minute, so they don’t have to sit on the tarmac. But the United States government has a rule that makes using pet friendly airlines tricky for people who are flying on the government’s dime.

Because of the Fly America Act, people who are flying on taxpayer funds must use an American carrier for as far as possible. At this writing, only a handful of American carriers are still allowing pets to fly. Some people can get around that rule by booking their flights on a codeshared flight. Say you’re flying to Germany. To comply with the Fly America Act, you should be booking your flight on United or Delta. But you can book a Lufthansa flight through United and still be in compliance. Of course, thanks to COVID-19 and the new CDC rule, it’s gotten much harder to book flights. Some airlines won’t fly animals in the baggage hold anymore. Some will only fly small animals in the cabin, which can be problematic for those who have pets who are too big. Military servicemembers can sometimes use the rotator (Patriot Express) to fly their pets, but spots are limited and book up very quickly. I have read a lot of horror stories from stressed out servicemembers trying to figure out how to get their pets home.

Many people have used pet shippers to fly their pets. I suspect that if and when Bill and I have to move to the States with pets, we will have to use a shipper. Noyzi is a big dog, and he will probably need a special crate. He isn’t very heavy, but he’s tall and long bodied, and there are very specific rules on the sizes of the carriers that can be used. I have been saving money, because I’m sure he’s going to need to go cargo with a pet shipper, and that costs several thousand dollars, as opposed to the couple hundred per pet charged when flying them as excess baggage. Flying with a shipper is also a hassle, since it involves the dog going through a different part of the airport and possibly not coming on the same flight. We are currently fortunate enough to be able to afford a shipper, but not everyone is.

All of this is a real pain for anyone with pets and living abroad, but what is actually prompting me to write this morning are the negative, ignorant, and dismissive attitudes I’ve seen in some of the comment sections on the articles I’ve seen about this new CDC rule. I get that a lot of pet owners have done some “crazy” things, like bringing their emotional support kangaroos or peacocks on planes. I also understand that there’s been some very bad press about animals dying because they were transported in weather that was too hot or cold, or because someone put them in the overhead bin (which is just plain stupid). But there really must be a safe, affordable, and accessible way for people to travel with animals. Especially if we’re serious about not abandoning pets at shelters. This new rule is going to cause issues from negative troop morale to hostile host country relations. It will probably also result in a lot of wonderful pets dying or being abandoned.

So many comments on The New York Times article were from people who wrote things like, “It’s just an animal” or “Good! I hate flying with pets!” or “Americans who live overseas shouldn’t have pets.” This self-centered attitude is really distressing to me. I don’t have a problem with my dogs flying under the cabin, but it should be safe and affordable. And people should not be so narrow-minded and shitty about people who need to move their pets. A lot of these self-entitled twits are the same ones who condemn other people for needing to rehome their pets. It would be nice if people, in general, would have more empathy and understanding for those who aren’t like them. I get that some people have allergies or don’t like animals. I don’t like dealing with some people or their kids… some of them give me a rash or a pain in the ass. It is what it is. Flying is a hassle for everybody.

One lady kept writing about how when she was a “military kid living overseas”, her parents didn’t allow her to have pets. She implied that those of us in that situation should “suck it up” and live without pets. I finally had to offer her a cookie and a reminder that as a military “brat”, she should know that military families are diverse. To some military families, pets are beloved companions who make life easier and more worthwhile. And while it may not be practical to have pets when there’s a chance one could move overseas, life happens to everyone. Sometimes people in civilian jobs get the opportunity or find that they must move abroad. There should be a solution for those people, too.

In my case, I was not able to have children, and I’ve followed my husband to several different states and twice to Germany for his career. The career I planned for in public health and social work, back when I was single, has turned into blogging. I know a lot of people don’t think my blogs are worth anything, but they give me a reason to get up in the morning. My dogs help keep me sane and happy, especially when he travels. I don’t have a lot of human friends. We rescued Noyzi from Kosovo, where he lived outside with a bunch of other dogs. He wasn’t being abused in that environment, but he’s much happier having a family. Every day, we get to see him evolve and become more loving and trusting toward us. It’s very rewarding for us, and, I imagine, for him.

