So the adventure begins!

Wi-fi at last! We finally found the password to Elfriede's wi-fi so we are connected.  Wi-fi - the lifeline to my other life.  It is absolutely beautiful in Kronberg.  I am sitting on Elfriede's patio surounded by flowers and trees while I type my blog.  The sun is warm, the air is cool and the day is perfect.  I always feel a deep connection to Germany when I'm here.  Is it possible for life to be any better than this perfect moment in time and place?  I noticed when we landed yesterday that I felt like I was coming home.  As we drove through Frankfurt to Kronberg, I felt no sense of otherness that I felt on my first visit.  I could easily live here.  It is a very soft landing for my transition to Morocco.  I expect the first wave of cultural shock in Morocco will be like a tsunami.  Although I do feel that Ifrane will also be a relatively "soft landing" with is Swiss style architecture, immaculate streets and the English friendly environment at the University.

It was our first transatlantic trip on American Airline.  The staff were very friendly and efficient but the food and onboard entertainment was not great.  The seats on the plane were to die for - they had a wrap around headrest and enough tilt so that sleep was actually possible.  Sleep is much better than food and entertainment on a long flight.  The only snafu was check-in when all our luggage were overweight.  The woman at the desk gave her a chance to repack so that we only had two overweight bags which we had to pay a penalty for.  It must have been comic relief for the other passengers to watch us scramble around on the floor, all of our suitcases open, trying to repack our bags and all the time the clock was ticking so we would not backup the line too much - talk about pressure.  The best part of the trip was when Doris in her best souk-style negotiations, got us better seats for the long flight from Dallas to Frankfurt. We were no longer wedged in the middle of the herd but we  now had two seats next to the emergency exit with sooo much leg rooom - sleep and leg room = a truly great flight.

After a leisurely breakfast on the veranda, we are going shopping today with Moni.   We need to buy a new suitcase - one suitcase died on the trip over and I need a new jacket for Moni's wedding.  Between Germany and Morocco, I'm becoming completely GQ.  Both places have a higher expectation of fashion than I require but when in Rome...

Thanks to family and friends for the great send off.   Miss you! Love you! But so happy right now.  We are so lucky to have such great family and friends here and in the US.

So the adventure begins!

Mike