Silver Linings and the Joys ? of Travel

Getting there…..

Getting where?

The first leg of our journey was getting to Denver to catch the single flight out of Riverton per day…at 5:45 am no less! Set my alarm for 3:30 am but of course, woke up well before 2 am full of anticipation and thoughts of what more needed to be done before leaving our snug little abode. All went well and we arrived on time for our flight, checking in, boarding and taking off early (despite having had to drive more slowly for fear of hitting a wayward deer).

Arrived in Denver early and overnighted there. Spent a quiet day until Happy Hour at 5:30 which we attended and it was while we were enjoying a glass of wine that Mike decided to check in for the Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. In so doing, he discovered that we were required to wear N95 masks on board. The next few hours were all about how to find a mask. Tried calls and internet but no info about if Lufthansa would provide the masks or where we might find them or if they would knock us off the flight if we didn’t have them. So, we finished our wine and headed for the airport. At this point, the bright light event happened that redirected our frustration into delight. When we got on the shuttle, the driver was blasting classical music on the radio thus igniting a conversation about classical music….most younger people don’t listen to classical….and in that process, we learned that the driver was a musician. “What instrument do you play?” I asked. He responded with, “I am a singer.” Next question had to be, “What kind of music do you sing?” “I’m versatile,” he responded. And without another word, broke into song while driving, with the radio still playing its’ classical selection. He had a truly lovely voice and sang for quite a few minutes while dodging airport traffic. A true Denver delight. Said good-bye to him at the airport and went in search of the Lufthansa desk – it was dark! Not a soul there except for a few staff members from American Airlines who recommended we buy the masks at the kiosk where we entered the airport. $8 bought us two KN95 masks and sanitizer. Back outside to wait 30 minutes for the shuttle back to the hotel.

The next morning, between re-packing for the trip, having breakfast, and watching Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on TV, we relaxed.

The excitement began almost immediately after we checked in for our flight here in Denver yesterday. Lufthansa lost Tilly’s bag within 20 minutes of check-in….we had waited 30 minutes to get through the TSA wait line. Just as we were breathing a sigh of relief, counting the euros we had just collected and looking for a lunch place, my phone rang. It was an American Airlines employee calling to inform us that my pack had been found without its’ official baggage tag, in their baggage area! Thankfully Mike had insisted on buying and attaching some luggage tags at London Drugs he‘d admired while on our trip to BC this summer, and from that, they were able to locate us. Back out of the “secure” area to collect my errant backpack, back to Lufthansa to securely attach the new luggage tags, and back through the 30 minute TSA wait line again. Thank you American Airlines.

Now, from Mike’s journal…..

It was a long hard flight from DIA … even though the Premium Economy seats were good, I had a terrible time trying to snooze. I have never really slept on any plane but usually have managed to snooze enough to make the trip bearable… not this time. I wonder, is my age catching up with me?

Still from Mike’s journal….after I told him he couldn’t use this kind of language on our site….

MORE BAGGAGE fuck-ups difficulties

Upon arrival in Frankfurt got a text message that MY bag – that was never lost- couldn’t be loaded & would be scheduled on tomorrow’s flight. Luckily we’d booked a two night stay.

This Hilton at Frankfurt airport is amazing. Quiet is the best descriptor, although neat & clean are excellent too. We were so tired that we took a nap before heading out for a bit of dinner. Settled for an oriental restaurant- h&s (hot & sour) soup, gyoza, edamame, & rice – and of course the local beer & wine.

The ‘tired’ hit us again… so we made our way back to the room and crashed. ‘Crash’ is a term I’ve not used often since college days… but, in this case quite appropriate. Unfortunately, my crashing terminated after 6 hours & I woke to read. Made the fateful decision to check on my backpack- having placed an apple AirTag in it before we left. – as of 0300 local time, my air tag showed the backpack still at DIA… which means it’s still missing… unless the time stamp is for MST. We shall see. I’m not sleeping now.

Been considering the ramifications… at first thinking the whole trip a disaster… but soon realized that that mindset is echoing those of past family members. Doing a quick mental review of my packing list, the only things entailing difficulty to replace might be my meds. And even those could be done without for the next 2 months.

Depending on what happens today I might very well be having a shopping spree in Seville. Or maybe even starting today!

And last but not least…..breakfast this morning at the hotel was a German delight – true artistry….