Something to Chuckle About:

Hopefully you can read this ... if not, follow the source under the picture.  

https://www.theintrepidguide.com/amusing-german-phrases/#.WSjph2jyvIV

Summer Nostalgia

My girls' last day of school is tomorrow - then comes the long summer break!  They are so excited!! When I was a child, this was FAVORITE time of year, mainly because it meant I was going to spend a few months with my grandparents and other family members in GERMANY!

From the time I was about 7 years old until I was 20 years old, I spent every summer in Germany.  Often, I flew over alone, occasionally with my mother and brother ... and I became quite the airport expert by the time I was 12; and I think I was 14 when I first was allowed to travel without an airport escort.  I'd already had to change planes in New York at JFK (my least favorite airport) and London and Cincinnati and Atlanta.  I knew how concourses worked and how to get through customs.  I loved being a traveler among the thousands of passengers all around me, going all over the world!  

In these post 9/11 days, it is hard to imagine allowing your preteen - or even your teen! - to fly alone internationally, but I am thankful I grew up in the 1970s and 80s.  "Terrorists" were not in my vocabulary back then.  The worst threat to me was that they still allowed passengers to smoke on airplanes in the back "smoking" section, and I probably inhaled a lot of second hand smoke on those long flights over the Atlantic!  

When I first flew to Frankfurt, we lived in Alexandria, Virginia and sometimes I flew Lufthansa airlines and then I flew with Pan Am airlines.  Later, we moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, and I began to fly with Delta, which is still my favorite airline to this day!  Although airplanes seemed SO MUCH BIGGER and more fun back then!!  The BEST flight was an empty one when the seat beside you might be empty.  That didn't happen often, but when it did, it was AMAZING to be able to stretch out.  

Of course, the VERY BEST thing was the people who greeted you as you came out of the customs area after arriving at your destination.  In my case, it was my Oma and Opa and sometimes other family members as well.  Many times, they brought flowers and familiar candies, a can of Fanta, or some treat for me to eat on the way to their apartment.  

Times sure have changed!  Back in the 1970s and even in the early 80s, international travel was still a pretty big deal.  I always chose my traveling outfit very carefully.  My Opa (seen below) always came to the airport decked out in his tie and hat - and the whole thing was quite the occasion!!

Any more people seem to travel in their most comfy clothes and shoes ... and picking someone up from the airport isn't such a big in this smaller world.

In March of 1986, my Opa came to America to celebrate his 75th birthday.  We had the best time, and then once school got out, I flew back to Frankfurt with him.  As you can see below, he even wore his tie to travel in:

My Opa passed away that summer while we were traveling by train after visiting a friend in Cologne (Köln).  He had a heart attack on the train platform, and the medical personnel were never able to revive him.  After this time, I kept spending the summers with my Oma in Germany, and it was still a wonderful event, but we sure missed my Opa's smiling, dignified presence there at the airport every year.  My Oma passed away in April of 1990, and I am so incredibly thankful for all the wonderful memories of my childhood spent in Germany.  At the time, I thought it was the most normal of routines to hop across the ocean each summer, but now I know what a great privilege I had.  

My husband I lived in Germany for 3 years while stationed there with the US Army from 1996 to 1999.  Our son Andrew was born during that time.  After that, I didn't get to go back until the summer of 2005, but then in March of 2013, I was able to take my son to meet some family and see where he was born - and he got to experience the excitement of international travel.  

Many of my remaining German relatives are elderly now.  The older I get and the older they get, I hope and plan and pray that I will be able to see them soon.  Until then, I am thankful I have my memories and can share them here on my blog!