Berlin to Dubai

Berlin

Wow, where do I start? Is am currently in Sydney, Australia and it is 6:30am and I am wide awake. I think my time clock might be off a little considering we have jumped forward about 6 hrs in the last 24hrs i think. We also haven't been taking any train rides lately, so my updates have been a few countries behind.

Our last day in Switzerland was at our favorite hotel. Will and i judge hotels by the breakfast, and since this one didn't have haggis.....the only weird thing about Switzerland is that queen beds just don't exist. Everywhere we have been shoves two twins together. Weird...

We left Switzerland at 9 and took the train to Zurich at 2. We had a 1 hr flight to Berlin and a five hr layover. Will is much braver than I so actually got out of the airport and explored Berlin! This is NOT in my character, because I am scared to miss a flight and I do not have my Rick Steves book with me! It was about a 40 min bus ride to the Brandenburg Gate, so we walked about, saw where the wall use to be and saw a few memorials, and the old parliment building. It is fasinating to see pictures of the demolished buildings from the war and then see what the Germans have done with it now. The destructions from WWII is really hard to describe when you are looking at all the photos! Yes, we also bought our piece of the Berlin Wall attached to a post card...you can't get more touristy than that!

Out plane leaving Berlin was about a hour late because of maintence problems. They ended up switching aircraft on us completely! They gave us a smaller airplane which required a stop inTurkey to refuel. Does this mean I can say I have been to Turkey now? I will never forget that flight because I became profient at using the barf bags! Yes, this was a new experience for me! Will and i had dinner in the airport right before we left and I ordered a pretzel. (Germany=pretzels to me. Normally really good!). About 3 hrs later, i got really sick and stayed sick until we landed. Praise the Lord no one was sitting next too us and that most people were asleep on the flight. I was up and down then entire flight. Will did an excellent job taking care of me, but it sure was not a memerable experience. I think they gave me the week old display pretzels out of the window...and truthfully, I was really nervous about going to Dubai. i wonder who else my family has that problem (Kimberly!).

Reason why i was freaking out about Dubai.
No Rick Steves guide book let alone any guide book. You go to your local book store and see if you can find anything on Dubai. Good luck!
I read lots on Dubai on the internet and there are not good stories out there about Americans getting in trouble for bring in prescriptions medicine and to much PDA and not following the customs of a very traditional Muslim country.
I was really worried about customs because i had benedryl and that medication wasn't on my doctors permission note. (yes, you have to get a doctors note saying you are approved to take the following medicines-and I did that, just left off benedryl. I know it is stupid, but if there is something at all to worry about, i will find it.). You get off the plane and all you see are the tradition dress...men in the white floor length coverings with the headress and women wearing black from head to toe. Not everyone weres it over here, but sure more than what I am use too. There are also guards standing at the front of the lines directing poeple where to go...just lots of official type scary people everywhere in my mind, and here i am barfing all night too! So, we get off the plane and i barf in the bathroom, then standing in the immigration line, all i am thinking is "please don't barf here." They will think i am on drugs and i will get arrested! THEN...when Will feels bad for me, he tends to give me a kiss on the check and he attempted to do that in line at immigration! I almost punched him! I am sure we would get arrested for doing both! Anyway, we made it through immigrations, I barfed one more time and was done. We grabbed a taxi and drove straight to the Furman's house with no problems at all!