Today is the day we embark on perhaps the most difficult part of our journey. The only obstacle between Pitt and our anticipation of the warm beaches of Cyprus is the nearly 24 hours straight in and out of planes and airport terminals.

The day started at the crack of dawn, when I woke up bright and early around 10:00 when all the guys from the group decided to get Pamela’s for breakfast. Our quick ordering and efficient eating left us with plenty of time to do any last minute packing before boarding our bus for the airport.

Our first stop was in Dulles. At first I was confused as to why we were were flying to Texas, mistaking Dulles for Dallas, but I was surprised to find myself in a small, crowded airport in Washington D.C. with 30 minutes to change gates between flights. This rush came to a surprising halt however when we waited over an extra half hour to board our second flight to Germany – the longest stretch on our way to Cyprus. I was dreading this 8 hour flight, but it went by quickly, much to my surprise. Between the great movie selection onboard, a strangely good chicken noodle dinner, and some much needed shut eye in between bouts of turbulence, the time passed swiftly.

Once in Germany, I was able try a much anticipated German pretzel. It did not live up to the hype, which was a huge disappointment, but I had it coming considering it was out of an airport. I’m sure the real, authentic thing must be 100 times better, but that will have to be an adventure for another time. For now, I am only a four hour flight away from paradise in Cyprus, so I’m looking forward to boarding our flight and arriving promptly.