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Post wedding we were a touch on the tired side and fighting to get ready for our honeymoon at a frantic pace. Word had it we would be getting picked up at 2:30pm for the airport and once a few things got transferred from the do before we leave list to the do after we get back list, the voyage could begin. Then we got word our flight had been delayed. Hmmm, how long? Only 3h 15min, well I guess we will be sitting around now with no ambition to get anything else done. I think the only thing we did manage to do is google why the plane was delayed and found the baggage and ground staff were staging a strike. Got to love unions. Jami breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were not busy welding a wing back on to the plane that had fallen off on the previous landing. Eventually the time comes to head on to the airport so after one last check to make sure we have everything the journey starts.
Arrival at the airport is simple enough. No lineup at check in. Probably because all those suckers that didn’t see the flight was delayed for hours had checked in eons ago. Walked up, checked fancy travel backpacks, dropped hint we were on a honeymoon and an upgrade to first class wouldn’t be frowned on by us. Grabbed a bite to each, said good bye to Debbie & Ken and headed on our merry way. Security was a breeze with no lineup as well, thanks to those suckers again. Went off to the gate to find a ton of people waiting around anxiously as I imagine they were sitting there quite some time. Grab my laptop and catch a flames game feed, with the delays I should be able to catch a couple periods which isn’t the worst thing that has happened to me. After the second period is over we are looming closer to what I would think a reasonable boarding time for a 9:05pm departure would be. Still no word. Check phone for updates. Still says it is on time. Jami decides it’s going to be go time soon enough that an adavan is required. About 10 minutes to flight time and still no boarding call… “Attention passengers for AC844 with services to Frankfurt, there is now a mechanical problem that they are working on and we will update shortly” Good thing Jami had her adavan. We both tweet Air Canada in disgust and receive the usual happily ignorant replies. How they couldn’t look at repairing the plane during the 3 hour delay I am not sure. Oh well, while Jami is angry at Air Canada and the world, I have the solution. Turn on the third period. Flames eek out the win, things are starting to go our way. As the game was on I was checking my phone for updates to the flight, none yet, but I assume that is the first place I would see anything. Now past 9:40pm we hear that they require parts from the warehouse but are doing their best and we will hear shortly. Shortly after that I check for an update on the phone and see cancelled for flight status, awesome. Jami comes cruising back from a walk with a stare that tells me the same thing. Attendants come on one more time saying it looks like the flight could be cancelled but we will know for sure in a few minutes. Jami had overheard some maintenance people tell the gate staff that the flight was done but guess they liked the suspense of it all. Sure enough we hear in a few minutes the flight is done. Call for the pickup ride from the airport and get a sheet they hand out to everyone telling us to call a 1-800 for rebooking options. There is going to be a flight at 1:30pm the next day.
We call the 1-800 as we wait for our checked bags to come out. They have no clue what we are talking about, they can book us direct for tomorrow at 6pm or leave at 7am for Montreal with a 4 hour layover. Umm, direct please. They tell us the only people that can book are at the airport. We wait in a line of people getting vouchers, originally Air Canada tried to say no one should get them because of the original delay was caused by the German airport? That one I didn’t quite understand. We had seen teams from Russia, Germany and Italy that were from the recent curling competition all had to go get rooms on their own. So as rough as our day was it could have been worse. Which is one of those things is fine for me to say, but when the Air Canada lady said that to us after they told us they have no idea about booking flights and I should call the 1-800 number it didn’t go well. In the end all we got is a scribble on our boarding passes that say NO HOTEL and a flight number for the imaginary 1:30pm flight. By the time we get home and settled, I check Air Canada’s site for the flight number, sure enough I call the 1-800 a few more times and make it through to find out we are already moved to that flight and booked in. Call the rental car company to update them and then grab some Z’s.
In the morning we do it all again, pack everything up and head off. Check in, security, done. Hit the gate. Across the way we see the junk they tried to send us up in the night before sitting shamefully. Sitting at the gate waiting for a while, relentlessly checked the phone waiting to see delayed pop up. Wouldn’t you know the next thing we see is a pusher connecting to the dilapidated plane and hauling it to our gate. Yay.
