27June2011: Monday
Early that morning, we got up and headed back to the train station. This time, we actually got on the train! We had to switch trains a few times, but made it to Ramstein. Once we got to the passenger terminal in Ramstein, we saw the scores of people that were also trying to head back to the states. We had a plan though, there was a flight heading to Travis AFB, CA later that day.
Do you remember the couple that we helped back in Dover? We drove them to McGuire so they could get back to Ramstein. Well, they live there. So we called them up and told them we were in town. Tom, the husband, came and picked us up and took us to his house so we could get a shower, do a load of laundry and maybe even have time for a nap, before we had to get back to the terminal for the flight to Travis.
So we did all that and Tom came back (he had to go back to work) and took us back to the terminal, where we learned that they were only allowing duty passengers on the flight (which means John could get on the flight but, Sydney and I couldn't). Plan B: the next flights that were going out were early in the morning from another base about 2 hours away. The only problem is... how are we going to get there?
Tom took us back to his house to problem solve. Long story short, we ended up going out to dinner with Tom and Evelyn (had our schnitzel), then hit the road in their daughters car, drove up to Spangdalhem. They would come down and pick up their car in a few days.
When got to Spangdalhem, after waiting around for a about five hours, we boarded a plane heading for Ft. Lewis, WA, with a stop in Dover (not Dover again). As you can guess, the plane broke in Dover and there was going to be another 20 hour delay. At this point, we really didn't have 20 hours to lose. So we made friends with a family on the plane, who gave us a ride to the Baltimore Airport. Once we got our tickets and realized we had some time before our plane left, we took the train into town and got some lunch, saw the USS Constellation (which was an anti-slave ship back in the day) and then headed back to the airport.
At 8:00 pm est, we boarded our plane. At 11:30 pst, we landed at Seatac Airport. And our trip was complete.
On the train to Germany
all tuckered out
Ramstein Passenger Terminal
3 comments:
What an adventure!! I'm so glad you posted this. :)
So sad when 'tis all over, but to have done it...what an experience!!! You'll know so much more now for next time!!!
You wrote a great chapter book here with a wonderful ending...best of all--its non-fiction and you are the delightful characters! :)
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