Hunter and I have made the impromptu decision to visit Munich this weekend! Actually, we just needed to go somewhere international and Germany was the easiest to get to regarding Covid restrictions as it just required proof of vaccination for entry. Initially, we thought we would visit Frankfurt, but Munich was much emptier and closer to a place we have wanted to visit for a while, especially in winter!
The whole reason for taking an international flight is due to the Canadian government not doing Nexus interviews. Nexus is an agreement for expedited entry between the US and Canada. It allows you to take the fast lane when going through customs at land crossings and airports. Due to Covid and Canada being super shut down for the last 2 years, we have had to "upgrade" to global entry which is the same thing, but just for entry into the US. Both also come with TSA pre-check which means shorter lines and keeping your shoes on when going through security at airports (mostly just USA airports). Anyways, we signed up for nexus back in 2019 and were approved in March 2020 just when the pandemic started. There were no easy available appointments to complete the process as it required in-person interviews and then Covid shut that down. They extended the deadline for interviews by 2 years, but unfortunately, Canada is still closed and our 2 years are almost over, so we either would lose our money, or have to upgrade to global entry. We decided to upgrade knowing that we could complete an interview upon arrival (basically a walk-in appointment) back into the USA from an international flight. So off to Germany we went.
Living in a hub is such a different experience than living in an outstation where we had to essentially spend a whole day prepositioning ourselves into a larger city to get a good flight. It made taking spontaneous trips really challenging and Covid causing fewer flights and routes didn't help. Leaving for Germany, we got to sleep in till noon (Hunter is working nights so he comes home at 4am and then goes to sleep till around noon) as the flight departed at 6pm and we live 15 minutes from the airport with the direct flight to Germany. It honestly felt so strange and wrong to sit around into the afternoon before going to the airport. We're so used to having to take the early morning options so we actually get where we need to get.
We left for the airport around 3:45pm and went to the parking spot. Delta has an employee special of $4 per day which is awesome when it's typically $8-12. I also have a bunch of free days in my account because I used them last summer in Salt Lake and Denver. It took about 25 minutes from the parking spot to the airport as there was some confusion among a couple of passengers and the driver as to where they were going. Hopefully, in the future, it doesn't take this long! When we got to the airport, we checked in and flew through security. We made sure to pick the far right line as it has the machine where you don't have to take anything out of your bags. Once we passed security we went to the lounge to have a drink before heading to our gate which was 1 terminal over from the lounge. When we got there we waited for a few minutes before we were cleared into Delta One seats 3B and 3C.
The flight only had about 60 passengers on board, so it was nice and quiet. For dinner, Hunter had the beef dish and I had the pasta dish. Both were an incredible combination of flavors. While we had dinner, we also watched the new James Bond movie. It was a long one, but so good! After dinner and a movie, we settled in for some sleep before arriving in Germany.
For breakfast Hunter and I both had the Frittata. It was delicious and I typically don't like eggs! We arrived in Germany at 9am local. There is about a plus 6-8 hour time difference (6 for the east coast and 8 for my mountain friends) in Germany. Once we cleared customs we went to pick up our rental car which was booked with Sixt. We have never booked with them before so we were unsure what to expect. We booked a VW Golf online thinking it would just be your base model, but came to find out it was a Mark 8 Golf R - an insanely powerful vehicle that we considered getting in the US, but are sticking with the GTI series since we don't need all that power. We were super excited to get to experience the new Mark 8 Golf as it's going to be extremely similar to what we hope to buy in the next few months. As we were finishing the paperwork the agent keep mentioning 300km and we were confused as we thought he was telling us the range we could drive, but then he clarified that was the top speed we could drive. We then remembered this is Germany where there are no speed limits on the autobhan (well there are in some areas such as exits and tunnels but not on large stretches). We went and picked up the car and started our journey to .... Drum roll please.... Neuschwanstein Castle!
The drive out to the castle took approximately 2 hours. It was exciting driving the Golf R and getting to go 200 kmh (124 mph for the Americans). Even at this speed, we were being passed by all sorts of vehicles. Everyone on the road was extremely respectful and drove accordingly. It never felt unsafe.
As we neared the castle we stopped at a Church nearby to stretch our legs and take some photos as it was very picturesque. We then drove up closer to the Neuschwanstein Castle, but you have to pay to park and take a shuttle if you want to go up to the castle, and we didn't have a reservation to visit, so we just enjoyed the scenery from below. We decided to go back to the church parking lot and use our drone to get some aerial shots. The drone has a range of 10km, so it would just make it. Germany and most of Europe have a bit different regulations when it comes to using a drone, but we made sure we were following the rules. You cannot drone over the castle and you cannot take off from the castle grounds. There is also a nature area that drones aren't allowed near too. We made sure to fly high where we wouldn't be bothering people below. Since the drone is so small, it is also very quiet so we had no real worries and were very respectful. We got some excellent photos of the castle with the drone. I'm honestly amazed at how great the photos come out on our tiny drone!
