This is the third time I'm crossing the Mississippi. This time heading west again from Illinois and now I'm rolling through Iowa, the 12th state on this trip.
So far I have already traveled to the following states on this journey:
Driving past three dozen proper burger joints and Mexican restaurants in San Antonio to grab a $17 "Texan Pizza" at 46th Street New York Style Pizzeria is the worst idea I can remember having on this trip to have. What a muck!
Today my Southeast Asia trip begins, for which I prepared longer and better than on the last trips. I don't have a ready-made travel plan, because for me the journey itself is actually the goal. On this trip even more than usual. I just looked around mid-December where there were still reasonably affordable flights to Southeast Asia somewhere. There are basically none like before the COVID pandemic. I found a one-way flight to Bangkok that cost more than a return flight three years ago. As soon as I started my journey today, it became clear that international passenger traffic by plane had gotten into serious trouble. I'm leaving from Frankfurt am Main (FRA). Check-in there at China Airlines takes just three minutes. But at the automated border control, I've been in line for 30 minutes. There are not enough of the gates for so many passengers who have to go through it. Passport control is only theoretically faster that way. In reality, many people still have problems handling it. Most do not leave their passport on the scanner long enough, so the process has to be repeated multiple times.
The trips abroad of the voluntary work assignments of the Volksbund War Graves Commission include not only work, but also the occasional exploration of the surrounding area. Four days ago we visited the war museum in the neighboring town of Overloon. Today we drive a little further and visit the metropolis of Amsterdam.
