Well, this is it. Just a few thoughts to share about the overall experience.
It was an amazing trip. It wasn't just about the sights and the history. It was also about the relationships developed on board. We met the most amazing people. Travellers included Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, Canadians, British. The Viking Crew consisted mainly of Polynesians and Europeans. How can so many crew members always be pleasant, happy, smiley? Occasionally there was an issue. Each was dealt with professionally, immediately, no argument. The Viking crew bends over backwards to make sure we are happy. No one seems to mind going the extra mile. Anything you want, they make it happen.
We are especially grateful to have had the opportunity to visit Istanbul, Troy and Ephesus Turkey. Cruise lines no longer go to Turkey and it may be a while before they return. This is so unfortunate for the country, it's people, and the tourist industry.
As crazy as the traffic was everywhere in Europe, we did not see a single accident. Just a quick drive to Cora's this morning...we saw one at the corner of Mayor Magrath Drive and Scenic Drive. Go figure!
Bob found 156 geocaches in 20 countries including one each in The Vatican and Gibraltar, 25 in France, 25 in Norway, 20 in Italy, 15 in Turkey, 12 in Greece, 10 in Denmark.
50 days is definitely long enough for a trip of this nature. We are very happy to be home. Now we plan the next adventure....Paris?...London?...Downunder?...
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
Frankfurt Airport
I would be remiss if I did not share the nightmare which is Frankfurt Airport.
Upon landing, the plane taxied for a while until we reached the Lufthansa section. Here, we hopped on a bus which took us somewhere in Terminal 1. From there we had to find Gate C6. This was a challenge. We followed the signs leading to Gate C. We reached a door which puzzled us. It looked like it was having us leave the secure area. We asked to be sure this was right. The woman replied "Yes, that is the time portal". Little did we know how accurate her description was. We followed more signs, went down a weird elevator, up and down escalators until we found a monorail. It felt like no-mans land. One side that said "Gate C" was out of order. Luckily a German and other travelers arrived. The German had obviously been here before and was very confident we were doing it right. It was a quick monorail ride to wherever we went. We walked some more through shops to get to the security lines. Waiting is the name of the game. When we finally got through that process, we hiked some more to get to the immigration line. By the time we arrived at the gate, pre boarding was done and general boarding was starting. We had only 1 1/2 hour between flights and we had all this rigmarole to go through. We did manage to make a quick comfort stop in the middle of all this. However, there was absolutely no time for a bite to eat. We were famished. It was 1:30 and the only thing there was to eat at 5:30 on the ship was a Danish or a croissant. Lufthansa served the worst sandwich. One bite of that was enough. It was right up there with the really bad hot pockets Air Canada served as a snack.
For some reason, going from Air Canada to Lufthansa at the beginning of the trip was not quite as nightmarish in that we did not go through the time portal. Avoid Frankfurt airport!
Upon landing, the plane taxied for a while until we reached the Lufthansa section. Here, we hopped on a bus which took us somewhere in Terminal 1. From there we had to find Gate C6. This was a challenge. We followed the signs leading to Gate C. We reached a door which puzzled us. It looked like it was having us leave the secure area. We asked to be sure this was right. The woman replied "Yes, that is the time portal". Little did we know how accurate her description was. We followed more signs, went down a weird elevator, up and down escalators until we found a monorail. It felt like no-mans land. One side that said "Gate C" was out of order. Luckily a German and other travelers arrived. The German had obviously been here before and was very confident we were doing it right. It was a quick monorail ride to wherever we went. We walked some more through shops to get to the security lines. Waiting is the name of the game. When we finally got through that process, we hiked some more to get to the immigration line. By the time we arrived at the gate, pre boarding was done and general boarding was starting. We had only 1 1/2 hour between flights and we had all this rigmarole to go through. We did manage to make a quick comfort stop in the middle of all this. However, there was absolutely no time for a bite to eat. We were famished. It was 1:30 and the only thing there was to eat at 5:30 on the ship was a Danish or a croissant. Lufthansa served the worst sandwich. One bite of that was enough. It was right up there with the really bad hot pockets Air Canada served as a snack.
For some reason, going from Air Canada to Lufthansa at the beginning of the trip was not quite as nightmarish in that we did not go through the time portal. Avoid Frankfurt airport!
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