With the wind and poor GPS signal in the valley it was actually pretty challenging flying, but we had a lot of fun and I think you can agree we got some great shots. After enjoying the castle and playing with our drone, we then headed to the next town over called Füssen. Since we were also so close to Austria, we decided to go on an extra little adventure and cross another country off the list! Hello country number 23!
After our Austria adventure, we headed back towards Munich, enjoying the fast driving and countryside of Germany. As we got closer to the city, we decided to have dinner at a burger place called HANS IM GLÜCK Burgergrill & Bar. They looked super cute and had a great lunch combo we arrived just in time for! It came with a fancy drink, burger, fries, and a hot drink at the end. We both had hot chocolate.
After eating we headed back to the airport as we were staying at the Hilton Munich Airport. I highly recommend this hotel! It was a little more expensive than if we stayed in the city, but it was conveniently located by the rental car drop off. I went and checked in while Hunter returned our rental car. After checking in and dropping our things off in the room we got to go to the executive lounge where they had an assortment of snacks and drinks. After enjoying some snacks we returned to our room where I showered and then fell asleep from the long day and crazy time zone changes.
The following morning we got to sleep in a little and then head to breakfast that was included in our stay as a Gold member. We had to buy two new face masks to enter as Germany and many other EU countries are requiring a mask type called FFP2 which is like an N95. Surgical masks are not accepted a lot of places although the breakfast place was the only place that required us to buy them. The selection of food available was extensive and incredibly delicious!
After breakfast, we finished packing up our things and headed to check-in at the airport. We had to do an exit interview where they asked the typical questions of if anyone gave you items to bring back and has your luggage been left unattended at all. They also checked all our covid documentation. Hunter and I both have recovered from Covid and so we did not need any tests, just all the documentation that we had covid and have recovered. This documentation lasts 90 days for entry back into the US without a negative covid test. It also lets me travel to Canada for 180 days without a negative test! We got all the paperwork checked off and headed through security. Thankfully there was no line, but my bag got pulled for secondary because of tweezers! Apparently, it looked like a knife on the x-ray. After passing through security we went to the lounge where we had a drink and snack before heading to our gate. As soon as we got to the gate they called our names and we got seats 2B and C! The best part was that we had the same flight crew on the plane. As I walked in I said, hello again, and caught them off guard. They were so excited to see us again and wondered what we were doing with such a quick turn! We explained the whole nexus/global entry thing and they thought it was funny. After lunch and watching a movie together called Office Space, we then headed to sleep. I slept a solid 6hr and then 4 hours later we arrived in Atlanta!
We were some of the first people to exit the plane and headed to customs. We requested we complete the global entry interview and were directed to another agent who then told us the most terrifying news – they were not doing interviews today. Hunter and I just looked at each other in disbelief as we previously called to ensure we could do an interview on arrival and check hours etc. We requested to speak to his supervisor and then it was explained to us that they were not doing interviews in this terminal, but were doing them in the other terminal and all we had to do was walk there. We were relieved we would get to do the interviews!
When we got to the interview area we handed over our passports and waited to be called up for the interview. I was called up first and they just asked me about my address, which I had them update, along with my phone number. Then they sent me back and called up Hunter. Hunter got asked way more questions than me like where all he had traveled to and what his new job was etc. Then they called me back up with Hunter and explained to us that since we had all these changes our application now had to be resubmitted and approved. We again just looked at each other in disbelief and had a million questions which no one seemed to be able to answer. Eventually, we were told that the main manager had left for the day and we needed to call her to ask these questions. We were given her information and told to leave. It was so sad as we specifically went on this trip with the expectation that we would complete the process for global entry. It really sucked that we didn’t get it completed and have to go back again.
We returned upstairs to pass through security and go to the lounge while waiting for my next flight to Las Vegas. I am visiting St. George again and will stop by my office while I am there. I am excited to get to be going back as I really like St. George. Hunter and I got a few snacks and drinks and then went to my gate and he left for home since he works tomorrow night.
The flight to Vegas was pretty empty and thankfully uneventful. When I landed I hopped on the shuttle to St. George and then picked up our car from my office and went to Kirsti’s to spend the night! She is awesome!
All in all, we had a fun 26 hours in Germany despite the whole global entry issue. I can’t wait to see where we go next with all the possibilities from Atlanta!
So cool to see your travels so far. Love the beautiful food presentations and the "nature" airport! Stay safe :)
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