Wed., April 22, Frankfurt, Germany-- Dede and I touched bases at Joanna's before strolling over to the IHOP for breakfast and coffee, anticipating a long day ahead. We would be leaving at 8:30 p.m. and arriving in Frankfurt at about noon. As flight time rolled around, baby Maryam, Joanna's mother, Bobbie, and Jovaughn, Joanna's 10-year old, Dede and me, with Darnell at the wheel, tooled over to O'Hare. We were flying United, one of the sourest bunch of ground crew I've ever seen. We got to the checkout counter and a 50-something battle axe took one look at us, and decided to give us the third degree: one carry-on (two are allowed), two baggage items (travel agents all said three). The old biddy would not budge despite Joanna's angry barrage. I ended up shoving my cymbal bag into my suitcase with my kick drum pedal to comply with der Commandant. Finally passing muster, we all trekked over to our departure gate shaking our heads and joking insultingly about the dragonlady welcome we received. We ain't seen nothin' yet... After watching two flights arrive and depart from our gate, we figured something was up, especially since it was 9:15. The TV monitors gave no clue anything was up, so finally Joanna trucked over to the check-in counter. They told her to wait for an announcement. Another half-hour goes by, and finally, the word comes that the plane they were going to use for the Frankfurt flight was "unavailable", and they were getting another plane which would not be at O'Hare until 11:30 p.m.! A few dozen people groaned and left the area in search of food. Dede and I did the same, downing a tuna sandwich each around the corner at a concourse deli. We returned only to hear an announcement to the effect that food vouchers were now available for anyone who wanted to eat. Duh... It was 10 p.m. now. We had just blown $16 for no reason, because United Airlines decided dinner time was at 10 p.m. Jovaughn and Darnell had to take off, since tomorrow is a school day. Joanna, Jovaughn and Darnell all gathered around Maryam for a group hug. With Maryam's little head sticking up in the middle of the hug, it was quite a goodbye scene. Needless to say, we did end up on the plane at 11:35, a new-looking Boeing 777. Vic gave his seat up next to me so Dede could sit with me and we were at last in the air, with our new arrival time of 3 p.m. Frankfurt time. To their credit, United had some very upbeat flight crew who were delighting in serving Dede and I more wine than we could believe. The attendant was cute, saying, "I love this job" after our fourth quarter liter bottle of Cabernet. We enjoyed "Good Will Hunting" for the in-flight movie (although it was not on the printed schedule), and then attempted to get some sleep despite the giggles and wired gossip of about a dozen German teenagers returning home as exchange students sitting all around us. Dawn came way early, and before we knew it, Germany was in sight. From the air, the country is not evenly divided into those squares and rectangles of agricultural green shades so familiar in the States. The fields are every which way and much smaller, and towns are very close together, with reddish roofs and winding roads. The landing was gentle and the weather was very nice. We met our road manager, Petra, at the baggage claim, and she helped us heft our stuff into a diesel Mercedes Benz bus--the kind you can stand up in with three bench seats. I hadn't met Petra before, but Joanna, Tony and she are good friends, having been through several Euro-tours together over the last four years. Petra is 28, brown-hair and eyes, short, animated, cute and looking good in tight jeans. Her English was very good along with a fairly thick German accent. She has lived in southern Germany, around Munich all her life, and so enjoys the travel mode of touring with a band.