When we moved to Germany with Zane and Arran in 2014, the rules were already stricter than they had been in 2007 and 2009, when we flew with our previous dogs. Now, they have become downright oppressive. We made the choice to move here in 2014 because we wanted to live in Germany, but it was also the only place where Bill had a firm job offer after his Army retirement. It was either move to Germany, or be unemployed and soon land in dire financial straits. The move was a good one for us, but thanks to this new rule from the CDC, we’re going to have to do what we can to stay here for as long as possible. Abandoning our dogs isn’t an option, and it shouldn’t be something people are forced to do over well-intended, but impractical, rules imposed by the CDC.

Noyzi has really become relaxed and loving since he joined our family. He *has* to stay with us. We can’t abandon him after watching him come so far.

At this point, Germany is not on the list of high risk rabies countries, nor are other countries in the European Union. But because of the CDC’s new rule, a lot of European airlines are not wanting to transport animals. They don’t want to deal with the hassle. And who can blame them for that? After January 2022, it’s going to be a lot harder to bring animals into the United States, because only three “ports” will allow them to enter– Atlanta, JFK in New York City, and Los Angeles. That will cause backups for sure. I truly hope this rule will be amended or abolished at some point soon. Otherwise, Bill and I will have to stay here until Noyzi crosses the Rainbow Bridge. At twelve years old, we may not have to worry about Arran for too many more years… although he’s proving to be a real scrapper in his old age.

Rant over for now… tomorrow, we go on vacation, and the boys go to the Hundepension. Hopefully, it will go off without a hitch, and I can write some new content about actual travel.

Edited to add: Here’s a link to a book review I wrote about a lady in Virginia who, along with her mom, adopted dogs from Turkey. Military and government employees aren’t the only ones affected by this ruling. She rants about the new rule in her book, too.

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Cross post: A pox on people who don’t leash their dogs…

This post also appears on my main blog. I am reposting it here because it has to do with living in Germany. I’ve noticed that even though a lot of Germans think Americans are crappy pet owners, some of them aren’t so responsible themselves.

We’re expecting a few packages today, but the weather is really nice– sunny and kind of warm– so I decided to walk the dogs a little earlier than usual. Actually, this is more like a return to an old habit. When we lived near Stuttgart, I used to walk them in the mornings as a matter of course, but lately I’ve been walking them later in the day.

Arran has me a little worried. His poop is looking kind of abnormal. Parts of it look normal and parts are dark brown/black and greenish. I know he’s been having some digestion issues lately. We took him to the vet last month and had him checked for worms, which they didn’t find. But although he’s pretty perky and playful, he’s not his usual self. He’s also gained some weight lately, which may be causing acid reflux (maybe he also has another mast cell tumor, although I haven’t seen it).

In any case, on our walk, we had to wait for the trash truck, which was maneuvering out of our narrow, crowded street and down the one way road out of the neighborhood. Then we made our way through the main drag, which is narrow and crowded with cars parked on the street. The sidewalks are also crowded with trash bins. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief as we were turning down a pedestrian area where people keep their gardens. I noticed Arran was about to poop and I wanted to have a look at it before I threw it away.

I noticed a guy with an athletic looking female dog approaching as I bent down to pick up Arran’s poop. I had managed to scoop up the shit, noticing that it looked somewhat more normal, although I think I saw some remnants of a toy in the last turd. My dogs were both on leashes, although Arran’s is a Flexi-lead tape leash. He probably doesn’t need it anymore, since he doesn’t run as much as he used to.

Guy with athletic female dog did not have her leashed. She started barking at Arran as I was finishing cleaning up the poop. She also lunged at him, which caused him to lunge back. German guy grabbed his dog, but still didn’t have her secure. So I was trying not to get shit on my hands while handling two dogs who were leashed. Meanwhile, his unleashed bitch was harassing Arran.

*This is one reason why Noyzi is always leashed. He runs like a freight train.*

I probably gave him a super annoyed look. I didn’t say anything, since my German sucks… but I’m sure all he needed to know was written all over my face. Then I noticed another person with an unleashed dog, but he stayed out of the altercation and was obviously better trained. His owner managed to get him in her house before he got into any trouble.

