Yesterday Sibylle and I made the long trip home. Germany is seven hours ahead of Kansas, which makes the math a bit weird, but here is a rough accounting of our day. Times give are the local time for us, times given in parenthesis are Central Standard Time (CST).
Hour 0: 6:00 am Sunday (11 pm Saturday): Wake up call.
We stayed in the Mövenpick Airport hotel a mere 50 meters from the entrance to Echterdingen, the Stuttgart airport. Upon checking into our room (a whole story itself involving fire alarms) we discovered they offered a European-style breakfast buffet in the room. The buffet included rolls, fruit, meats, cheeses, muesli, orange juice, and a hot beverage. We ordered one and shared it which was perfect for breakfast. Also perfect was time alone in our room, especially in light of a long day confined in an airplane seat surrounded by 300 other weary travelers.
Hour 2: 8:00 am Sunday (1 am Sunday): Check in
Check in and baggage drop off was smooth and quick. We were asked the usual raft of questions about who packed the luggage and was it every out of our sight. The one new question was how recently had any of our electronic gear been repaired. After a bit of last minute shopping we made our way through security, again will a minimum of fuss.
Hour 3.5: 9:30 am Sunday (2:30 am Sunday): Second Security Screen
The international departure lounge at Echterdingen is behind a second security screening. This one was far more elaborate than the domestic security we had already been through. Our larger electronics (laptops and camera) were checked for nitrate traces, and we were frisked from head to toe.
Hour 4.8: 10:50 am Sunday (3:50 am Sunday): Take off
Our Delta flight from Stuttgart to Atlanta took off a few minutes late as it had been snowing all morning.

We waited perhaps 20 minutes while the runways were “de-iced” and then while our plane was de-iced as well. Fortunately they were able to adjust our cruising altitude to minimize headwinds and we made up the 30 or 40 minutes before arriving in Georgia.
There were four movies and a series of situation comedies shown on the large screen several rows in front of us. Even if you don’t want to watch you are trapped and end up staring at whatever is on the screen. The only movie they ran for us that I was remotely interested in seeing was The Informant, but I found it hard to adjust the volume so I could hear it over the plane without deafening myself. Instead I read all of a 500 page book and watched a couple episodes of Battlestar Galactica on my laptop.
The in-flight food was decent and plentiful. The stranger sitting to my left consumed four beers and snored while sleeping. It was a long 10 hours in the air.
Hour 15: 3:30 pm Sunday (2:30 pm Sunday)
Reentering the United States is an ordeal. Partly due to the fact that your mind and body are numb from 10 hours in flight and partly due to indifferent personnel who are only doing their jobs.
First stop is immigration where your passport (and resident alien status) is verified. Next you retrieve your luggage and pass through customs. With nothing to declare neither of us was stopped. Since we had a connecting flight you re-check your luggage (i.e., drop it off again) and proceed to security. I guess since you’ve had contact with your checked luggage you need to be re-screened before boarding another flight. This screening was by far the most invasive and time consuming of our trip.
Shoes and belt off, all pockets empty, stand in a phone booth sized scanning machine with your hands up for a scan and then turned 90º with your hands down for a second scan. My hands were checked for nitrate residue. All of this occurred while I was suffering from the worst head decompression experience I have ever had. My eustachian tubes don’t work, which means I have to manually equalize the pressure behind my ear drums by pinching my nose and blowing gently every few hours. After a plane ride with a pressurized cabin it usually takes 30 minutes or so for my head to feel right again. Yesterday the inside of my head felt like it was 4 times larger than the outside and no amount of clearing my ears helped. I just wanted to lay down and cry.
After clearing the security screening we made our way to our departure gate and I took some Aleve which, combined with some time at a stead atmospheric pressure, allowed my head to feel better. I also managed to eat some tasteless fried rice and drink some water. Sibylle stretched out on a couple of chairs and slept for an hour or so.
Hour 21: 7:45 pm Sunday (6:45 pm Sunday)
Our 7:02 pm flight to Kansas City was delayed for about 45 minutes while we were waiting in the departure area. No reason was given other then the flight from Detroit was late. After boarding all of us they were unable to start the plane. The ground equipment that provides air pressure to start the turbines wasn’t working and it took about 45 minutes for the alternate to arrive.
Hour 22: 8:30 pm Sunday (7:30 pm Sunday)
Finally we were in the air again headed towards Kansas City. Both us were exhausted and starting to wonder about the two hour drive home from the KC airport to Manhattan. At times I felt very awake and I was willing to start the drive. Sibylle was nauseous and not feeling well at all. She was concerned about being able to stay awake in the car to talk to me to help me stay awake. We were both concerned about the weather forecast. Monday’s weather in the KC area didn’t sound like something we wanted to drive in. And we really wanted to be home and not in another strange bed in some motel for the night.
Hour 23.5: 9:00 pm Sunday (9:00 pm Sunday)
After landing in Kansas City we collected our luggage (always a long wait for some reason) and stood outside in the cold, fresh Kansas night air waiting for the long-term parking shuttle. It had occurred to both of us that one could get the bags while the other went to get the car. However in our sleep deprived state neither of us broached the idea. We had to wait for the second bus as the first filled before we could board. By 10:30 we were in the car ready to drive somewhere.
Hour 25: 10:30 pm Sunday (10:30 pm Sunday)
We decided to follow the I-435 bypass west around Kansas City to the I-70 interchange where there are a handful of motels. If I wasn’t able to stay awake we’d get a room there for the night and continue home on Monday morning. As it turned out I felt awake enough to continue on. At Lawrence and again at Topeka I assessed my reaction times and alertness and decided to keep going. After Topeka there isn’t anything – no towns on the highway, and, in the dark, no scenery to involve you. Just the head and taillights of other late night travelers. A quick stop at the Topeka service center on the Turnpike for a coke and a candy bar was the only time we stopped.
Hour 27: 1:00 am Monday (1:00 am Monday)
Shortly before 1 am we rolled into our garage and stumbled inside with our baggage. After quickly checking the house and the cats we fell into bed and passed out.
According to my Delta Skymiles account we covered 10,055 miles on our trip. Air travel is amazing if exhausting experience.