Day 12: On our way Home
We had to get up at 3am on Wednesday to leave their house by 4-4:15am or so so we could make it to the airport by 5-5:15 or so so we could leave at 7am. Ugh. I was so tired. I was also super surprised that all of our stuff fit into our two suitcases. Whew.
Bertil & Maud drove us to the airport and waited with us through checking in. Then we said farewell. It was weird and a little sad...it was so nice to visit them and spend some quality time with them, but at the same time I was really looking forward to getting home too.
Our flight from Stockholm to Dusseldorf was uneventful. I think I slept for most of it which was nice, although I could've used MORE sleep. Always.
We got to Dusseldorf before 9am and we had to go out and then re-check in at the Northwest counter. But the Northwest counter wasn't open yet so we just hung around and waited until it was. We were the first ones in line because really? There was no place else to go.
We checked in and proceeded to the gate. We had about 3 or 4 hours (I forget) to wait until our flight. There was one coffee shop, one bar (ugh! all of the restaurants allowed smoking! Blech!) in our terminal. Mostly we walked around, ate a few nibbles, read, tried to sleep, etc. About a half hour or so before our flight our names were called over the loudspeaker. Oh great, I thought, they're bumping us off the flight!
But instead, they had re-seated us....row FOUR!! Which meant BUSINESS CLASS! I was so exciited I couldn't stand it. The counter guy said - I hope it's okay but you won't be sitting with each other (I was 4A and Steve was 4D)...we said that was fine! Now the prospect of flying home in a dinky 757 was not so bad! No longer would I be squished 3 + 3 in the back with one measely aisle, but we'd be 2 + 2 in the front! With personal entertainment systems! Yes! I was very excited.
But the plane didn't board. We waited and waited and waited. We were supposed to leave at 1pm but that time came and went and we still waited. We waited some more, had more to eat, walked, slept, read, etc. (I almost had to buy a new book!). We heard about the 35W bridge disaster and couldn't fine one English newspaper to give us more info. We wandered, we were already tired and we hadn't even gone very far.
By 4pm or so we had boarded the flight. We even taxied out on the tarmac. Steve had a couple of beers, I had some OJ (we did get to sit together - the guy next to Steve switched with me). We reclined in our big ass chairs and it wasn't so bad. We sat on the tarmac for almost 2 hours but it didn't matter to us! We were okay! But then we learned that they "couldn't find" 2,000 pounds (or gallons? I don't know but it was a lot) of fuel. (when you're up front the pilot actually comes out and TALKs to you and gives you info - it was cool!). Then after the fuel fiasco, they "couldn't get the left engine to start." Um, okay, now I was getting worried. Business Class or not. I need BOTH ENGINES TO FUNCTION!
After some technicians came on and tried to fix things but couldn't, they decided to send the passengers (all 160 of us) back to the terminal. We were bussed back to where we started. We were given a food voucher for the terminal and told to hang around because the flight hadn't officially been canceled yet. We were going to get something to eat but the lines were long (remember only one bar, one restaurant, 160 people. Ugh). But before too long they canceled the flight and told us what was next.
They would be bussing us to a hotel, after we picked up our luggage, where we would have dinner, spend the night, have breakfast and then be bussed back to the airport in the mornig. The flight had been rescheduled for 10am the next morning.
So, we went. Our luggage was actually right together (amazing!), we got on the bus, 45 minutes to the SwissHotel in Neuss Germany, a very very nice room (fancy!), a great buffet dinner (even with beer!...but not for me), a walk along the Rhine River, bed in a DARK room and that was that.....
Our trip was extended.
Steve along the Rhine River in Neuss, Germany. That's Dusseldorf on the other side
Dusseldorf
Our hotel in silhouette.
Bertil & Maud drove us to the airport and waited with us through checking in. Then we said farewell. It was weird and a little sad...it was so nice to visit them and spend some quality time with them, but at the same time I was really looking forward to getting home too.
Our flight from Stockholm to Dusseldorf was uneventful. I think I slept for most of it which was nice, although I could've used MORE sleep. Always.
We got to Dusseldorf before 9am and we had to go out and then re-check in at the Northwest counter. But the Northwest counter wasn't open yet so we just hung around and waited until it was. We were the first ones in line because really? There was no place else to go.
We checked in and proceeded to the gate. We had about 3 or 4 hours (I forget) to wait until our flight. There was one coffee shop, one bar (ugh! all of the restaurants allowed smoking! Blech!) in our terminal. Mostly we walked around, ate a few nibbles, read, tried to sleep, etc. About a half hour or so before our flight our names were called over the loudspeaker. Oh great, I thought, they're bumping us off the flight!
But instead, they had re-seated us....row FOUR!! Which meant BUSINESS CLASS! I was so exciited I couldn't stand it. The counter guy said - I hope it's okay but you won't be sitting with each other (I was 4A and Steve was 4D)...we said that was fine! Now the prospect of flying home in a dinky 757 was not so bad! No longer would I be squished 3 + 3 in the back with one measely aisle, but we'd be 2 + 2 in the front! With personal entertainment systems! Yes! I was very excited.
But the plane didn't board. We waited and waited and waited. We were supposed to leave at 1pm but that time came and went and we still waited. We waited some more, had more to eat, walked, slept, read, etc. (I almost had to buy a new book!). We heard about the 35W bridge disaster and couldn't fine one English newspaper to give us more info. We wandered, we were already tired and we hadn't even gone very far.
By 4pm or so we had boarded the flight. We even taxied out on the tarmac. Steve had a couple of beers, I had some OJ (we did get to sit together - the guy next to Steve switched with me). We reclined in our big ass chairs and it wasn't so bad. We sat on the tarmac for almost 2 hours but it didn't matter to us! We were okay! But then we learned that they "couldn't find" 2,000 pounds (or gallons? I don't know but it was a lot) of fuel. (when you're up front the pilot actually comes out and TALKs to you and gives you info - it was cool!). Then after the fuel fiasco, they "couldn't get the left engine to start." Um, okay, now I was getting worried. Business Class or not. I need BOTH ENGINES TO FUNCTION!
After some technicians came on and tried to fix things but couldn't, they decided to send the passengers (all 160 of us) back to the terminal. We were bussed back to where we started. We were given a food voucher for the terminal and told to hang around because the flight hadn't officially been canceled yet. We were going to get something to eat but the lines were long (remember only one bar, one restaurant, 160 people. Ugh). But before too long they canceled the flight and told us what was next.
They would be bussing us to a hotel, after we picked up our luggage, where we would have dinner, spend the night, have breakfast and then be bussed back to the airport in the mornig. The flight had been rescheduled for 10am the next morning.
So, we went. Our luggage was actually right together (amazing!), we got on the bus, 45 minutes to the SwissHotel in Neuss Germany, a very very nice room (fancy!), a great buffet dinner (even with beer!...but not for me), a walk along the Rhine River, bed in a DARK room and that was that.....
Our trip was extended.
Steve along the Rhine River in Neuss, Germany. That's Dusseldorf on the other side
Dusseldorf
Our hotel in silhouette.
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