Monday, July 9, 2007--arrival in Frankfurt--Day 1

Later the same day, or the next, more or less……..we’re here!! We arrived on time in Frankfurt after a fairly uneventful flight. Neither of us slept much because of a very loudly unhappy toddler nearby, who finally fell asleep about 7 hours into our 9½ –hour flight, plus the unrelenting smallness of our coach seats. But now we’re safely ensconced in our hotel room at the Arabella Sheraton, ready for a nap. Lisa and Bob were able to catch an AA flight to Paris, where they will board an Air France plane to Frankfurt, arriving around 2:30 this afternoon, just about 7 hours late. But they’ll still be here in time for the welcome dinner and orientation tonight at 6:00.



Our tour director is a dapper, middle-aged German named Erich, and our driver is a hunky young Italian named Massimo. We’ve met two of the other couples in our group of 35—Günther and Tina from Ontario, Canada (originally from Germany), and a lovely couple from Vancouver, Ed and Sara. All four are very pleasant and excited to start the vacation. We’ll meet the rest of the group tonight at dinner.




YAY!!! Lisa and Bob made it! They were even bumped up to first class on the transatlantic

flight, which helped take away some of the sting of not making their original flight. We got them checked in and showered, and we all met down in the lobby for a predinner cocktail. Bob’s luggage never made it, but it’s supposed to arrive by 10 p.m. tonight. We had a nice welcome and dinner in the hotel dining room—delicious squash soup, salad, roast beef with potato dumplings, dessert, and coffee—very nice. Everyone in the group took turns introducing him/herself. Our group of 35 consists of Americans, Canadians, Puerto Ricans, and Germans. There is one family of 5, some single women, some older married couples, a few folks our age, and two unique family groups: one 19-year-old college student with her grandmother, and a mother-son-granddaughter threesome. Everyone seems very nice, and I’m sure we’ll get better acquainted as we set off at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow for the romantic Rothenburg road and Munich. Guten nacht!

Note: A word of wisdom for the future -- taking a trip abroad is NOT the best time to try a new deodorant! I wanted to be sure I would not offend anyone in the close quarters of a motor coach, so I tried a new, extra strength brand. Today my underarms are bright red, inflamed, and unbearably itchy. Thank goodness I brought along a small, travel-sized container of Gold Bond Medicated Powder, which will have to suffice as deodorant for the remainder of the trip, as the newly purchased deodorant is now in the trash. I just hope the weather doesn’t get too hot.