The day started just like all the other travel days—something had to go wrong.
There was a knock on my cabin door, and there was Linda, letting me know that we had received a message from Delta. Our flight had been delayed, and the delay meant we would miss our connecting flight. Linda immediately jumped on the phone with Delta. After about 45 minutes of going back and forth with customer service, we were finally rebooked on a Lufthansa flight to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. From there, we would catch a United flight home to Richmond. It looked as though we would still make it home around 11:30 that night.
Unfortunately, we still had to leave the ship by 7:00 a.m. to get to the airport.
Unfortunately, we still had to leave the ship by 7:00 a.m. to get to the airport.
Our driver was Dominic, a friendly 21-year-old who was working part-time in his father's transportation business. Shortly after we started our trip, he told us the Autobahn was closed, so we would have to take the back roads. Before long, even those roads became congested, so he turned onto narrow country roads instead. I didn't mind at all—the scenery was absolutely beautiful.
As we approached the airport, Dominic told me about the "Stairway to the Sky." He explained that if we climbed the stairs inside the terminal, we would reach an observation deck where we could watch the airplanes.
Once inside the airport, we found it to be very confusing. Everywhere we looked seemed to be baggage check-in. An information desk directed us to use a self-service kiosk, but after several attempts, it wouldn't work. We were then sent to the Lufthansa counter, which was what we had been looking for all along. The line was long but moved fairly quickly. Once we reached the counter, we finally received our boarding passes, only to discover that our seats were near the back of the airplane. We were told to speak with the gate agent to see if anything could be changed, but they could not.
Once inside the airport, we found it to be very confusing. Everywhere we looked seemed to be baggage check-in. An information desk directed us to use a self-service kiosk, but after several attempts, it wouldn't work. We were then sent to the Lufthansa counter, which was what we had been looking for all along. The line was long but moved fairly quickly. Once we reached the counter, we finally received our boarding passes, only to discover that our seats were near the back of the airplane. We were told to speak with the gate agent to see if anything could be changed, but they could not.
Before looking for food, we went upstairs to the observation deck. There was a cute little café that served drinks, so I treated myself to an iced coffee while Linda ordered an iced tea. We sat for a while watching the airplanes come and go.
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Eventually, we went downstairs in search of something to eat. I wasn't sure whether to call it breakfast or lunch since it was already around 11:00 a.m. and we hadn't really eaten breakfast. The cruise line had put finger sandwiches in the coffee lounge but not much else. We found a place called Airport Oliva that made delicious wraps using a round, seasoned flatbread. You could choose beef or chicken along with vegetables and tahini. I ordered the beef with extra spice, and it was excellent.
After eating, we waited nearly an hour before our gate number finally appeared on the departure board. When we arrived at the security checkpoint leading to the gates, they wouldn't even let us through yet. We had to sit and wait for another hour before they opened the area.
Once we finally reached our gate, we settled in to wait again. I couldn't believe how many people were boarding this flight. As departure time approached, nothing seemed to be happening. Eventually, a gate agent arrived, and Linda and I went up to ask about our seats. We had both originally upgraded our seats, and Linda was even willing to pay for First Class. Unfortunately, because our tickets had been reissued after the Delta delay, Lufthansa said we were not eligible for any upgrades.
That meant we were stuck in the economy section. My seat was in the middle seat of the center section, while Linda's was farther back in a window section. Neither seat offered much legroom.
The flight finally departed about thirty minutes late.
One thing that amazed me was the airplane itself. At one point, I got up to stretch my legs and noticed a staircase. I asked the flight attendant where it led, and she smiled and said, "Upstairs." I asked if I could go up there, and she replied, "Of course." Upstairs was the First-Class cabin, and I was able to walk all the way around both levels of the aircraft before returning to my seat. Apparently, the plane could hold around 500 passengers. It was the first double-decker airplane I had ever been on.
By the time we landed at Dulles, we were running late, and I was beginning to panic. First, all the First-Class passengers from the upper deck were allowed to disembark before everyone else. That alone took about fifteen minutes, leaving us less than an hour and a half to get through customs, collect our luggage, and make our connecting flight.
I have to give Lufthansa credit. They asked everyone without connections to stand to the side, allowing those with connecting flights to jump the line. That helped tremendously. We quickly made our way through customs using the Global Entry apps on our phones, collected our luggage, and then hurried through the airport.
Getting to the United terminal felt like an adventure in itself. We rode four escalators up and down before finally reaching the train that carried us to the correct terminal. We arrived at our gate only ten minutes before boarding began.
Our final flight was on a very small United airplane, and once again we found ourselves seated near the back. Which did not make my stomach particularly happy, but at least we knew we were almost home.
When we landed in Richmond, we collected our luggage, bringing our wonderful trip to an end. Linda went to retrieve her car, and my friend Dell picked me up at the airport. I was very happy to be home.
Looking back, this was a truly wonderful trip—if you ignore the adventures of getting there and getting home! Trafalgar did an outstanding job with the river cruise. They took excellent care of us throughout the journey. The cabins were very comfortable, and the staff kept everything spotless. Danielle, the hotel director, even helped me when I was having internet problems while trying to upload my blog, and I truly appreciated her assistance.
That meant we were stuck in the economy section. My seat was in the middle seat of the center section, while Linda's was farther back in a window section. Neither seat offered much legroom.
The flight finally departed about thirty minutes late.
One thing that amazed me was the airplane itself. At one point, I got up to stretch my legs and noticed a staircase. I asked the flight attendant where it led, and she smiled and said, "Upstairs." I asked if I could go up there, and she replied, "Of course." Upstairs was the First-Class cabin, and I was able to walk all the way around both levels of the aircraft before returning to my seat. Apparently, the plane could hold around 500 passengers. It was the first double-decker airplane I had ever been on.
By the time we landed at Dulles, we were running late, and I was beginning to panic. First, all the First-Class passengers from the upper deck were allowed to disembark before everyone else. That alone took about fifteen minutes, leaving us less than an hour and a half to get through customs, collect our luggage, and make our connecting flight.
I have to give Lufthansa credit. They asked everyone without connections to stand to the side, allowing those with connecting flights to jump the line. That helped tremendously. We quickly made our way through customs using the Global Entry apps on our phones, collected our luggage, and then hurried through the airport.
Getting to the United terminal felt like an adventure in itself. We rode four escalators up and down before finally reaching the train that carried us to the correct terminal. We arrived at our gate only ten minutes before boarding began.
Our final flight was on a very small United airplane, and once again we found ourselves seated near the back. Which did not make my stomach particularly happy, but at least we knew we were almost home.
When we landed in Richmond, we collected our luggage, bringing our wonderful trip to an end. Linda went to retrieve her car, and my friend Dell picked me up at the airport. I was very happy to be home.
Looking back, this was a truly wonderful trip—if you ignore the adventures of getting there and getting home! Trafalgar did an outstanding job with the river cruise. They took excellent care of us throughout the journey. The cabins were very comfortable, and the staff kept everything spotless. Danielle, the hotel director, even helped me when I was having internet problems while trying to upload my blog, and I truly appreciated her assistance.