The End of This story! Flying Home!

One week ago today we got up before our alarms even rang at 2:30 in the morning!  By three our bags were out and at 3:15 we double checked our room and went to the Viking Lounge to prepare to end this amazing journey.  We were checked off the list, give Breakfast ‘Grab and Go’ bags and had a cup of coffee or tea.  The bags had orange juice, a water bottle, an unusual ham and cheese sandwich, a granola bar, a cookie, and an apple and a banana!  I had a cup of hot tea, second one since the first was in the room. I drank the juice and ate the banana.  

We then boarded a 15 passenger van that had a caboose with our suitcases in it. The Viking Rep had verified that all the right suitcases had been collected.  The ride to the airport took about 40 minutes in the pre- dawn darkness.  When we got there we found another Viking Rep who directed us to the right line for the flight bag drop.  I asked, if like in Madrid, we could take water through security.  The answer is no so I gifted her my full untouched water bottle.  

We had checked in on line the night before and texted us our boarding passes.  The line seemed long but moved quickly.  It was nice to be able to check the bags all the way to Atlanta so we would have an easily plane change in Frankfurt.  Flying on Lufthansa means the hub stop is there.  Viking booked the air for us but I was a little annoyed that people on American Air had non-stop from Budapest to Philadelphia!  You would think it would have been easy for them to have us on air travel that goes non-stop to Atlanta!  Everything goes through Atlanta!

We went to the security line and luckily before I scanned my QR code Elva realized that she could not find her text from the night before.  After a brief search I took us back to the nearby first class check in line and told the young man that she did not have a paper boarding pass and couldn’t find the text.  He put us right to the front.  It was no problem to issue Elva a boarding card. 

We are spoiled by TSA Pre-Chek which does not apply in Europe but they do have something called BUD.  We noticed too late but perhaps it is a reciprocal service.  I will have to find out before next trip. But security was relatively quick. Elva threw out her untouched juice and water.  For a change Elva got pulled aside instead of me. Soon we were at our gate and settled in for a fair amount of time.  We ate our breakfast.

A lot of our tour group was on the same flight but no one was very chatty.  Boarding was quick and the flight was a smooth two hours. We were given a pre-packaged cherry strudel and hot drinks. Frankfurt was a breeze!  We deplaned in an area within security so quickly showed our second boarding pass and passport and went right through. No hassle.  We settled into the waiting area and I went to the restroom and spent my last Euros, since I won’t be back any time soon, for a Coke light.

Elva texted me that the gate had changed so we did do that and then waited.  I was not excited that the bay that I had heard screeching at the first gate was apparently on out flight with us.  The screeching followed us!  I was also not happy to hear that although we were flying non-stop from Frankfurt to Atlanta it was going to be a 10 hour and 20 minute flight!  I was not mentally prepared for that!

Once we boarded we did have good seats.  It was a 2-5-2 configuration so Elva and I only had ourselves to contend with.  But unhappiness continues when it was announced that we were fully boarded but that there would be a 30 minute delay after pushback! Our travel time now is nearly 11 hours and the screeching had indeed followed us aboard!

Once we took to the skies and leveled off beverage service was begun.  We had great seats, only three rows back from where service for our section began.  Hot towels and food followed immediately.  The dinner was pretty good but it was just about noontime when it was served.  Then nothing.  The next service was going to be about 45 minutes prior to landing!  On a scheduled 10 hour plus flight!  After the coffee service which began before we could even finish eating there was nothing.  About every hour and a half they came by with water.

I did enjoy five movies on board!  The Mule, I actually cried. A Dog’s Way Home, very sweet.  Vice, an interesting take on the Joe Biden story. I don’t sleep on planes so in-seat video streaming is great.  And you had to keep the ear plugs in because the screeching continued FOR THE WHOLE FLIGHT!  About every two minutes there would be a loud shriek.  One of the crew members made a balloon toy out of a rubber glove but that was about it in the calming down effort. TEN HOURS of screaming.  Other than that it was a good flight at least until we were over the USA.  

Spring storms were busy over the Northeast. The crew managed to make several trips and pass out some sort of a chicken curry pita bread taco fold thing.  Turbulence started.  Beverage service was cancelled and when there was a calm moment the crew went by with water.  I told you we had a good seat.  They made it only to our row and then retreated. Not the best flight ever for service.  The worst flight ever for uncontrollable children. But we did land safe and sound but it was a bone jarring, hard landing. 

I breezed through passport control with my Global Entry card.  Baggage claim was the longest part of the exit process.  I waited at the curb for Christine and got a nice ride to her house to pick up my card.  I did get the chance to get a hug from Christian, home from his first year of college.  Driving home I called Katie for a brief chat and also Karen, who had dropped off Wonton Noodle already.  

At home an unending supply of post–Easter Peeps awaited me.  Like, way too many!  I was so happy to open windows and get comfortable.  Bags unpacked and laundry started I settled in to sort and deal with mail.  And then to actually see what was on my DVR and watched a couple of things.  It is so nice to have my daughters, and a neighbor to keep an eye on the house and the dog so that when I return home I can ease back into my real life.  I took a hot bath and just about 27 hours after I got out of bed in Budapest this morning I tucked myself in.

I thought you might be interested in my Trip Tab.  This is the list I keep on my phone of things to look up or do when I get home.

In a Cardboard belt – book translated into Albanian by our guides father
Hoxha (hoja)~
Onufri - icon~
Dobro Vodo - good water~
Peljeshac Peninsula ~
Croatia California ~
Battle for the Wounded - Richard Burton  - movie
Cevapi~ - sausage and pita like wrap
The People of the Book - Generaldine Brooks –novel about the people who had the Sarajevo Haggadah
Cellist of Sarajevo - movie
Tunnel of Hope (Life)~Blood and Honey -
Tattoos on the Heart
Vince Flynn
A Gentleman from Moscow- a man under house arrest in the Metropol Hotel, really the Hotel Moscow
Republic of Srpska
The Curious  Man - The Life and Works of Dr. Hans Nieper
Idica Todoric -Richest man owner of Konsum
Medvednica Bear Mountain treasure of the black queen 1500~
Goldsmiths Treasure (Gold)~ book
Cathedral chandeliers from Vegas Gold Coast Casino ~
A Hard Case in Holiday City
Cody McClain Brown – author of Chasing a Croatian Girl, not in library so order from Amazon
Ucka Mountain
Triglav~

Thanks for reading.  I hope you enjoyed the varied and unique journey. It was at times a trial of patience and a battle against exhaustion but it was at all time a journey into another kind of world and a trip I would not have wanted to miss!

Please note:  If on the right side of this page you choose to follow you will be notified when the next adventure begins - in August!