Day 1 and 2 - 35 hours in transit (Wednesday 2 May, Thursday 3 May)

And we're off!  This morning at 09:00am sharp (Mr Oosthuysen was actually a very friendly drill sergeant in his previous life), we left the school to embark on our European adventure.  The drive to King Shaka International was very uneventful, with most boys sleeping or chilling on their devices.  We arrived at the airport at 12:00pm, and went straight to the baggage wrapping counter.  Thereafter we went to the Spur for lunch (a very tasty burger and chips) - hold the chips for one very disciplined Grade 9, who is on a very strict (self-enforced) no-carb diet.  The staff are all eagerly awaiting how that is going to work out for him in the lands of schnitzels, mashed potatoes and pomme frites... :)  But we support him - carbs are very unhealthy...and we are sure that six-pack is going to be worth it in the end - maybe Chef and Mr. Oosthuysen should also start eating "healthier"......

Off to check in.  Here we had our first little bump on the trip, when one little Grade 7 boy realised, 30 minutes after leaving the Spur, that he had left his suitcase at the there.  Mr. Sikhali sprinted off to go rescue the suitcase, but our little culprit had also dashed off and luckily found his suitcase, still neatly wrapped.  Bump numbers two and three presented itself as two Grade 9's being overweight with their luggage - apparently ONE pair of civvies weigh a lot more than we think... :)

In between Mrs. Louw has been very busy on the medical front, with one boy having a sore throat and another battling with a blocked ear.  Never fear parents - Mrs. Louw is your go-to-girl for any health issues - she was also handing out "air-sickness" tablets on the plane. Hmmm..what are in those Mrs. Louw?

We sang our final goodbyes to the parents at 16:00 - thank you to everyone who was there to wave us off - and then we went through passport control.  That was a rather frustrating experience, as only two of the six counters were open, and the lady at the one counter claimed that she could not help a school group because her system is not set up to do that....OK...which meant that we had to all go through one counter.  Granted, we were helped by a very friendly and accommodating man, who tried really hard to push us all through in time.  Everyone got through passport control just after 17:30, and we started boarding the plane at 17:40.

After settling into their seats, the boys immediately starting exploring the in-flight entertainment, and the next hour, until dinner was served, was spent in silence with most boys watching a movie.  Dinner on an Emirates flight is usually very nice, and we were not disappointed.  After dinner, about 21:00pm, most boys slept, with some die-hards watching a movie, but all of them were silent and very well-behaved - and clearly still exhausted from MiMs.

Chicken?

Or fish?

We touched down in Dubai at 02:30 South African time (04:30 local time).  Our flight to Frankfurt was only boarding at 07:40, so the boys went off to explore Dubai DXB and were told to meet us at our boarding gate at 07:30.

Our flight to Frankfurt took off at 08:25, and we arrived at Frankfurt Int Airport at 13:15.  The weather is really pleasant - much the same as our autumn in the Berg, maybe even a little warmer.  We experienced German efficiency at its finest at passport control - we were the only group going through passport control, and immediately when we arrived, they opened all the counters, which saw us all done and through passport control after 10 minutes - no waiting in a frustrating line at all.  Sigh...

Thereafter we collected our luggage, and we were ready for our final leg of traveling - a 4-hour bus trip to Ulm.  Which also brings us to bump number 4: to get to the bus which was to take us to Ulm, we first had to get onto a connecting shuttle to the bus stop.  This inevitably meant that we would be split up into two groups.  So, the first group, with myself, and Mr. Oostuysen took the first shuttle, and then Chef, Mrs. Louw, and Mr. Zikhali were to follow with the second group.  However, one Grade 9 decided last minute that he needed the toilet, and consequently missed the second shuttle, which the second group only realised after they'd gotten off at the bus stop.  Chef (knowing that the Grade 9 boy might not know at which stop to get off), quickly took a shuttle back to the airport to go rescue him.  But, arriving at the airport, there had just been a bomb threat (a black backpack was left unattended at the airport), after which they immediately closed all roads around the airport, which meant that all the transfer bus shuttles suddenly stopped running.  The trains still ran, though, and Chef then took a train back to the bus stop, without the Grade 9 in question, who luckily then managed to also take a separate train, and eventually ended up at where our bus was waiting.  All's well that ends well, but the Grade 9, unfortunately, had his phone confiscated for a day - for being late and causing the rest of us to have to wait for him at the bus stop for an hour.

We eventually left Frankfurt at 16:00, and arrived in Ulm at 20:00 - after being in transit for 35 hours.  It was still light outside at 20:00, which was extremely fascinating for most boys who'd never experienced a European Spring before.  Ulm is primarily known for having the church with the tallest steeple in the world and as the birthplace of Albert Einstein.  On arrival, the boys were immediately assigned to their respective hosts, and we are all meeting at 08:30 tomorrow morning for some sightseeing and shopping in Ulm, and our first concert tomorrow night.