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We boarded and got de-iced and made it out alive. Didn’t swing an upgrade but did get some free champagne and a little first class starter kit with a face wipe and a mentos. Flight was pretty smooth, even saw some northern lights over Iceland.
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Landed and in Frankfurt we are ready to begin. Make our way through customs and head for the rental car. They try and throw us a Ford Fiesta with a gas motor. No thanks, I specifically requested diesel. So they quote me for a diesel and it is 500 euro more. Oh Hertz, not you too. After a quick wireless connection, chat with another rental company and a phone call to some redneck schmuk on Hertz 1-800 line a new booking is done for the diesel class quoted to me but for 120 euro more rather than 500. Ford Focus deisel…. hmm ah well. At this point it was 7:30am in Frankfurt and 11:30pm for us so we were tired enough to just agree and get on our way as there was not much sleep to be had on the plane. Found the car in the parkade, it is a station wagon which I am informed by Jami is un-cool. Her preference? A weird looking bubble Hyundai. Oh well, maybe we can fix it later. The airport was getting old. Hit unlock. Nada. Hit lock a few times hoping for a horn, nothing. Ok, maybe a dead battery? Grabbed the valet key out of the fob and used it in the door. No go. Well this is the wrong key, maybe a funny joke from the guy that had tried to hose me for 500 euros at the desk. We find the parkade attendant and let him know. He presses unlock feverishly. Sorry buddy, we were smart enough to try that already. He goes running to the main office which is a far distance away back in the terminal. Five minutes later (seemed like 30) he comes cruising back full of confidence. Pops out the valet key from the fob and heads to the passenger door. Looks puzzled for a bit, then crunches down near the handle. “Uhh, there is only a key hole on the driver’s side. And it doesn’t work if that is the same key” I am sure they have plenty of customers with no vehicle knowledge so I understand him trying it, but was not surprised with the results. ” I guess this is not the right key ” DING DING. Can we get a new damn key and get out of here already? Jami is excited she can plea for her bubble car now.
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Unfortunately her dream fails to come true, we do end up with a free upgrade to a Hyundai but it is a Tuscon (ix35 in Europe) Peppy little 2.0L diesel but not the greatest for parking. Get out of the parkade, load up GPS and off we go. We set the dial to Heidelberg, a smaller city south of Frankfurt about a hour. Jami hits City Center, we later find out that is a mistake. Highways, byways, roadways, no problem. But all the sudden we are in the middle of some tiny one way streets and crazy intersections while I am still getting used to the new style of street signs and street lights on a half hour sleep. Also playing a factor is it is now 3am according to my body. There is absolutely no place to pull over, so Jami punches in our Hotel for the first night and we head there a bit early. We park our beast in the mini parking lot with 6 spots in the back of the hotel and head in. Can’t check in yet but can leave the vehicle there and wonder around. We walk a few miles towards the city centre as on foot the roads seem roomy. There is a tram running but we have no clue how to buy tickets and it seems like English is a four letter word in this little city. We stumble on a cemetery and a couple neat churches but no the big castle we were hoping for. It is almost 25 degrees out and with a mini breakfast we found, hardly any sleep and this heat we don’t have much life left in us. We eventually kill enough time to head to the hotel and check in. Nice little hotel room with all we needed.
After a quick hour nap we headed out for the Aero/Space/Car/Firetruck/Military Museum and date with a helicopter. The museum was pretty cool. Completely random vehicles, trains and plans all spread about and a few exhibits to walk around in. Once we had our fill the tour was the next stop. Jami was a pretty good sport and only required some minor pleading to convince her she wanted to go up. The usual clenched clamy hand for take off and after a little cruising and being handed the camera she calmed down and started snapping photos. We made it past a formula 1 track and the illusive castle in Heidelberg we had been hunting for earlier. Saw a couple more sights and soon enough we were back down. Now it was 10am our time and we were getting pretty foggy. Jami requested a quick stop at Burger King and a magical birthday dinner in our hotel room. Who was I to deny that? After a double whopper and some onion rings we both crashed.
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