WE ARRIVED...

As we boarded the plane in Frankfurt, we were rather relieved to see that -- even though the seats were not miraculously in Business Class (much to MC's chagrin) -- we were in the first few economy rows.

Other things we did not expect that:
- twe would be required to gate check our bags (apparently for "Economy Class," Lufthansa has a weight limit of 8 kg). Definitely something we overlooked -- though in hindsight, not having our rolling bags did make the "Quick Board" process a tad bit quicker, right DM?

- the adorable child sleeping peacefully in the gate area, would be neither a night nor morning person and that her family would be in our section of the plane. No worries, the 100+ movies were enhanced by her soundtrack! :-)

The real reward to our plane seating, however, became abundantly clear as we stood in the customs line. The cover photo of this post, is what we found as we descended on the escalator. By the time we were halfway through the line, the line of those waiting to go through was backed up to the very same escalator. If this was the crowd at 01:15, we were slightly intimidated to think of what "crowds" we may encounter.

As we gathered our bags, exchanged some currency, and set off to find our guide, individually we all seemed to take a breathe, as if to center and prepare for the unforgettable experiences that lay before us!

More to come...for now, it's time to rest!