Just reading this post and feeling very happy for those who were lucky and very, very sad for those who were not. My husband and his brother and I just got back from Munich. We were climbing in the Italian Dolomites when we found out about this debacle. I was waiting in a refugio for them to back from a climb and I was the only American there. An Italian doctor who spoke very good English was explaining the tragedy to a table of Germans next to me. I kept hearing the words "terrorism," "New York City," and "Pittsburgh." I asked him in English "What's going on?" At the time his news was not accurate, so I thought 20,000 people were gone in NYC and that Pittsburgh was hit also. I sat and cried, alone and an ocean away from loved ones. But, some noticed, thank God. Two Austrian girls were comforting and were so supportive and just as devasted. The hut master kept us as updated as possible. After the intial shock of the tragedy, we spent 4 tense days just outside of Munich, not knowing when we would get home. But, we found that the people of Italy and Germany were just as outraged and willing to help us in any way. I, too, feel more comfortable with the level of sercurity at a foreign airport and in their towns. My husband has a dark complexion and dark hair. The German police stopped him several times and asked to see his passport. We didn't mind at all and were never offended. It made us feel better, if anything. So, we're glad to back home. God Bless America and the World that's on our side...
Amy
