Kiwi's Transatlantic Adventure

So I must confess.... I have been extremely negligent in contributing to this blog despite the fact that it was MY idea to do the blog!!! So this post is my first post (of many to come!!!). So the events are retrospective as this is the story of our flight from Atlanta to Frankfurt, which happened (yikes!) February 10th to 11th (er over a month ago! :) today is March 26!)

Der Junge arrived in Germany a few weeks before us.  After cleaning and closing up our apartment.  Kiwi (der Hund) and I said good-bye to Baltimore before making the 13 hour drive to Atlanta to stay with my family for 3 weeks.  The time with my family was wonderful!  I am so grateful to have had that luxury of time to spend with them before leaving for Germany.

Kiwi in our empty apartment, last day in Baltimore

When we arrived to my parent's house in Atlanta, Kiwi made herself welcome by promptly peeing on the kitchen rug and sitting on the living room sofa!  (But thankfully, she learned pretty quickly, that this was not ok.)

Kiwi also made quick friends with my parent's dog Dakota and maybe also some quick enemies with the neighbor's dogs (Kiwi likes to bark when she wants to play...  sorry mom and dad!)   

Kiwi loves Dakota

On the day of departure, we arrived at Hartsfield 4 hours early as recommended by Lufthansa. And we went through the check-in process like a dream. I must give kudos to the Atlanta airport and to the Atlanta Lufthansa team! Everything was great and reassuring.

Now, our arrival is another story....

So we land in Frankfurt and snow is on the ground and it is about 20 degrees F.  Now, already I am nervous.... having done my homework before traveling and reading the horror stories of dogs not making it in the cargo hold.  As soon as we de-plane, I ask the nearest airport official, "where do I pick up my dog?" No dice -that person does not know... So I walk further to signs that indicate "To baggage claim, " and I ask the next official, who says "oh, don't worry about your dog, get your luggage first, then find your dog." ok, but I still don't know where to get her....? So after trying a few other officials.  I decide to go ahead and get my luggage.  I am in baggage claim and checking signs.  Nothing is obvious and I have not yet found a person who can definitely tell me where the animals are for pick up... I try calling Der Junge... no answer.  I am in a small state of panic now, it has been at least 30 minutes since we arrived.  I find another official and ask if he speaks English? "A little," he says. I ask where I can pick up my dog. "Avih (animal)?" I ask. "Ahh, Avih, go there..." and he points to the far wall of the baggage terminal where a man is sitting at a desk next to a small conveyor belt for oversized item pick-up. I go over there. I ask the man and he nods, yes this is where the animals will arrive.  Nothing is there except a bag of skis.

So I wait.

And wait.

Now it has been about another 30 minutes... nothing has come out. I ask, "can this be right?" "Is there another place?" The man just shrugs, "I don't know"

I decide to walk the perimeter of the baggage terminal.

At the other side next to an identical small conveyor belt for oversized baggage is a crate, and in this crate is wide-eyed and pitiful looking dog. My dog. Kiwi is the only "piece of luggage" in this "other" oversized luggage area. There is no one official in sight. She is just sitting there, alone. I could have cried. Who knows how long she was there. I run to her (with my oversized luggage cart clanking!). I can feel people staring but I don't care! I found my baby dog! I feel like a mother who has lost and then found her child.

I then went through customs like a breeze. After all that work to get the proper documentation, they barely even glanced at it. I found Der Junge and we took the entire ensamble, crate and luggage pieces, outside as fast as we could so that we could get Kiwi out of the crate. :)

....where she took the longest pee of her life!

And so it begins... our 1001 nights in Swabia...