Hi from Munich!

WOW! I have had an even bigger adventure than I expected. I am in Germany now but it took a great deal of effort to get here.

Kristin drove through a blinding snowstorm to get us to O’Hare airport in Chicago. It was scary but Kristin is a safe driver. When we got to the airport Kristin and Keith had to unload their luggage and take it to the ticket counter. There we found out our flight to London was delayed because of the snow but we were given our tickets anyway.

Before we could go to the business lounge where Keith and Kristin wait for their flights we had to go through security. I decided to go through the x-ray machine in Keith’s bag. It was a short ride but it was cool to see me and the other items in Keith’s bag on the x-ray monitor.

I learned very quickly that you have to be patient when you travel because sometimes flights are late. We waited in the business lounge. Here you can see me sitting next to Keith.

In the end, the flight to London was 5 hours late. We took off at 2:10AM. That is WAY past my bedtime so I slept all the way to London.

I also learned today that sometimes you have to run to catch your next flight. Keith and Kristin flew through Heathrow airport to reach the gate for Munich. But that plane was also late because it was very foggy in London.

The fog delayed many people and the business lounge was SO full that the only place for me to sit was on the Christmas tree. I heard people speaking in many languages I did not recognize. Keith and Kristin told me I was hearing people speak in French and German. I didn’t understand a word but it was very interesting to listen. Someday maybe I will learn another language.

Kristin took a picture as I waited patiently in the tree.

Keith and Kristin ran into a friend of theirs from Washington, DC in the London airport. I guess it really is a small world.

Our flight to Munich finally left London. But we arrived too late in Munich to catch our Doha flight. Kristin and Keith were very sad but the airline (Lufthansa) paid for them to stay at an airport hotel. They also got a free dinner. I had a snack in London so I read the local Munich paper while Kristin and Keith ate their dinner.

OK, I wasn’t really reading the paper because it was printed in German but the pictures were very nice.

Kristin tucked me into bed around midnight. We have to get up in just a few hours to return to the airport. Tomorrow we get to fly to Athens, Greece before we can get onto our flight to Doha, Qatar. It should be exciting but I hope the weather doesn’t cause a problem tomorrow because I think Keith and Kristin really want to get to Doha soon.

Goodbye for now.

My Adventure Begins Tomorrow!

Greetings! It is WAY past my bedtime but Kristin is still busy packing for our trip. We leave tomorrow (December 8). We are driving to Chicago and then we will board a plane for London, England. Once we arrive in London we will get on another plane and fly to Munich, Germany. There we will get on another plane to reach our final destination: Doha, Qatar. See if you can find Qatar on the map.

Below you will see I helped Kristin pack the radio equipment case.

I had NO idea how much equipment is needed to make a good radio program. Keith and Kristin's equipment case includes microphones, microphone cords, audio recorders, headphones and tons of batteries (Kristin and Keith like to be extra prepared). The radio case is REALLY heavy. It is even heavier than Kristin's clothing suitcase! Kristin and Keith are also bringing a computer and camera (to take pictures of me!).

I have a "seat" in Kristin's trip notebook. But if I am really good, Kristin and Keith will bring me along to some of their meetings.

I am really excited but I had better get some sleep. Kristin says it will take almost 2 days to reach Doha so I have a long trip ahead of me. Bye for now!

Welcome to My Blog!

Greetings and welcome to my blog. My name is Flat Michael but you can call me "Flat Mike" if you like.

My alter-ego, Michael, loves to have me around but sometimes I want to stretch my legs. So Michael has asked his friends Keith and Kristin to take me along on their latest trip.

Keith and Kristin work for the Stanley Foundation. They have lots of big-people responsibilities but one of their jobs is to make radio news programs. Keith and Kristin travel around the world to report the news. They have been to dozens of locations in Africa, Europe, and Asia.

This week they are headed to the Middle East! They are working on a new program on Arab media.

Keith and Kristin tell me I'll get to see many great things over the next few weeks. I hope you will follow along.