Seriously, though… why not put your dog on a leash? Especially when you see someone is trying to be responsible and clean up dog shit, plus they have two dogs they’re juggling? Fortunately, this time, no one got hurt. This is not the first time someone’s out of control dog has intruded on my dog’s space. One time, it happened when a dog was able to climb out of his fenced yard. We were living at Fort Belvoir, an Army installation, at the time. He attacked my beagle, Flea, who was feisty but only weighed about 25 pounds to the other dog’s much larger stature. We ended up with a $200 vet bill, thanks to that incident.

My dogs are ALWAYS on leashes. Until we got Noyzi, our dogs have always been beagles, and we can’t let them go off leash because their noses can get them into trouble in a hurry. Aside from that, I don’t fancy having one of them get a bee in his bonnet and wind up on the Autobahn, which is very close to our house. We already lost one dog to that deadly highway last year.

The guy hurried ahead on the trail. I noticed his dog was staying by his side… until she wandered out into the field and took a big crap. Naturally, he didn’t bother to clean it up. That doesn’t really surprise me at all. Asshole. At least the weather is better. Here are a few recent photos from the neighborhood. They were taken last week.

adventure, Long trips

Volvo, Mark Knopfler, and East German adventures… part eight

Friday morning, we got up and had breakfast. The Steigenberger has a pretty good buffet offered, though I somehow missed half of it on the first morning. My only complaint, besides the coffee being kind of bad, is that some of the chairs were a bit narrow. I don’t have a skinny butt by any means, but I can’t help but think of those larger than me trying to sit down. Even Bill, who isn’t a large man, commented on the “snug” feel of the mauve colored chairs in the breakfast room. However, on the last day, we sat in the black ones, and they were a lot more comfortable.

After breakfast, we walked around Leipzig, enjoying the energy of the place. I wish I had done a bit more research before we arrived in town, since there are some interesting churches and museums there that we missed.

A big day in Leipzig’s history. Once behind the East German borders, Leipzig is now a freewheeling, vibrant city. Although the first demonstrations happened the previous month, it started to become that way on October 9, 1989, when there was a huge peaceful demonstration among the people of Leipzig. It was just after the 40th anniversary of the GDR’s existence. For two years, there were Monday demonstrations in Leipzig, demanding change for the people.

This was just outside St. Nicholas Church, which is a Lutheran church where protesters gathered. We didn’t get a chance to look inside the church, since they were doing renovations.

Like Rostock, Leipzig also has a university. It’s one of the world’s oldest universities and the second oldest in Germany, having been founded on December 2, 1409. Leipzig University was one of the first in Germany to allow women as “guest students”. During the Nazi era, many Jews had their degrees “cancelled”. Some were reinstated during the East German era.

Leipzig’s “Hochhaus”, a 36 story skyscraper… probably the only real one in Leipzig. The building, which was erected between 1968 and 1972, was designed by architect Herman Henselmann to look like an open book. It was originally part of Leipzig University, but was later sold to the city, which then sold it to the U.S. investment bank, Merrill Lynch. The offices are rented to tenants and the top floor has an observation platform, as well as a restaurant called Panorama.

After strolling through some of Leipzig’s beautifully constructed passages, we had a nice Greek lunch at Alfa Restaurant.

Bean soup… I guess it came with the meal.

Obligatory shot of Bill.

Salads…

Bill had gyros with fries and t’zatziki.

I had “surf and turf”, which was gyros with fried calamari and tomato rice. This was a lot of food, but it was well prepared and the waiter was very nice.

The sun briefly came out, so we decided to go back to the wine fest, where we tried more wines… In retrospect, we probably should have gone to museums instead. But what can I say? We like our wine.

But soon the clouds were out again…

Most of the wines were German, but some weren’t. The ones above were from the lone Hungarian vintner who attended.

Although I got us a parking spot for the Mark Knopfler concert, Bill decided he’d rather hire a cab to take us to the show. We also wanted to get there early, remembering what happened when we saw Elton John in Stuttgart back in May. I had ordered “special tickets”, which got us assigned seats, a wurst and a beer at the snack bar, and a parking spot. I didn’t actually know where we’d be sitting, since the seats were assigned by the ticket outlet. Well… it turned out we were on the third row on the ground floor. They were AWESOME seats, especially since there weren’t any big screens. Here are a few pictures from Knopfler’s show in Leipzig. I see I can also order a recording of the Leipzig show in a few weeks. Genius!

The arena.

The view before the show started.

