[Leica] M8 battery airport adventure

[reid at mejac.palo-alto.ca.us (Brian Reid)]

I'm traveling with an M8 kit that includes 4 Leica brand M8 batteries.
A few minutes ago I was pulled aside from the airport security check in the 
Frankfurt airport and taken downstairs in the B Wing of Terminal 1 to a 
little room where they do serious explosives checks.

It took them at least 20 minutes to convince themselves that (a) the 
batteries were genuine Leica merchandise, and (b) it was not packed with 
explosives. They had no interest in the camera or the lenses, but the 
batteries worried them to death. They didn't know enough about M8s to know 
there was another battery inside it, so they didn't check that one. I think 
the security manager was not aware that Leica made digital cameras and so 
the idea that a Leica would need 3 extra batteries was very 
puzzling to him. They wouldn't let me touch it while they were examining it, 
and my German isn't good enough for me to succeed in explaining exotic 
details like "If you take off the baseplate you will see that it is not a 
film camera".

Right now I'm in the United Red Carpet lounge, having given up trying to get 
Deutsche Telekom to accept my US T-Mobile wireless account and been forced 
to buy a 1-hour access pass to read my email.

I suspect that if I'd tried to take a picture of any of the worried security 
people I'd be in jail right now.

Brian Reid