Ok, so I am in Germany and this is what I have been able to accomplish so far. I got totally lost at the airport and my phone does not work so I walked around with 138 pounds worth of gear looking for the shuttle service that was supposed to take me from Frankfurt to Ramstein.   I walked around for about 35 minutes before I decided to return to my start point.  It was during that walk back that I had decided that I was really not happy to be in Germany and was glad we gave them a beating in WW2.  No offense to any folks from Deutschland, I grew to love it. I had just spent 9 hours on a flight and was a little cranky.  I spotted a USO and made a beeline to it thanking God that I finally found some Americans.  Halfway there a person walked up to me and said “Stephan?”  I thought Stephen, Stephan, close enough.  I either looked like I was a pilot that was going to Iraq or a complete idiot with no idea what I was doing and that’s how he knew it was me to approach…I am going with the latter guess.

Now, on to the story of the Hotel in Ramstein. I bought a power transfer adapter thing while in the US to convert European electrical to US as to not blow myself up.  It actually says that on the box “Buy this as to not blow yourself up while overseas!” Well needless to say it does not matter how much money you put into something if you hand it to me I will figure out a way to screw it up.  So I plugged in my computer and did some e-mails and what not and then decided to play a game.  About 5 minutes into the game I noticed a burning smell…electrical…so I continued playing my game.  About 30 seconds after that I heard a loud bang from underneath the table.  I looked down to see my power converter that was plugged into the wall billowing out smoke.  Hugh, I don’t think that is normal.  I rip it out of the wall and open the window because my room is now filled with burning electrical smoke.  I throw the adapter out my window and look around for a smoke detector that I know is about to go off.  Apparently the Germans think that if you are stupid enough to start a fire in your hotel room then you should not have any warning devices to alert you that you might die.  Good, crisis averted I am not going to have the hotel evacuated.  I did however manage to knock all the power out in my room…. and possibly the rest of the hotel.  I had to wait a few hours before the front desk person showed up before I could ask them how to say in German “I am a complete moron, I almost blew up my computer and burned down your hotel can you please turn the power back on in my room?”  It translates to this. “ Ich bin ein ganzer Idiot, ich vernichtete fast meinen Computer und brannte Ihr Hotel nieder kann Sie schalten Sie bitte das Netzteil in meinem Zimmer ein?”

It looks like I am leaving Germany tonight heading for Iraq. I belive the German people are already planning a parade.  Once I make it into Iraq they give me a gun at that point..…so, there is a great possibility that either I, someone else or a camel could be seriously injured by the end of the week.  Until next time.

“Mein Haar ist in Brand und ich laufe durch die Hölzer nackt.”

-Steve-0