First, we ordered the passports and got all our immunizations, including the booster plus our annual flu shot. We also loaded up on vitamins and minerals.
When international travel limits were loosened up a bit last month, Rusty and I took off from Columbus for Germany. We had no sightseeing goals other than seeing our granddaughter and her parents, Erin and Aaron.
Little did we know that we were embarking on a pandemic adventure.
While COVID-19 rules have loosened a bit in Ohio, we re-entered the world of constant mask use as we walked through the sliding doors of the John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
It was not crowded, and there were few lines. Hand sanitizer dispensers were as popular as cell phone charging stations.
We dutifully wore our masks on the fights. Turning up the air vents did help. We learned that the cabin air is filtered, so we felt good having that cleaner air flowing around us.
The airport in Frankfurt, Germany, also required the masks. “Mind the meter” signs reminded us to see our distances. Colorful tape kept people from sitting near others.
The biggest change we noticed was that when we walked outside the building, people were not removing their masks.
Seeing our granddaughter was the highlight of our trip. She’s a walking/running/climbing toddler now; no longer a baby. We spent much of our time getting to know her and enjoying her parents. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Erin’s birthday.
Mask use in stores and restaurants was universal. To get into stores, especially restaurants, we had to show proof of full immunization and an ID, which for us was a passport. All Germans have to carry identification with their proof of immunization. Many have this information on their phone,s which makes the process easier.
We did very little sightseeing, and all was outside. We visited my uncle’s name on the missing in action wall of Ardennes American Cemetery in Liege, Belgium, and we walked the forested area in Germany where he disappeared more than 77 years ago. We also walked around a beautiful 16th century church were Rusty’s great, great-grandfather was baptized. We were blessed by the ringing of the bells.
We managed to see two different Christmas Markets; one in Mannheim and the other in Wiesbaden. Mask wearing was required, even though it was outside, and we had to show proof of immunization to enter the food area. We had plans to attend other markets, but many were shut down immediately when COVID-19 infection levels increased.
We began to get a bit worried when rules to return to the U.S. required a negative COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours of departure.
Getting a COVID-19 test in a foreign country is a bit of an adventure. We had to make an appointment online and arrive with the reservation on our phone, plus our passports and shot record cards. Signs are all in German, but easily translatable. We took the test in a village’s firehouse. Results were emailed to us within 15 minutes. It was a quite efficient system.
We departed Germany and reentered the U.S.A. smoothly showing our immunization records and negative tests.
Looking back at the strictness of German pandemic rules, I couldn’t help but wonder why their levels had been up, but then we thought about the closeness of living conditions in the city and even in the villages, the shared elevators and public transportation. We felt like these were unavoidable opportunities for spreading the virus just as in our cities.
This trip really helped us appreciate how we live out here in the country and in our towns with our houses farther apart. Most of our travel is by car. We have natural distancing, and we’ve come to believe it is our most important defense here in Ohio.
There is such a debate here about immunizations, but we were thankful we could chose to get our shots and booster, which made our trip to see our Army branch of the family possible.
Someday we hope to return for another visit when this pandemic is finally over, and we’ve tossed the masks completely.
It will be nice to share smiles with our hosts.
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