Adventures in Passport Control

From Eric (written Saturday night, June 5)

Getting off the plane in Munich, Germany, and transferring onto a plane to get to Bucharest, Romania, we had to pass through the Passport Check. Carol went first. The guard asked her all kinds of questions.

“So where did you come from? How many days were you there? Where are you going? How long are you going to be there? What is your purpose for going?” The questions kept coming and coming.

“Well sir, I came from Prague, (or was he wanting to hear Indiana?) Was it 2 days or 3?” Carol wanted to make sure she got the correct answers lest she get detained. She must have gotten them right.

“Go on, Mrs. Lohe.”

Kristen was next. He scanned her passport, asked “Was that your mother?” and sent her on. Then came Greta. Very similar to Kristen’s. Just one question.

I was up next. I gave the guard my passport, with a smile. No smile came back.

“So you are Mr. Lohe?”

“Yes, I am” Now I was waiting for the typical questions. (See above….)

“And so Mr. Lohe, I see you have 3 wives?”

“No, not three wives.”

“Yes, Mr. Lohe, you have three wives!”

Now what would you do? Give the man in the impressive uniform the answer he was looking for or give him the correct information? He wasn’t even smiling.

“No sir, I have three women. (Now, that doesn’t sound quite right, either?) I have only one wife.”

“So you don’t have three wives, Mr. Lohe?”

“No sir.”

“OK, go on. Good day.”

So now it is off to Romania, our long awaited destination, a 2-hour flight to Bucharest…(with my three “wives!”)