Skating On Ice...

Frankfurt, Germany

January 6, 2008
N50°06.613
E008°35.755

We knew the weather in Berlin would be cold, but when we caught a glimpse of the sun yesterday we thought we may get a reprieve from the biting wind and finger numbing weather. We should have known it was too good to be true, we’re able to walk several miles across the city before the rain started. Not snow, but a cold rain, at times sleet, which quickly turned the sidewalks and cobblestones to paths of ice.

The streets were so slick we literally had to slide our way from one place to another to avoid falling on our butts, or faces. We skated our way to dinner last night, and again on our way to the airport shuttle this morning. The skating was novel, at first, but simply walking and stepping on and off curbs became flat-out dangerous. I kept thinking... “Shit, we made it all the way around the world without any major accidents and now I’m going to crack my head open on an icy sidewalk!”

When we got off the bus at the Berlin Airport, the rain started coming down again. I looked out on the tarmac after we checked in and saw beautiful white flakes falling. Of course snow is the last thing you want to see before boarding a plane, but after a quick de-icing we made it to Frankfurt with only a one hour delay.

Tonight, in Frankfurt, is our last night in Europe. We arrived in the Czech Republic on August 27th and after nearly four months of traveling across the continent (mostly overland) we feel like we’ve seen Europe. Of course we haven’t seen everything, but we’ve accomplished a great deal and we’re ready to move on. However, we’re still a little melancholy knowing we only have a few weeks of our incredible journey left.

Tomorrow we head to our nation’s capital (Washington D.C.) with plans to watch the BCS Championship Bowl game; the first step of our re-entry process. We’ll let you know how it goes...