Day 1: Orlando to Frankfurt to Belgium

 Day 1:

Travel day is always a bit hectic but this one went well, all things considered. We headed for Orlando International Airport around 3:45 PM and arrived just after 5:00 PM, thanks to a ride from some dear friends. Check-in for our Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt could not have been smoother. Luggage was checked and boarding passes issued in about ten minutes. We sailed through the TSA screening and made our way to the business class lounge at MCO. After an hour or so, a glass of wine, and some light snacks, we headed to the gate to board the flight. 

The situation at the gate was chaos. Lufthansa assigns boarding priority numbers but there were no clear lines for the numbers, so everyone was just congregating in the center of the gate area. Then, they announced the flight would be delayed by 90 minutes. Ten minutes later, that was changed to 30 minutes and boarding began a few moments later. We were seated on the plane and served a welcome glass of wine. We taxied away from the gate and the flight took off just after 9:10 PM (scheduled 8:05 PM). The flight to Germany was uneventful and we touched down at 11:23 AM (CEST). 

Frankfurt has one huge airport! We exited the aircraft and made our way to customs, which took about twenty minutes, then to baggage claim for our checked luggage, which was arriving just as we got there. From there, we had to find our way to make a train connection to Brussels, Belgium. Inter-city Express trains (ICE) depart from tracks 6-7 at the airport, which seemed to be about a mile from where we claimed our luggage. We made it to the track with ten minutes to spare for the 12:42 PM train to Brussels, which was then delayed to 12:57 PM. 

At 12:55 PM, the train was canceled without explanation so I visited the Deutsche Bahn ticket office and was told there were problems on the line. No other explanations were offered. Then, an announcement was made that the train was not canceled but would depart from the regional track number 3...about a half a mile back from where we just came! So, we grabbed the luggage and made our way back to track 3 just as they blew the whistle for final boarding. Whew! We settled into our first class seats as the train departed Frankfurt for a smooth 2 1/2 hour trip to Brussels. Along the way, we enjoyed a spirited conversation with a lovely German couple about the dysfunctional American political system. 

We arrived at Brussels Nord station about 3:45 PM and walked the quarter mile to our hotel, the Doubletree by Hilton Brussels City. Check-in was smooth, we went straight to our room (with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies) and the girls hung out while I went out in search of food. They were too tired to join me but I enjoyed a nice hour long walk through Brussels pedestrian mall before returning with sandwiches, chicken (for Grace), and a few litres of water. Time to catch up on our missing sleep so we can explore all the sights the capital of the European Union offers tomorrow!