the number one thing to remember when flying space a

So, I'm beginning the daunting task of documenting our European vakay, and I figured I would start by sharing our experience of getting to Europe, which was through a military flight to Ramstein AFB in Germany.

A lot of people asked me to report back on what it was like to fly on a military flight, also known as "space available" flights. Well, the one thing to remember when flying space a and dealing with all the stuff that goes along with it is this:

IT'S FREE. IT'S FREE. IT'S FREE.

Flying space a kind of sucked. But it was free!! It sucked because Victor and I didn't know what to expect, so we weren't very well prepared. Next time we do it, it probably won't be as terrible.

You have to be extremely flexible and patient in the whole process. We arrived at the Dover Air Force base expecting there to be two flights leaving that night, because that's what they told us, but lo and behold, when we showed up, they said, nope, there will be no passengers on those flights. So, we had to reevaluate. We called up to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and they told us our odds were very high, so up we drove to New Jersey. All of this was kind of a pain, but it actually worked out wonderfully, because a couple of Victor's friends drove down and took Victor's car to his parents house, which saved us the hassle of having to somehow get back to Delaware to get our car.

Then there is the enormous suspense of whether or not you will make the flight. The whole thing is organized by "category," and then that is prioritized by rank, and the last on the list are the retired people. So as more and more people show up, you're flustered because you don't know if they will trump you or not. Too much suspense!! Luckily we made it on the flight leaving just after midnight. But all those retired people didn't. I felt kind of bad for them.  But then I remembered that they are retired and have all the time in the world to wait for flights, so I kind of got over it.

After we took off, they said we could spread out on the ground if we wanted. Sweet! But when we started seeing people rolling out mats, sleeping bags, and pretty big blankets, we soon realized that our night wasn't going to be as pleasant as those well prepared people. It quickly turned very very cold, and my piece of crap travel blanket was almost worthless. It was a pretty miserable night.

But, IT WAS FREE.

And little did we know that this cold weather was just a foreshadowing of the week to come, and for us who packed for 75 degree weather, we were in for a long week in Paris and London. A great week for sure, but very cold and very long!