There he is…

He had a wonderful band… although Knopfler himself looked a bit tired at first. He perked up as the show went on and put on a great performance.

I could not keep my eyes off of these two guys, who were playing multiple instruments so well. They looked and sounded like they were plucked from some lovely meadow in Ireland or Scotland and recruited to follow Knopfler.

I did not record any part of Knopfler’s show, but I want to mention that he has no objections to people audio recording or taking pictures, so long as they are for personal use. I think that is a very generous and ultimately smart policy, because people are going to do it anyway and it’s pretty much impossible to police. Hell, even at The Eagles’ concert, where they specifically asked for no cameras, people were openly recording. Knopfler does state that iPads and video recording isn’t allowed. People ignored that rule.

The sax player was badass, too. He was so good… especially on “Your Latest Trick”, which is one of my favorite Dire Straits songs.

I loved that Mark Knopfler was showing off the band and obviously really appreciating what they can do. I also liked that he shared a couple of personal stories about the songs he played… just a sampling of his amazing catalog of Dire Straits and solo efforts. I’d been wanting to see him for years and this show was worth the wait.

Security was mostly very good at this show. I noticed a lot of them sitting on the floor, making sure no one misbehaved or sneaked into areas they shouldn’t be. This was how it went until the very end of the concert, when a huge swath of people suddenly surged to the stage. Everyone was forced to stand up. I can deal with that and expect it… but not this.

This barefoot tall twit got up on her chair…

and started dancing while filming… and I couldn’t help but hope she fell into an open manhole on her way home… Seriously, I was really pissed. She could have fallen and hurt someone (namely me), plus who can see when people do this shit? It’s just very inconsiderate and potentially dangerous behavior. I was half tempted to yank her chair out from under her. But while I may fume a lot, I have pretty good control of my physical impulses.

After the show, Bill was unsuccessful in getting a cab. We ended up walking all the way back to the hotel. I was really pissed about that, too, since I wasn’t wearing the best shoes for walking. My feet were burning and I was still really incensed about the idiot in front of us at the concert. As a consolation, Bill suggested we go to the bar for a nightcap. So we did… We sat down at the bar. I was still in a crappy mood. The bartender suggested gin and tonics. I looked up and…

“Don’t look now, but that’s Mark Knopfler’s band…”

Apparently, they decided to stay at the Steigenberger, too. I was tempted to tell them how much we enjoyed the show, but decided not to approach them. They worked hard and deserved a break without someone bothering them. So we sat there and sipped our gin and tonics… then…

Mark Knopfler himself showed up. He sat in the back of the bar and did not call attention to himself. He passed right by me on his way to the elevator after spending about forty five minutes in there, hanging out with his band. They appeared to be a tight, friendly group.

I said goodnight to one of the vocalists, who said he was on his way out to party. It was very surreal. Apparently, that hotel gets its share of star guests. As we were leaving, another well known rock star– Sting– was in the sauna taking a day off from his European tour, even though the star in the sauna hadn’t played there. I guess he decided to stop in Leipzig precisely for that reason. This sauna loving rock star is one I saw in Stuttgart a few years ago and has himself appeared on one of Dire Straits’ biggest hits.

Once again… special thanks to my dear husband, Bill, for making this dream come true. One of the very first albums I ever owned was Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits. I had it on cassette and used to listen to it on my Walkman as I rode my bike to and from the barn where I boarded my horse back when I was a teenager. It’s an excellent album regardless, but I have some great memories of it thanks to the association I have of listening to it during my horsey days. I miss them so much now.

Baden-Württemberg, Böblingen

Lunch, lounging, and “littles” at the Mineraltherme…

I gave serious thought to going to the Sindelfingen Street Fest this afternoon. Then I looked up at the cloudy sky and decided I’d rather spend the afternoon naked with a bunch of Germans. I told Bill we should go to a spa, since it’s been ages since our last visit. Poor Bill is such a good sport. Although he knows I love a good spa day, the thought of going to one strikes dread in his heart, especially when we go to ones that have textile free areas or are entirely textile free. But he loves to make me happy and he can’t deny that after a few hours at the spa, he always comes home relaxed.

Bill takes a deep breath before enduring the horror of bathing suits.

