Our alarms went off at 3am local time or 5 pm the previous day in Seattle time. We stumbled out of bed half groggy, dressed and finished the light packing we needed to do. Checking out was fast, and we acquired our sack breakfast and waited for our coach to arrive. It arrived and we boarded it for the short drive to the airport in a heavy downpour. Inside the terminal, most of the group sat in chairs waiting for the check in counter to open. I wandered off and found that one checked in at a kiosk and then just dropped one's luggage at the counter. So I checked in Angela and found to my delight that we were assigned seats. We dropped off our luggage and proceeded through security where for the third straight time I got the pat down and opening and the explosive testing of my CPAP carry on.
The flight departed on time with an all female cockpit crew and 2 1/2 hours later we landed in Frankfurt. We redeemed our 3rd suitcase containing our motorcycle gear from baggage storage, I listed us for the Frankfurt to Detroit Lufthansa flight as it had seats available, dropped off our luggage and we went through security again (yup, pat down and explosives check), cleared passport control, and walked out to the gate just 1/2 hour before the scheduled 10am departure. I also listed us on the 4:30pm Detroit to Seattle Alaska Airlines flight. After most of the passengers were boarded, we were finally assigned seats in an exit row which worked out great for the increased legroom and close location to the restroom.
The 8 hour flight to Detroit left about 1/2 hour late, but arrived on time at 1pm local Detroit time. It was a smooth flight and I finished up my 3rd Marc Cameron novel and watched a few videos on the A320. Once on the ground, we went through Global Entry passport control, collected our luggage, and went through the customs Global Entry line (very fast at under a minute waiting time and a welcome back greeting from the agent), and made our way to the Alaska Airlines luggage drop off area. It was then back through TSA PreCheck security in 30 seconds (this time with no pat down or explosives check!).
We waited 3 hours for our on time departure at 4:30pm and enjoyed a McDonald's meal while doing so. The flight was smooth and we touched down 1/2 hour early at 6pm Seattle time. After gathering our luggage, we were picked up by our daughter and 2 grandkids who were thrilled to see us as were we to see them.
Our great adventure to Europe was finally over. It was a varied and great experience with the combination of cruising, motorcycling, and singing/bus touring. Thanks for coming along vicariously.
We're looking forward to our next adventure in the fall. The blog can be found at
Until then, I wish you safe travels. And remember, while the destination is important, savor the journey.
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