Life surprised us with the opportunity to spend 5 days in Germany. A nonstop flight open for Stand-By passengers, and us with the hopes of scoring Business Class seats to see a country that contained all sorts of things missed (family, friends, food, drink, and sites)... we were easily sold. Jet lag and the logistics of last-minute travel planning be darned. We were going to Germany!
Quick packing for 4 full days/nights plus 2 full days of travel took a bit of breathing work. If we were able to obtain business class seats, we would need to dress the part since we were representing United Airlines. We needed to not only pack business dress attire but comfortable clothes/shoes for our visit. United allowed for more casual dress, while Lufthansa had much more strict requirements. All of this in carry-on bags since we didn't know if we were getting on until boarding time, AKA the very last minute possible. Queue absolute stress and panic. Packing took an entire day of will it fit/will it not fit/take it out/replace this item with that and then still try to leave enough room for bringing some much-missed German chocolate.
Kevin, being a pilot and already having Global Entry and Pre-check got to go through the fast line. Me, of course, got to go through the long line and strip down to nearly undergarments as they searched me and my bags like I was getting ready to enter San Quentin prison.
Stand-by for business class was getting full with only 5 seats available, but Kevin was able to use a vacation pass to bump us up a little further on the list. We knew we would get on the flight no matter what as economy seating still had plenty of space, but with a 12+ hour flight, we were really hoping for some comfy Polaris seats. Adding to the excitement - we were flying on a 777, which would coincidently be Kevin's new plane come this October.
The time ticked along and we were confirmed on Polaris Business Class... woot woot!
Before our flight, we purchased a couple large boxes of Sees Candy for the Flight Attendants (FAs) and crew. Since we do not pay full fare for stand-by, it is our gift of thanks for their assistance during flight. Of course, this brought a bit of happy attention from the FAs as well as the opportunity for conversation. Funny enough, one of the FAs commutes from the same general area as we live and she also had children close to the same age. One of which attends the same university where Aidan will be attending. Small World!
My review of Polaris Business Class - top-notch! The seats were incredibly comfortable and the layout was very user intuitive and cozy. I had plenty of space to stretch out and store my items. The semi-enclosed pod allowed for lots of privacy. We were provided with a memory foam pillow, a super soft down pillow, and a fluffy blanket. A seat pad is provided upon request but was not needed as the seats were so cozy - even in the lay-flat position. The FAs were hospitable and the food and drink choices we superb for airline food.
We were still under strict mask rules. We were supposed to keep our masks on, even while eating/drinking - just remove to take a bite/sip, and then replace, as well as while sleeping. I have to admit, I forgot the mask while eating rule and took it off completely during the main meal service. Thankfully I did not get reprimanded.
After take-off wine. You know me. Did you expect it to be something different?
Since we are stand-by passengers, we get the last choice on our meals. I had requested the fish for the main course, but they ran out and I was given the vegetarian ravioli. It was really good and I especially enjoyed the veggies. They had perfect consistency and weren't mushy at all. Of course, since we made such good friends with the FAs, one felt really bad I didn't get my first choice for the main meal and promised me my first choice for breakfast. I chose the quiche and it was definitely the best choice - flakey and delicate while the fruit was firm and sweet. There was also a sausage and some pepper sauce. If we hadn't lived in Europe previously, I would have been confused by the sweet pepper sauce, but it went perfectly with the sausage.
Bedtime wine. Stop judging.
I had to escape to the bathroom to take my mask off for a few minutes. My ears were getting raw as we were nearing almost 13 hours of mask-wearing and still had many, many hours ahead. Germany requires medical masks at all times and the KN95 straps were definitely taking their toll.
We landed in Frankfurt, Germany at approximately 09:55 am German time (about 12:55 am California time). We were tired, but excited to start the fun part of our trip - minus the long train ride up to Northern Germany, of course. I expected it to feel like a foreign country, but instead, it felt like returning home. The language was not very quick to come back, but thankfully, Kevin has been keeping up with his German over the last few years and was able to get us around to where we needed to be.
We sent the above picture to our old landlords from when we lived near Stuttgart and surprised them with us being in Germany. They were on vacation as well, but surprisingly the stars aligned. We were only going to be a 2-hour drive from where they were headed, and they were able to rearrange plans and work out a visit.
German bakeries... oh, how I missed you!
After the 2nd train ride and preparing for our final ride into Oldenburg. At this point, we were starving. Saw a Döner place and had to stop in. Not quite like our favorite Döner in Ostfildern, but very, very close and made my tummy happy. The pita was ah-mazing. No matter how hard they try in the states, they just can't replicate good pita.