At first, I was kind of wanting to visit the Schwabenquellen, mainly because when we went the last time, it was a lot less crowded than the Mineraltherme in Böblingen usually gets. However, the Schwabenquellen’s restaurant is not as good as the Mineraltherme’s is, and it’s not as close to where we live. It’s also entirely textile free, which I know Bill is leery about. Sure enough, when I made the suggestion, he said he preferred Böblingen, so that’s where we went.

We arrived at the Mineraltherme at a little after one o’clock and enjoyed a very nice lunch. Of the spas I’ve been to in this area, I would say the Mineraltherme has the best restaurant. It offers somewhat healthy, upscale dishes instead of the usual pizzas, burgers, and brats offered elsewhere. Today’s lunch was no exception. We each enjoyed wine– I had a Riesling and he had a Gray Burgundy, along with our usual sparkling water.

They brought out a very nice lentil salad amuse. It was well seasoned with cumin and filled out with eggplant. I don’t usually love eggplant, but I did enjoy this.

Our waitress was pleasant and spoke English. Bill ordered one of the specials, spaghetti with tuna mixed in a tomato sauce, pictured below.

It was a pretty big dish! He said it was tasty.

A moment of seriousness before it was time for me to try my dish…

I had a “Kartoffel trifft Fische”, a baked potato covered in sour cream and served with smoked salmon and a simple green salad. I enjoyed this dish, although I wish I had asked them to go very easy on the sour cream. I don’t like sour cream that much and even if I did, I wouldn’t use as much as is pictured here. But the salad and smoked salmon were really enough to satisfy me anyway.

Lunch came to just over 40 euros. Because we hadn’t yet entered the spa, we paid for it in cash. I always enjoy eating at the Mineraltherme. I wish other spas had restaurants as nice as theirs.

Then we got in line to pay basic admission and get our wristwatches, which allow you to purchase things without using cash in the spa and keep track of your time. At this writing, it’s 12 euros per adult to visit the upstairs and part of the downstairs portions of the Mineraltherme. If you want to go into the Saunagarten, which is textile free, you have to pay another 6 euros. This is done by scanning your wristwatch at a turnstile. On your way out of the spa, you pay a machine for any refreshments or other extras you get while you’re in the spa.

After we paid our admission, we went into the unisex locker room, which is full of small dressing rooms so you can “suit up” in private. The Mineraltherme underwent a large renovation last year and they made some improvements to the locker room and some of the other facilities. We spent the first hour or so enjoying the pools upstairs, which require the use of a bathing suit. It was somewhat busy when we first got there, but not too bad. But then, as time went on, the spa began to fill up. I started noticing some rather inconsiderate behavior, which I’ll be bitching about in the following paragraphs.

One thing I don’t really like about the Mineraltherme experience on weekends is that it gets very crowded. People bring their kids and act as if the spa is a Freibad. I don’t really have so much of a problem with the kids up in the clothed area. I accept that parents like the spa and they’re going to bring their children. Most of the children at the Mineraltherme have been well-behaved, although I did see a couple of them hogging the pool noodles and not being very careful about where they were swinging them. I didn’t need a pool noodle myself; I pretty much float on my own. However, I did almost get beaned by one when one of the inattentive kids was horsing around. I don’t find having to duck pool noodles a very relaxing experience, but I’m willing to accept that kids are welcome there. So be it.

I have more of a problem with people who bring their young children into the textile free area. Technically, youngsters under 18 are allowed down there if they are with an adult. Personally, I think it’s a bad idea to bring children into that area. It’s not because I’m uptight about nudity. On the contrary, I’m all for it among consenting adults. Consider this, though. In the textile free area, the adults are walking around naked or wearing a towel or a robe. You’ll see all kinds of things that might need explaining or cause uncomfortable staring, even if you do your best to avert your eyes. For example, I saw one guy today with a very large metal ring hanging off of the end of his junk, Prince Albert style. I don’t have kids myself, but I can just imagine explaining that one to a nine year old.

Also consider that people drink alcohol down there, just as they also do in the upstairs area. It seems to me that adults drinking booze while naked is not necessarily compatible with hanging around with school aged children. And… this is a big thing for me… the adults have paid an entrance fee so they can relax and unwind. That is what spas are for.

Where’s Alice to set people straight when we need her?

