Having been dropped off at the Logan Express bus terminal in Braintree, Dad and I were starting to get excited, realizing that we were finally, actually heading off to Poland! Mom seemed a bit upset that Dad was leaving (she was certainly not worried about me traveling!), but was excited for him, and anxious for his return so that he could share stories. She even took interest in learning how to use email - only so that she could download and read our accounts from Poland. Mom and her cousin DeeDee drove us to Braintree, and both were a bit nervous about finding their way back to Taunton. Hey, we had to navigate all the way to Poland!

Standing in line at the Lufthansa check-in counter, we were surrounded by people from all over the world. There were anxious American tourists like us (do we really look like tourists?), businessmen, Germans returning home from their travels, and people like us, flying to Frankfurt to connect to other international flights. The wait at the airport before an international flight is interminable. Any attempts at trying to make time pass by seem futile, whether you are looking through the magazines and books of the bookstore, checking prices at the Duty Free shop (just what is duty? hey, its just tax!), or sipping a beer while looking out at the planes as they are loaded with luggage and cargo. The wait for your boarding call seems endless.

It was quite apparent, just sitting at our gate, that the flight to Frankfurt would be full. There were several families, quite a few businessmen, and a tour group amongst the onslaught of travelers. The call for boarding brought a mad rush to the gate, and our request to board early (so Dad could take his time going down the stairs to the jetway) was a smart move.

Once settled into our seats, we bemoaned the fact that this would be our home for the next seven hours. Well, at least we had a movie and a couple of meals to which we could look forward.