Travel Adventures!

International travel can be exhausting. International travel with a very verbal cat can add spice to travel! 

Messerschmitt was excited to get into his carrier and volunteered to jump in when it was time! I put his halter and leash on him so he was purring and happy. My friend and colleague, Dana, picked us up at 11:20 am German time. A bike, suitcase, carryon (heavy!), backpack, and cat were placed in her car and we were off! 30 minutes later, she dropped me off at the airport in Basel, Switzerland and helped me bring everything in so I could get to the check-in counter. 

Traveling with a pet can always be interesting. I check all the boxes for payments, documents, etc. and hope that everything is ready. M has his shot booklet, an international (EU) passport, and a paper signed by the Kandern vet saying he is healthy and has his international microchip. There are no restrictions currently for bringing a cat from Germany to the US. Just in case, they gave him his rabies shot which was good as United Airways required it! 

As I was checking in my suitcase and bike, the lady had to make a copy of M's EU passport and the Lufthansa form that I filled out ahead of time for their records. She dissappeared for about 10 minutes! I wondered if she had to walk a few miles to find a printer! Haha! She came back and said everything was fine and he was all set to go. But then said, I needed to pay for him which I already did through United Airlines. I had proof on my laptop so dug that out and showed her. She spoke on the phone with her supervisor and it was confirmed that I did not need to pay again. Whew! 

I checked in my suitcase and my bike. Because I was traveling internationally, I had two free baggage items allowed which meant my bike was part of that free allowance! Sweet! When a friend helped me pack the bike in a hardcase, I had a thought that I needed to let the air out of the tires. He thought that I should leave the air in to protect the tires themselves so I did. Well, the lady at the check-in counted confirmed what I originally thought as the tires could blow during the flight. This meant, I needed to open part the hardshell, let the air out of the tires, then close it up again. Thankfully, I had time to do this and it was not that difficult. I then turned the bike into the oversized baggage area and went up to go through security. 

After going through security, I heard my name over the intercom along with a bunch of German that I could not catch. After asking someone at security, I needed to go down so the oversized baggage handler could check my ID, see my face before sending my oversized baggage through. Then, I went back up and went through security again. 

Several people (two couples I know), mostly Americans perhaps, enjoy flying to Amsterdam and taking a river cruise down the Rhine to Basel, Switzerland. I have flown before with groups of people who take a flight from Basel to Frankfurt, then from Frankfurt to Chicago or DC perhaps. One older gentleman and his wife were on the first two flights with me and he chatted with me before our first flight and again in Frankfurt as he is a kitty lover as well! 

On the first flight, I sat next to a lady from Trondheim in Norway so we were talking about where our families are from and typical Norwegian food like lefse, lutefisk, and Gjetost cheese (a yummy brown cheese with lots of sugar!). I am borrowing a carrier from a friend as the one I brought M over to Germany in is a bit small for him now. He was crying and I was trying to keep him calm. He actually busted out of the zippered portion on the top of the carrier and bit into my left thumb making it bleed like crazy! The lady sitting next to me along with two other gentlman close by pulled out their little packages of kleenexes to help! Haha! It was such a German/European thing to have on hand! The flight attendant brought a bandaid and all was well. Thankfully, he did calm down a bit after that. 

A friend of mine, who also has a cat and will be traveling back to the US with her kitty at the end of July suggested a fold-up litter box and going into the family bathroom so I could let M out and perhaps he would use the box. We did this in Frankfurt (had enough time which was great!) but he was too busy exploring the bathroom trying to serach for a way out and was not interested in using the litter box. 

He was a little upset at the beginning of our flight from Frankfurt to Washingtom, DC but calmed down pretty quickly and slept the rest of the time. The nice thing was we were traveling late at night for us which is when he typically sleeps. Unless he has a middle of the night party. ;)

In DC, we had a huge customs line and I had an hour to get to my next flight. After getting through customs, I would also need to pick up my baggage (suitcase and bike) then drop them off again a short distance away. I got through customs after 9:24 pm which was when my last flight was supposed to be loading. Thankfully, the DC area just experienced a downpour a bit before this which delayed several flights so I made my last flight! 

My friend, Whitney, volunteered to pick me up as she just flew back two days before from Japan and was still (conveniently) jetlagging! Because my SIM card is German, it doesn't work in the US but I was able to communicate with her using my Google Voice number in spots of internet. United Airlines has internet access that is free for those who just need to text which was very helpful! 

We got to my brother's house at about a little after 2 am I think. I closed M in the bathroom so he could use his litterbox, then let him out and followed him around as he was exploring. He found his water dish and took lots of drinks. I cleaned my teeth and showered then closed us both in my room to sleep. It was about 3 am and I felt strangely wired and M would have been happy to have a middle of the night party! Thankfully, we both slept until a little after 7 this morning.

M has been having a blast exploring Daniel's house, eating a yummy breakfast, running around the house (the stairs are particularly fun!), exploring the backyard, "helping" me clean and put things away by sneaking into cupboards when I open them, trying to chase the mop, and knocking things off my bed and dresser. He is now napping again in one of the kitchen chairs. But, I guarantee that if I get up and move, he will wake up and follow me. ;)

Thank you everyone who was praying for us as we traveled yesterday! That was a very long day and I am glad I am past it! I never sleep really well before a day of travel so was already a bit tired to start. Thankfully, I have lots of tea and am enjoying the peace and quiet of Daniel's home.