I don’t find it very relaxing when a kid is hogging the jets in the pool, screaming and yelling, running amok, or staring. I have less of a problem with kids watching couples practically fucking in the pool, which frequently happens at the Mineraltherme, than I do with them watching egregious violence on TV. On the other hand, I’m not sure it’s something that they necessarily need to be seeing. In fact, I’m not sure it’s something I need to be seeing, either. But whatever… when in Rome (or Germany), right?

I counted at least five grade school aged kids in the textile free area today. I also saw a few American youngsters who appeared to be high school aged. They were loudly making jokes about bringing dates to the spa. One of them was squirting water with his hands, like an oyster, and basically acting like he was at a naked pool party.

I know nudity is much more acceptable here in Germany than it is in the United States, but it’s still kind of a shock to my American sensibilities when I see young kids hanging out in the nude area of a spa, where grown people are trying to relax. I think it’s inconsiderate for people to bring their kids in there. It’s kind of akin to people who bring young kids on luxury cruises that aren’t equipped for kids. It’s not really fair to the children or the other adults who have paid the price of admission. Naturally, a day at the spa costs a lot less than a week on SeaDream I, but the concept is still the same.

Anyway… I don’t plan to write a letter of complaint or anything. It was just something I was thinking about today at the spa. I did leave there feeling more relaxed than I did when I came in and I’m sure I’ll go back another time. I probably ought to show up in the mornings on weekdays, when kids are more likely to be in school, or maybe find a place that is strictly for adults. I just think the local Freibad is probably a better place for kids to be, rather than the spa. But that’s just little ol’ childfree me, sharing my opinion. Incidentally, I also hate the term “littles” for children, but it is what it is.

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Blind booking #4: Berlin! Part 5

Yesterday was our last day in Berlin. Our flight did not leave until 5:55pm, so we had all day to spend in the city. The Adina Apartment Hotel Berlin Mitte is very accommodating. We were able to leave our bags at the hotel while we visited Berlin’s TV Tower. I have visited Stuttgart’s TV Tower twice so far. I expected that Berlin’s tower would be similar. Actually, it was a bit different in that the whole thing is enclosed indoors, whereas Stuttgart’s tower allows visitors to go outside.

Berlin’s TV Tower has a restaurant and a bar and, if you pay extra, you can reserve a table in the Sphere restaurant. Naturally, it costs more to sit on the outside ring, next to a window. We were going to do that, but the first available reservation was at 4:15pm and that was too late for us.

We took the tram to the tower, which allowed us to see more of Berlin’s inner city. As we were passing the neighborhoods, it occurred to me how much we were going to miss on this trip. Bill and I will have to try to go back and see more sometime, if we stay in Germany. Berlin is a very impressive city.

A bike messenger stopped near us while we were waiting for the tram. I liked his vehicle.

The tower was somewhat crowded when we got there, although it’s possible to skip the lines and book tickets online or purchase them from vending machines. We walked around the sphere, looking at the very spectacular views of Berlin that would have been even nicer had the sun been shining. After a few looks at the city, Bill, Parker and I stopped by the bar and had a drink.

The many scenes of Berlin.

Part of the bar area.

The whole inside of the tower is like this. You can’t venture outside. But the weather was crappy anyway, so it was no big deal.

Time for a beer break. They had local craft beers available, which made Bill happy.

After our pit stop at the bar, Parker and I went to the ladies room. I was not surprised to find a line, as there had been a line when we first arrived. This time, it was two women, one of whom was pregnant. As we were waiting, I happened to notice that the first three of the five stalls were open. I could tell by the white display on the lock. If the door had been locked, it would have been red.

Just at the time I was about to point out the availability of the stalls to the chattering women, they noticed the first open stall. They went to the first one, which had a changing table in it that apparently made it unavailable for normal use. I went to the one next to it, but just as I was about to enter the stall, one of the women said, “Sorry!” and quickly jumped back in front of me, thwarting my attempt to pee.

I swear, I must be turning German, because my reaction was decidedly pissy… it was the kind of response I’ve gotten myself from Germans. I then pointed out the other normal stall, which the other woman quickly took.

Parker said, “Aggressive!”

My response was, “No, it’s stupid! Pay attention and fucking go! Luckily, I don’t have to pee that badly.”

