We’re in America! Finally.
Yesterday was a ridiculously long day for the two of us; we woke at 6 a.m. to the news that our flight from Berlin to New Jersey was delayed, meaning we would miss our connecting flights. Luckily, we were assisted almost immediately at Tegel, and re-booked with new flights that put us in Knoxville only 3 hours past the original schedule.
So we hung out at the airport until boarding sometime around 11, at which point we set off for Newark. Our seats were surprisingly quite comfortable, and our flight time was cut down about 40 minutes below the projection. On board, we watched “Silver Linings Playbook,” ate some food, attempted napping, and generally killed time without too many complaints.
Customs was a breeze, and because our second flight was also delayed, we got to spend some time walking around, taking in the sunshine and blue skies and checking out the distant New York City skyline.
Then we got on board another flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, which was about 90 minutes. The airport there was huge but nice, and after another short wait, we boarded a tiny little plane bound for Knoxville. By then, let me tell you, we certainly knew we were in the South!
Finally, we arrived to the airport and were met by my parents – the first time I have seen them since July 2011! We made our way to their new house, saw the cats, and got the tour. Then we took showers and enjoyed a late dinner snack before finally going to bed (after being awake for 24 hours!). We only slept about nine hours (and we even had a clock change!), but those nine hours were a hard reset and we woke up ready to tackle Tennessee.