As mentioned above, I am so thankful Kevin has been keeping up with his German language. It was announced that all the Deutch Bahn trains were all going on strike for the next 2 days. This meant we needed to rearrange our travel plans and stay an extra day in Oldenburg and make sure we would be able to catch the return flight on the 14th. We had originally given ourselves a cushion day of leaving on the 13th if the flight on the 14th looked too full to board stand by, but this meant we would lose our cushion. We were also hoping that the strike would not get extended as we would have no way back to Frankfurt. Of course, staying an extra day in Oldenburg meant we got to spend more time with Kevin's mom, Connie, and her husband Jürgen. That was a definite silver lining to the impending travel chaos.
Jürgen and Connie picked us up at the Oldenburg train station and after checking in to our hotel, we went out to dinner. Some of my German was coming back, but not enough for me to feel confident with speaking. And of course, I could barely pick up 10% of what was being said. Germany is being very responsible with COVID case tracking and we needed to show our proof of vaccination and provide our address should there be an outbreak and we were exposed. Thankfully Jürgen acted as translator and we were able to enjoy our meal. We ordered pizza, and of course, beer. German beer... oh, so good and refreshing.
It's funny the things you forget about when you move away. I had forgotten about the square pillows, double duvets and light switches on the *outside* of the bathrooms. I may or may not have shut myself in a dark bathroom a couple of times. Those double duvets... total marriage savers. No fighting over the covers. The pillows, however... no, thanks. I miss my super comfy memory-foam filled pillows at home.
Our time in Oldenburg went by quickly. We kept ourselves busy catching up with family and seeing some sites. We took a quick trip to Bad Zwischenahn and sat by the lake. We walked around the pedestrian area of Oldenburg and took in some time to sample some more beer and enjoy the beauty of all the older architecture. Of course, there was one not-so-fun stop, and that was to get our COVID tests (a necessity in order to return to the US). My father-in-law was able to arrange an appointment for us, free of charge. Much appreciated since the test at the airport would have been $160 Euro each! Y'all, my in-laws have helped us so much during our time in Germany. Not only this trip but when we moved here as well. I don't think we would have made it without them.
Note to self; when packing, check to see which clothes the husband is packing. I dressed and walked into the bathroom to see him dressed as my twin. I quickly changed my clothes.
German breakfast. Happy tummy. Seems like such a simple thing to miss, but aside from the orange juice, not one thing on this tray can be found in the same quality and taste in the US. ESPECIALLY the Brotchen.
Right outside our hotel window. Just a normal site to see here in Germany.
Driving on the Autobahn. It's been a while. It wouldn't have been the same without an Audi flying by on the passing side and making the car shake. LOL.
Casual modern pizza place sitting in the beauty of an ancient building.
Brot, Bretzel, Käse und Bier... oh my!
Yes, that is beer and wine in the vending machine.
On our last full day in Oldenburg, our previous landlords and their daughters met up with us and we spent the evening catching up. Despite 6 years of time passing since our last visit, it felt just like we had seen them yesterday.
Chocolate. Yes, this is a necessity and we made it fit in the carry-on. Of course, it made my carry-on nearly 45 lbs, which meant we had to check it anyway, but it was totally worth it.
Our trip back to Frankfurt was sad. It meant the end of our trip was near. We arrived in Frankfurt in the late afternoon and had to leave first thing in the morning. As we left the train station and headed to our hotel, we encountered a large protest. Not unusual, but it was a bit intimidating as we pushed our way through to the hotel. We arrived at the hotel, showed all our documents and vaccination info. We quickly went up to our room, charged our phones and made up a quick walking tour on the phone, and then set out on foot. Of course, I was not very German in my thinking while packing, and my shoes were not well-suited for long trips on cobblestone or pavement. Thankful for bandaids, I soldiered on.
Our first stop was for Currywurst. A staple of Fest Food, of course. This, by far, was the best Currywurst that we have ever had, and should we return to Frankfurt, will be on our list to visit again. The homemade Senf, or mustard, was truly fantastic, and not like anything I have had before. The fries, oh my goodness, perfectly fried and salted, with just a small sprinkle of sugar. Perfect when combined with the spicy heat of the Currywurst.
On our list to see were two of Frankfurt's well-known wishing wells (fountains). In true Murphy fashion, none of these had any water flowing. Maybe I should take it as a sign that we had nothing left to wish for???
Frankfurt Old Opera House
In the middle of the Old Town, there were bleachers being set up with audio systems and a large stage. Looks like we are going to miss the Iron Man competition by one day,
Walking through and we encountered a random dance party in the middle of the street. We believe that this was linked to the protests somehow, but didn't stay around long enough to find out.