Even I was surprised by the sharp tone of my response, although I think those two women both kind of deserved it. Both of them lit out of there pretty quickly. I don’t even think they washed their hands. Normally, I try not to be bitchy in these situations, but I was feeling exasperated and spoke too soon. We left the tower and decided to have lunch across the street at the Block House, which is a chain steakhouse. We’ve eaten there in Stuttgart and knew the food to be decent.

I had a cheeseburger. This was ground beef sitting on a piece of baguette with some kind of tomato relish and covered with Edam cheese. It was pretty good, although I really wanted a proper burger. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the stretchy cheese, though.

Bill’s mom had a small steak with a baked potato and bread.

And this was Bill’s lunch.

Block House has a lot of American appeal. It reminds me of American chain steakhouses.

A few more shots near the TV tower… and another Christmas market.

By the time we were finished with lunch, it was mid afternoon. We took the tram back to the hotel, picked up our bags, and headed for the airport. Our cab driver was very helpful and knew exactly where we should be when we told him we were flying Eurowings (which was Air Berlin last night). We checked into the remarkably primitive looking terminal, breezed through security and hung out until it was time to fly out of Berlin. While we were waiting, I took notice of the very sexy voice coming from the woman doing the announcements. Apparently, I am not the only one who’s noticed that.

Seriously… she’s quite the sexpot. Reminds me of Princess Aura in Flash Gordon.

No!

We enjoyed another uneventful flight back to Stuttgart and arrived home at about 8:00pm. While we were gone, Bill’s custom made kilt finally arrived from Scotland. Tonight, he will model it for us and I will take pictures. Stay tuned for that!

As for Berlin, I will declare it a successful trip, despite the weather. The blind booking flights worked out really well and we were very happy with our accommodations. There’s a lot to see and do there and, when the weather isn’t horrible, you might just find some good food and shopping. I think I liked Hamburg better because it’s prettier to me, but there’s no denying that Berlin has a fascinating history. I feel like reading more about it now that I’ve seen it in person.

anecdotes

The flight home… seat recliners, carry on space hogs, the Beagle Brigade and the TSA…

StarGroup Taxi Services picked us up promptly at 8:30am. I had been a little nervous about the timing, since the cab driver who had taken us to the hotel mentioned that Athens has a lot of traffic in the morning. Having once lived in the DC and Atlanta areas, my husband and I have seen some serious traffic snarls. We wondered if three hours was enough time, since we had no idea what Athens’ traffic really looks like. We asked the hotel clerk about it and she said we wouldn’t have a problem making it on time for our 11:25am flight if we left at 8:30am. She added with a smile that we’d even have time for coffee.

I want to reiterate that StarGroup Taxi Services did a great job. I would definitely recommend them to anyone who needs a taxi in Athens. Our driver even fetched a luggage trolley for us and loaded our bags onto it.

We dropped off our bags at US Airways, then set about finding our gate. Security wasn’t difficult at all in Athens, though we did have to go through additional screening at the gate because we were headed to America. I wasn’t looking forward to the flight, since it was scheduled to be about eleven hours. I haven’t been to eastern Asia, so that was the longest non-stop flight I’ve ever taken in my life. When I was booking the flight, I gave thought to using a different airline and breaking it up, possibly staying overnight in Paris or Amsterdam. But in the end, US Airways offered the best prices and the most direct route home. Besides, if I’m going to spend the night in a European city, I want to actually be able to see it.

Our flight was slightly delayed, but it turned out the headwinds were favorable, which meant we might shave a little time off the total flying time anyway. I was glad for that. Like many people, I find flying to be a pretty miserable experience these days. From the terrible food to the cramped seats to the fact that a lot of folks just don’t care about anyone but themselves, long haul flights on most carriers are the pits, especially if you’re flying in coach. As it turned out, our flight wasn’t completely full. A couple of people even got the entire middle rows to themselves. There was no such luck for Bill and me, though. As we made our way to seats 20A and 20B, we found some guy already sitting there.

“Excuse me, you’re in my seat.” I said.

The guy looked at his ticket and realized he had overshot his seat, which was 19B. He moved, but then as Bill was trying to stow our carry on baggage, he decided to get involved. He said, “I want to make sure there’s enough room for my wife’s bags.” Obviously, the fact that Bill also has a wife with one carry on bag was irrelevant to him. Fortunately, since the flight wasn’t totally packed, we found space in the bin across the aisle. When Bill and I fly, we often don’t bring on carry on bags, mainly because as a servicemember, he can often check bags for free. But on long haul flights, I like to have a bag with me, just in case something happens with the checked luggage.

