Landstuhl Air Force base

Guten Tag -we made it!

with some great beginner's luck, I am sure we made it out on the first flight on Sunday, which left at 9:00 pm. We flew on a C5, you can see the plane through the windows. We were not allowed to take any photos once we left the terminal, so this was the best I could do. There was 75 seats up above all the cargo below. Only 4 windows, not a lot of air and it was really loud. I didn't mind it being loud because then no one could hear my kids screaming. Seriously it was that loud. Annie Kate slept on the floor most of the flight which worked out great. If I could have taken photos you would have seen Annie Kate resting her head next to the plane's large emergency rope, the boxed dinner for $3.25 - which ended up being the total cost x 5 for the trip, the wall of the plane that had circled where a missing screw as with an arrow saying missing, a photo of the emergency door falling open in the row behind the girls minutes before we took off and all the wind blowing in, the honor guard we drove by on the buses practicing marching to pick up the fallen soldiers caskets on a plane getting ready to land, (it gave me such a sense of respect for being able to fly on these planes) the air man showing us how to put on this metal bag on our head if the plane catches fire, the little bag of wipes that lay in the bathroom sink because the water didn't run, or photos of walking up the huge stairway to get in this gigantic plane - it was really amazing.

When we landed Sally Jane looked at me and said (keep in mind it was 5:00 am our time) "see Castles" we had been telling the girls that we are going to fly on a big plane and then see Cinderella's Castle. It was so sweet.

We met a great family on the flight stationed in Germany, that drove Jeff to get the car we rented on base. The girls and I hung out at the USO on leather couches in a room full of movies and toys. Having the military surrounding has sure made this trip an easy transition into a new country.

After we got the car with the most awesome GPS system, it tells us when the traffic is going to get bad, we went to the commissary to get basic supplies, like German chocolate, water and diapers and some of the best grapes I have ever had. There is also a bank on base where we changed our money. $240 Us dollars got us $169 Euro - YIKES!

We took video of Jeff driving on the Autobahn in our Gia Ford edition (the cool VW did not have GPS, so we had to take it back, so we are over driving a Ford in Europe) and had a nice 4 hour that was really 6 hour drive to the resort at the base of the Alps - oh my am I really saying this. I feel like I am in a movie! Everything looks so dreamy and just like I had imagined it would look.

I can't stop taking photos, the signs, the cars, the packaging on the food -

to see more photos with better documentation you can see them here.

(again love you smugmug and I am not just saying that because you gave me a FREE year for my recent SPT... thanks)

OK, our journey begins!

and how funny all of my blogger is in German, I am kicking myself for not paying better attention in high school.