2017-08-31 Five Days in Captivity

Still no word on the baggage and the day begins in an unhappy state.  As everyone by now knows, if Joyce is not happy, none of us are happy.

Today will be a more cultural day with visits to museums planned.  The original plan is to visit the German History Museum but Debbie’s plans get jacked by dueling GPS systems.  She eventually sees the Neues Museum and indicates that this is what she actually meant.  Neues probably translates to German History (It doesn’t and she knows this but is trying to cover her lapse in directions.  You can’t have the tour group lose confidence in the guide. BTW: Why don’t they ever clap at the end of her tours like the other tour groups?  Shout out to my Venice tour members, Don and Greg, didn’t you want to clap for Debbie that time she had to improvise as the tour leader?).

Cultural Moment: The Neues Museum displays artifacts from Egypt and the Papyrus Collection.  Big plus for the museum –  free audio video in English.  Star attractions include the bust of Nefertiti and the Berlin Golden Hat.  You have probably seen pictures of the bust of Nefertiti.  Visitors are not allowed to take close up pictures but the guards will line you up at the door and allow you to take a long shot.  The Golden hat is this really weird looking hat.  The theory is that it tracks the lunisolar calendrical systems of up to 57 months.   The hat allowed the owner to predict the seasons which is valuable information.  (Debbie says that the hat owner must have really tiny heads and don’t see how they could hold up the hat.  Larry’s hear is too big.)  It really is an interesting museum.  Half of it is Egyptian and the other pre-German/early German history.

As the morning progresses, Joyce continues to pelt the airline / baggage companies with texts and calls to no avail.  No answer – nothing .  Joyce travels through the museum sending out waves of sadness which seems to wash over the others.  (That really sounded good, didn’t it?   Maybe Debbie should be a writer?  This is being written on a train.  How artistic is that?)  Anyway, It is with much sadness that the group breaks for lunch.

The group finds a nice shady place by the river.  The skies feel the pain of the lost baggage and begin to cry.  (It rains – still being artistic).  Seriously, though, Joyce is quite upset at this point.  Debbie and Larry suggests that the group forget the museum in the afternoon and go on a field trip to the airport.  (They have the 7 day transit pass after all). It is worth a shot.  At least, Joyce could find out the name of the baggage service.  Larry and Jerry are sent back to the flat on the off chance that the baggage is delivered.   So off Joyce and Debbie go, on bus TXL to the airport.

Once the duo arrives at the airport, they discover that the Berlin airport has a building dedicated to baggage service.  Debbie thought this is encouraging as they must have a lot of issues with bags.  Joyce is not as encouraged.  The two must have looked really professional (more likely confused tourists) as a man walks up to them and asks if they needed help immediately.  He takes the ticket and goes to check.  Debbie sits down in preparation for the wait.
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One moment Joyce is there and the next she is gone.  Debbie jumps up to try to find her.  Debbie sees Joyce talking to the guy behind a restricted area.  She could only see them through the top half windows.  There is arm waving and frantic talking.  Debbie is concerned that Joyce is going to get thrown out.  The two disappeared behind a door.  Then more shockingly, both emerge from behind the door where Joyce kisses the guy on the cheek and then burst through the door dragging her bag.

JOYCE IS HAPPY!!!!!!!  EVERYONE IS HAPPY!  The bag is found!!!  JOY ABOUNDS!!  (Cut to scene where Debbie and Joyce hug – Everyone else looks on in amazement – the room bursts into applause (not really) ).

Les Cheap Girls spring for a taxi even though, they have transportation passes.  Joyce lovingly pats her bag.

Things are back to normal.  That night Joyce, Larry and Debbie walk to the bakery and explore a different path home.  They stumble on a Chinese restaurant.  Joyce and Larry are staring so intently through the window trying to see the food that the owner comes out to check on them (Debbie is trying to be cool about it and stand away from them).  The owner invites them in to check it out – Dumplings made to order.  One of the cooks offer them a sample. (Okay, Debbie runs over when she thought that she might get a sample.  They are like “Oh, you are with them? “  Debbie said “Well, yeah, they are my security people so I should have a bigger portion of that sample than them”.)   Things are back to normal.