Flying out of Greece…

The guy’s wife turned out to be a very slim and pretty blonde I noticed at the gate. She looked like she was quite a bit younger than he was. Later, we heard them say they had just gotten married. As soon as the plane was in the air, they both reclined their seats as far back as they could and stayed that way until we landed in Philadelphia. In fact, when the announcement was made that people needed to return their seats to the upright position, these two had to be reminded personally. I also noticed that the guy gave me a dirty look when I sneezed or coughed. It’s not like I could help it.

I know the issue of seat reclining is controversial. Personally, I’m in the camp that is against it in coach, because it really does take space away from the people sitting behind you. I never recline my seat, even on long haul flights, because I don’t find that it makes me that much more comfortable and I empathize with the people who have to sit behind me. At the same time, I know that some people are more comfortable when they can recline. I think that’s okay, as long as people are considerate about it. I have short legs, so the leg space isn’t usually a huge issue, but reclining does make it hard to use the tray table or stand up to go to the bathroom. I find that a lot of times, if you have to steady yourself by grabbing on to the seat in front of you as you’re standing up, some seat recliners get a bit pissy. In any case, while I realize that the seats recline and people have the “right” to recline if they want to, I also think it’s very inconsiderate to recline all the way for the whole flight, especially when people are trying to eat. I ended up with a really nasty charley horse at one point that took several minutes minutes to abate thanks to these two. By the time we landed, I was feeling pretty agitated. It’s amazing how quickly my own sense of decency can erode when people are very inconsiderate to me.

I was so excited ten hours later when I spotted land below…

Once we landed in Philly, we quickly got through passport control and customs with no issues. While we were waiting to pick up our bags, the Beagle Brigade came through to check peoples’ luggage for agricultural products. Since Bill and I rescue beagles and didn’t have any contraband produce, we welcomed the sight of the adorable little hound doing her job. It so happened the lady standing next to us had packed an apple in her bag. The beagle made a beeline for her bag and sniffed it thoroughly, then sat down. She looked up at the woman as if to say, “Sorry, you’re busted!” The dog’s handler was very pleasant and professional, unlike the jerky TSA agent I later encountered on yet another security check.

Bill and I were in line, waiting to go through security again. It was very hot, and I was tired, hungry, thirsty, and cranky. I don’t remember saying anything that inflammatory. I was just exhausted and generally crabby and probably looked pissed off. Next thing I know, a TSA agent snapped, “Are you okay, Ma’am?” His tone struck me as rather belligerent. I shot back that I needed a drink… then clarified that I wanted lemonade, ice water, or chocolate milk. I wasn’t about to get into trouble for being drunk when I hadn’t had a drop to drink. 😉

Frankly, that TSA agent really annoyed me. I know the TSA is supposed to be about keeping things secure, but there’s no need to deliberately screw with people, especially when they’re jet lagged. Air travel is undignified enough without hostile TSA agents harassing travelers and provoking them to respond angrily. The experience was unpleasant enough to make me wonder if I really wanted to endure air travel again anytime soon. Sadly, we do have to fly to Texas soon to find our next home.

After we cleared security, we stopped by Vino Volo. Vino Volo is a wine tasting bar. Back in June 2011, Bill and I spent a very nice hour in one at the otherwise unpleasant Newark Airport. The one we visited in Philly was just a kiosk and not nearly as nice. I ordered a sandwich that was supposed to have melted Brie on it. The Brie was cold, so I gave it to Bill. We did enjoy tasting a few wines and even met a really nice lady from Texas who gave us some tips on where to look for our next home when we move in a few weeks.

The flight to RDU was very full, but it was only an hour. I fell asleep at some point after takeoff. Bill woke me up for a cup of water. That probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do! We got home at about 9:30 or so… I was very irritated, but glad the travel day was finally over. We are considering going to Ireland on our next trip, but maybe it would be smarter to stay stateside and go somewhere we can drive to… or maybe just book a transatlantic cruise! I’ve been wanting to do that anyway.

Even the beautiful views from above makes me hesitate to book another long haul flight…

Virgin America Airlines and Method came up with a handy video to remind people about courtesy…

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: inconsiderate people