Willkommen, Osama And Friends!
I came from Paris to Berlin, via Air France, with my micro-dog Lucy. Before I left America, I lined up a pile of shots and health certificates. Because I'd be in Germany, Switzerland, and France, I had to have one translated into German and another translated into French -- and have the entire schmedeal stamped by the USDA -- which means going to the USDA, just past LAX, and paying $24. (We won't even get into the veterinary costs.)
I paid $211 for my dog to fly on Swiss Air, round-trip from LA. Just ridiculous. Now, I understand paying if the airline actually has to do something, or handle her in some way -- like if she's a German Shepherd that has to go under the plane as baggage -- but this dog, at 2.5 pounds, is no more trouble for anybody than my wallet. I decided to smuggle my dog on the plane to Berlin -- which I did, nobody being the wiser about what was in my carry-on. I, of course, planned to declare her upon entering Germany (thanks to visions of spending the conference in Spandau prison for dog-smuggling dancing before my eyes).
Before 9-11, I smuggled my dog on planes all the time -- as well as into restaurants and the movies in the USA. I've trained her well to be completely quiet and lie still in my lap. (I wish I could say the same for most people's children -- well, except for the lying in my lap stuff.) Oh, and on a side note, I have, in my possession, a picture of a child in a cage, taken by my boyfriend at a picnic for his mother's birthday in Michigan. Unfortunately, I will get in major trouble for posting it -- so I won't. Suffice it to say, that's how I prefer most children -- until they show they're as well-behaved as my dog-let.
When people hear about my dog-smuggling exploits, they're always incredulous, and ask how I get her through the x-ray machine. Well, duh, I'm not going to put my dog through; first, because it would probably be very unhealthy for her, and second, because it's a really idiotic idea to think even some of the numbskulls working the TSA wouldn't notice her.
The best way to conceal anything is to hide it in plain sight. Hence, when I'm going through the metal detector, I take off all Lucy's metal -- her "diamond" hair clip and her little doggie collar -- put her on my shoulder like a parrot, and stroll right through.
How hard was it to enter Germany with my dog? They have tighter security at Ross Dress For Less. (Somebody I spoke to at the conference told me they think that's become the deal with a lot of intra-Europe flights.)
I got off the plane expecting "passport control," like they have in France. Or somebody. Or something. There was a little booth for customs agents just beyond the jetway, but it was empty. Some travelers sort of weaved in front of it, bewildered, then tottered off beyond it to baggage claim. (These totterers were probably from the US.) Experienced European travelers just marched past -- like it's business as usual.
I waited by the baggage conveyer to claim my bag. I let Lucy out of doggie jail in my carry-on (the ferret case I bought for her, years ago, in the well-stocked pet department at the French department store Samaritaine), since I fully intended to declare her and show her health certificates and travel documents. There was even a sign, in English, on the carousel denoting which items one had to declare -- and dogs and cats were among them.
The problem was, to whom would I declare her? After my bag came, I put it on the luggage cart (free in Europe, unlike in the USA where they're about $3), and wheeled it out of baggage claim...and out of the airport. I kept waiting for somebody to chase me, to tell me I'd missed some line or customs agent somewhere, but nobody even blinked as I strolled into Germany. One of the odder traveling experiences I've ever had. And, in light of the times, one of the scarier ones.
It shouldn't be scary, just odd. You're seeing the effects of Common Europe. On a drive from Germany to France, we passed what used to be customs and immigration booths that had been abandoned. It was really strange to go from one country to another with about the same level of fuss as going from one state to another in the U.S. Your flight was the (now) equivalent of a domestic flight.
Ron at July 22, 2004 5:16 AM
Rod is right, the lack of controls has to do with the Schengen Treaty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_treaty).
You were checked when you first arrived in France (like when Europeans travel to the US and have to go through immigration at the first landing, even if it's not their final destination), so you're OKed for all the "Schengen Countries".
Should you travel to, say, Moscow and then return to France, you would be checked all over.
drunkVoodoo at July 22, 2004 1:44 PM