Moo & I made it to Germany

I made it to Germany without incident! 

Everything went smoothly with the flight to Germany for my PCS. At the airport, I carried Moo the Cat through security in my arms. It is required that the animal is leashed in some manner as he passes through security. I bought the TSA Fast Pass harness and leash for him, which didn't have metal, so we didn't set off the alarm. The TSA agents helped me push my bins of items through security and once I was through, the agent wanted to do additional screening. He wiped some sort of fabric over my hand and then sent me on my merry way. Moo was good when I carried him; he was definitely curious about being out of his carrier but didn't freak out, which was great. Then again, he's a reasonably mellow and very nice kitty.

Once I was through security, I had several hours to pass. I stopped by one of the airport stores and ended up letting the staff there pet him since they were animal lovers too. Moo stuck his head out of the carrier and they mauled him - too cute! He takes "maulings" very well.

The flight was uneventful, though I only got about 5 minutes of sleep at a time. Moo was quite good in his carrier; for the most part, he didn't complain. Toward the end of the flight, he meowed intermittently. I had been worried that if he meowed, it would bother other passengers. However, the noise from the flight was loud enough that his non-insistent meows weren't really noticeable. Phew!

When I arrived at the destination airport, Frankfurt, I had my veterinary paperwork in order for Moo as well as my orders for my PCS/to work in Germany. I was all set to be grilled about my plans but almost fell over in shock when the immigration agent just waved me through after I answered his asking why I was here with "I am coming to work at the military base." I bet he gets so many people coming through here for that reason that it's no surprise. I didn't even have to submit Moo's paperwork.

Moo and I were super tired after our flight, so I dropped him off at the hotel where I'm staying. Lucky Moo got to nap but I was off to begin my in-processing on base.

It's very tiring to "Moove" to Germany!

 

We'll tuck you in

Travel can be an exciting, fun adventure, but sometimes getting there isn't. With heightened security and steep taxes and fees, transit to one's destination can be nothing near a smooth journey. Heck, even just getting through security can suck some of the fun out of the inital phase of travel. Sometimes odd situations crop up in the security line.

I was talking to a traveler who recently experienced the full body scanners and more intrusive searches. Security screeners informed him that they'd be running their hands along the waistband of his pants. He wasn't exactly thrilled about it but there's no sense in arguing with someone who holds the fate of his travel plans, he thought. His travel companion had the same thing happen, but was a bit bemused when he returned. Apparently the person searching him tucked the travel companion's shirt back in. We had a giggle about that as it was a bit...odd!