In honor of the kids' favorite ice cream treat, we had to stop for Spaghettie Eis. Yum!
A mix of Old and New working together in the sky line.
One of my favorite things about walking around Europe is all the different types of random sculptures and art displays.
Just like in the US, food varies by region. We lived in Southern Germany, Swabia to be exact, and enjoyed what many people think of when they think of German food - Spätzle, Schnitzel, Maultaschen. Not really a Frankfurt or Oldenburg thing, but we found a touristy type of restaurant where I could order my Jägerschnitzel and Spätzle. It did not disappoint.
I took a break from the Bier and tried out Frankfurt's specialty - Apple wine. I expected it to be sweet like a cider, but it was tart and similar to a sour beer. I really enjoyed it and while it certainly wouldn't replace the beer, it was nice to try.
Time to return back to the US. The United flight was quite full and we weren't sure if we were going to make it even into economy seating. We had prepared for this and listed for the Lufthansa flight. This was a bit more expensive but worth it to make sure that we would get home. Even better was that there was space in Business Class and we could be seated together. It was especially important that we leave on that day as Germany had just put out that they were closing their borders to US travelers due to the high rate of COVID cases within the USA.
We did purchase chocolate gifts for the cabin crew for this flight as well. It was worth it to see how happy it made them. Why is this not a normal thing? We included a card thanking them for their hard work. I could not imagine that job during these trying times. Funny enough, it is actually a tradition in Germany that on one's birthday you buy your own cake and share it with friends. So it made sense that since we were traveling on my birthday, I bought chocolate and shared it with the people that I would be spending half of the entirety of my birthday with due to the length of travel.
Happy to be seated together this time. Unlike United, the seats were not private from one another, and each person did not have access to the aisle. While this did not bother us since we were traveling together, I can see where this would be awkward if you were seated next to someone you did not know. It would almost be like sharing a bed with a stranger. The other thing that we noticed, is that compared to United's Polaris set-up, there was not much storage room, and the seats we not as comfortable. I believe Lufthansa is planning on getting rid of their First Class cabins and will focus more on Business Class similar to what United did with the Polaris seats. When that happens, they will most likely be more private, and hopefully more comfortable. Where they shined, however, and did much better than United, was the food and beverage service. Just Fantastic.
Unlike the plastic cups on the United flight, Lufthansa provided true glasses for wine and sparkling water.
Our appetizer and main meal were served together, but equally delicious. I have to say that the food presentation by Lufthansa beat out United.
While not quite a birthday cake, this was a lovely substitution.
Thankfully Lufthansa provided dual-language paper menus. In English, this was written as a simple vegetable ravioli. I would have requested the other option had I not seen the German menu. Or had they told us our food options in English - once the FAs knew we understood and spoke German, they chose to mostly use their Muttersprache and only speak English a few times during the flight. The meal above is actually Maultaschen - a Swäbische delicacy and something I have not been able to replicate in the US. It was airline food, so not quite the same as eating it in Swabia, but it made both my heart and my tummy happy to have this as a farewell meal.
We arrived back at SFO expecting a madhouse in customs and planned for it to take over an hour to get to our car. The site we came across was sad and a big sign of how COVID is still such a part of our lives. Having lived and traveled abroad, we have never seen it like this. Customs was virtually empty.
The trip back was uneventful. We were sad to leave Germany and we talked about how soon we could return. When we first moved to Germany, I don't think I expected to fall in love with the country and the culture. I knew I would love traveling and seeing all the places I had read about in books but did not expect to have it become home. Leaving felt like a part of my heart was left behind. On the flip side, we were most definitely happy to return home. We missed the kids, the dogs, and of course, were excited to sleep in our own bed and on our very American, very comfortable, pillows. Too tired to fight over the blanket, we did not miss the double duvets.
When we got home, I was greeted with the most beautiful birthday cake! No, it was not purchased, but instead, homemade and hand-decorated by Kailynn. Such an amazing gift to come home to. The house had also been tidied and there was no sign of any raging parties. They also managed to keep the dogs alive.
Like any Murphy vacation, the trip was filled with unexpected delays and changes, but our life in the military, and now commercial aviation, has taught us to be flexible and to roll with the flow. We are looking forward to our next trip, whenever that may be. Fingers crossed COVID will someday be a thing of the past and borders will open up again.
*This was written using a very tired, jet-lagged mind, so please forgive any typos or grammar errors in the paragraphs above.
