Starting Out

Like many of the trips we’ve taken over the years, this one took a while to formulate, and the actual event was the result of many different factors. Watching PBS and seeing advertisements for river cruises had an effect. Talking with friends who had enjoyed river cruises before had an effect. Listening to our friend and travel advisor Jan Cordell had an effect. In the end, and now that it’s all over, we both think the planning and waiting paid off. We had a ball, and we came back spoiled beyond all expectation.

We were booked for a Uniworld cruise, and that company had made our flight arrangements. They booked Delta flights for us, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to learn we would be flying Delta, Air France, and KLM before the trip was done. Given the usual long wait time in the airport before you start a trans-Atlantic flight, I guess it’s not surprising that we were bored long before we boarded. At one point, I decided we needed a selfie to be up-to-date and less old-fogeyish for this trip. Here is it, and I promise there won’t be others on these pages. It’s just not us, and having to peer through the bottom of bifocals doesn’t make it any prettier. However, that was one obligatory travel task over and done with.

We started our flight from Birmingham to Budapest on Delta and stopped first in Atlanta. No surprise at all to anyone who flies out of Birmingham on a Delta plane! There we discovered the next flight would be on an Air France “double-decker” plane. For some reason, that has always made a trip a little special to us, though we’ve never bunked up there on a long flight. Who knows—maybe it just brings bunk beds to mind, or having a two-story house when I grew up in a single-level home. Probably the reason is simpler: those 747s just aren’t as common as other planes.

My inner “little boy with his nose pressed to the glass” comes out whenever certain factors come into play. This time a comfortable flight, good food (thanks, Air France), and good weather had me in that position as soon as our descent started into Charles de Gaulle. I should have taken more time to enjoy it, though, because I soon realized how much I needed the extra rest and preparation. Shortly after we landed we were off on a mad dash through doorways, along corridors, up and down steps, and all but running around the mulberry bush just to get to our next flight. My birthday VivoSmart activity tracker logged 1.2 miles on that little jog. Once our heart rates returned to normal and we boarded the next plane, we were off on the last leg of our flight.

By the time we deplaned in Budapest, both of us were more than just “a little tired.” Maybe that’s why I just laughed out loud when we collected our bags and got to the meeting point for the Uniworld passengers. I was punchy from travel fatigue. Even though our luggage had been damaged a bit, we were happy to be on the ground again, and the sight of my “home town” food place just tickled me. If I had been a little more aware of things around me, perhaps I would have tried to find out something about that name. It’s also fun to remember the image and my reaction and just smile about it.

After that, we boarded a van and met some fellow passengers, including four teachers on break from a school in South Africa and a couple from Texas. We were all excited about checking in, finding our cabin, and getting a little rest after a long, long time traveling.