Reflections, part 1

I've decided that instead of publishing a thorough recount of my earlier adventures with Kara, I'm just going to throw out little reflections whenever I have time. It doesn't look like I'm going to have the spare change to sit down and type an entire story out anytime soon, so here goes.

I flew out of Charlotte on a toasty Sunday afternoon. I said bye to Mom and Dad, went through security, and got on a tiny little plane to Philly where I would connect to the flight to Munich. I only mention this flight because I had a nice little run in with someone quite famous in my mind. Jay Bilas, of Duke basketball and ESPN analyst fame, happened to be sitting two rows in front of me on the plane. As is always the case with famous people, I found myself second guessing whether or not it was him. I got confirmation when he stood up and nearly hit his head on the cabin ceiling. I walked off the plane, only to find him heading to the terminal right beside mine (turns out Mr. Bilas was flying to England). I introduced myself and told him it was a pleasure, and in the next ten minutes or so, we shot the breeze about college basketball as we made our way to our respective terminals. I don't think my trip could have started much better than that. Despite being a dookie, Bilas was very kind and down to earth. I guess not everyone from that school is pure evil. Jon and he both turned out okay.

My entry into Munich wasn't quite as rosy. Lost luggage, Kara being locked out of my terminal, a few early collect calls to Mom and Dad, no food, and little sleep all added up to a hectic and not-so-fun hour and a half after I arrived. Things worked out as they always do, however, and it wasn't too long until we were on a train headed to Munich's city center.

We arrived at Munich's central train station, the Hauptbanhof. This massive complex of exposed framework and steel was a daunting but beautiful entry point. We hunted down the friendly folks at the "Euraid" office and a smooth-talking American helped us purchase Eurail passes and pointed us in the direction of our hostel. I enjoyed a pelligrino (ironic, drinking an Italian gassata on my first day in Munich) at a bar, and did my best to order in German...one of many failures at breaking the language barrier.

The rest of our day was spent wandering, unpacking, and of course, sleeping off some jet lag. It felt good to lay down, and while I was tired, I found myself eager to start my adventure.