Airplane ESSENTIALS

Top 10 things NOT to forget when you board that plane!

10. Gum - makes ear popping a little less painful

9. Vitamin C - Questionable germs in a sealed tin can. Better safe than sorry!

8. Water. I bring 2 empties through security and fill them before I board.

7. Snacks. $3.50 for a cookie? Puh-leez. I like nuts, dried cranberries, crackers, and chocolate.

6. Ear plugs and Eye mask. Crying babies? Roaring engines? Late readers? Bring it!

5. Travel pillow& blanket. It's mine, and it smells like Bounce. What does the free one smell like?

4. Hand lotion. Airplane soap makes my hands feel like sandpaper. Keep it soft, baby!

3. iPod Touch. Yeah, I bring it EVERYWHERE anyway. Will be testing SKYPE app for next trip.

2. Pen. You never need it until you DON'T have it!

1. PATIENCE. Nothing goes as smoothly as you'd like, esp. with all the cost cutting these days. Patience is your BEST FRIEND. Sit back and let the business men climb all over each other to get on and off the plane. Take a deep breath, and have another piece of chocolate!

Prost! Let the games begin!

I'm about to embark on my first trip to Germany. The occasion? My dear friend Dörte has invited me, and a bunch of other fun folk to celebrate her birthday in her hometown in Thielbeer. Although, that's reason enough to go, as luck would have it, her birthday just happens to coincide with the most famous (and longest running) wedding celebration on Earth: OKTOBERFEST!

Oh yeah...I'm so there.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some facts about this amazing event, just in case I'm in no condition to do so later! ;-)

In 1997, Oktoberfesters consumed more than 5 ½ million liters of beer, about 45,000 liters of wine, and almost 165,000 liters of nonalcoholic beer.

The local name for Oktoberfest, "Wies'n," is derived from Theresienwiese, the name of the field on which the festival is held.

The festival halls in Munich can seat 94,000 people.

The beers that the Munich breweries produce specially for Oktoberfest contain 4.5 percent alcohol.

Cincinnati, Ohio, which claims to hold the "largest authentic Oktoberfest" in the U.S., draws about 500,000 people to its celebration.

Thanks to http://www.everythingaboutgermany.com/Oktoberfest/OktoberfestHistory.htm for the info.