Takeoff: T minum zero hours

Takeoff day! We got up about 5:30 AM, had coffee and watched the news on TV – knowing that we would not experience this again in our Lenexa home for some time. We took at two or three mile walk, but did not have time for our normal longer route. We had to get back early enough for Phyllis to make her 8:00 AM massage appointment. This would replace her normal morning relaxation routing of yoga at the health club. While Phyllis was getting her massage John busied himself with one final round of suitcase weight distribution. The initial weigh-in was good. Only one book needed to be shuffled from one suitcase to another to equalize the weights in our four to-be-checked bags to John’s satisfaction.

While this was going on, we had the washer and dryer going so that we could leave with our bed freshly made with clean sheets and all the towels clean also – along with miscellaneous clothing we had worn the last few days. When Phyllis returned from her massage, she busied herself with final mirror, sink and window cleaning along with the final storage of items in our bedroom that we have been using the last few days. By 9:40 all was neat and tidy, except we still had clothes drying.

Jim Heaton and Schaun Collins from Westside came by to pray over us and encourage us with last minute exhortation. This was a real blessing. Shortly before 10:00 Brentton came with his van to transport us to the airport. The four large bags, the two roll-ons and the two backpacks were stowed in his van and we headed north to the airport.

Our arrival plan was simple. Brenton let us off at the curb with the four biggies and the two backpacks – all we could manage. We went to the United gate while Brenton parked the car and brought in the two roll-ons. A very helpful United lady directed us to what we thought was a vacant station, so we put the first bag on the scale and it weighed in at fifty point five pounds – whoops. But when the second bag was placed beside it the scale read 100 lbs. It doesn’t get better than that! We were standing around expecting someone to check us in when the lady came back and showed us how to self-check-in. She simply scanned our passports and all the vital information came up.

The next two suitcases weighed a combined at a light ninety-eight point five pounds, which means that we could have taken another pound and a half of stuff. But I think we have plenty. Since our first flight was on United and the remaining two (Chicago to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Prague) we received boarding passes for the Kansas City to Chicago leg only – a small inconvenience.

Note that Phyllis' yellow backpack is the sign to identify us to Lori G (whom we do not know) who is to meet at the Prague airport and then to transport us to our apartment. (She later told us that the yellow backpack was an easy clue.)

We had at least two hours after check-in before take-off so we strolled around pulling our roll-ons topped with backpacks. But that became too labor intensive quickly and we decided to eat about 11:30. We got a prime table in front of a really big screen on which we could watch the Olympics. We split a lime-infused chicken breast dinner with sides of steamed veggies and fries. It was good except for the rubber consistency of the chicken. We then made quick stops on the way to go through security to enter the gate area at MCI.

We were pshyched to do things properly while going through security and made it more easily than usual even though we had two laptops, myriads of small cables and iPod like devices, phones, cameras, etc. It was a breeze. I credit this partly to my having purchased a belt with no metal on it so that I did not have to take it off. Somehow that always seems to put me off. Taking off shoes is no problem, but the belt always throws me!

The plane was a little late in leaving and the scheduled time was ten minutes later than shown when we had purchased our tickets. We therefore had a scheduled paltry fifty minute layover in Chicago, but with the late start I was thinking that we might miss our connection. I made the assumption that if we did miss the connection it would have been because our visas had been approved and we would then have time to take the train Michigan Avenue and get our visas at the Czech Consulate – but no such luck.

Again a nice lady from United gave us directions to Lufthansa flight 431 as we left our KC to Chicago flight. We had only to go from concourse C to concourse B for flight 431. We arrived at gate 16 only to see a very long line waiting for I-did-not-know-what, but I got in line because that is in my nature. I then mentioned to the gentleman just ahead of us that I did not have boarding passes and he wisely told me to go to the counter at the gate. That was certainly the right thing to do. Upon arriving at the counter, we were helped immediately by a lady who was somewhat concerned about our baggage. She took extra time to make inquiries or something and then seemed satisfied that our baggage would make the flight in spite of the very brief connection time. We went from the counter to the boarding gate. The long line was now non-existent and we went right through to the jetway and entered the cavernous 747-400 that would take us across the Atlantic. It is now 9:40 PM CDT and 4:40 AM CEDT. We are to land about 6:40 AM in Frankfurt. Our connection to Prague leaves at 8:20 so we should have plenty of time to connect. The traveling has been very good. I will be tried when we land in a couple hours. Phyllis has managed to sleep some on this flight. I have not. Our seat partner in the three seat side we are on is a Swedish young lady who has spent the last year in the States. She is extremely pleasant and a great third in our row.

What lies ahead when we land in Frankfurt? We need to get our passports stamped as Germany and the Czech Republic are both members of the Schengen Treaty of EU States so there will be no customs or immigration when we enter the CR. However, fortunately our bags are checked through to the CR, we will likely avoid customs on our checked bags.