Returning home from Germany

Frankfurt train station

We awoke at 6 am, drank a quick cup of tea, then checked out of the Concorde Hotel. We walked a couple of blocks to the train station, where we caught the light rail to the airport. The trip was less than 30 minutes, and the train was packed with standing room only. Cindy and I were able to get boarding passes online, but Mary and Jodie had to check in at the airport. Although the line was long, it moved quickly, and the ticket agent was very helpful. After showing our passports at the first checkpoint, we picked up sandwiches at the airport and ate them outside security. The line at security was also long, and the Italian couple in front of us had 10 trays full of items to check in. Many of the things they were carrying were confiscated including fruit, yogurt and other items that were clearly marked as not to be carried onboard the flight. Needless to say, that took a long time while we waited. Fortunately, they were not on our flight. For some reason, Mary’s tickets did not identify her as a “trusted traveler,” and she was selected for a secondary screening. She said that she would see a ticket agent in Charlotte to get that corrected.

The flight from Frankfurt to Charlotte, NC boarded on time and was as comfortable as an economy flight can be. One man who had terrible difficulty walking or even standing took forever to reach his seat toward the rear of the aircraft. He had a young woman with him as his assistant, but she didn’t seem to be very helpful. He had quite a struggle to move to his seat.

We were sitting in the middle section of the 777 that was four seats across. The lady next to Mary coughed up a lung for the entire flight. She saw us putting N95 masks on and explained that the cough isn’t a problem because she has had it for three months! The large man behind us sneezed hard enough to part our hair. We would have asked to be reseated, but the flight was nearly full. It will be a wonder if we don’t come home with COVID, flu, cold or TB. We will self sequester for a few days until we have indications if we have contracted something. There was an infant in the row in front of us, but we never heard a sound from the child. Cindy and Jodie were a few rows in front of us but on the other side of the plane. 

The in-flight meal was meatballs, mashed potatoes, salad, roll and lemon cake. Like other international flights, there were lots of drink options including red or white wine. There was a snack of ice cream about midflight, then a breakfast of a chicken or hummus wrap. We read and dozed for the nine-hour flight which was very smooth.

Upon landing in Charlotte, we headed toward customs. Thanks to the Global Entry cards, the process couldn’t have been easier. We went to a kiosk with no line where facial recognition software entered our travel information. An agent asked if we were bringing meat, fruit, vegetables or a quantity of alcohol into the country then gave us a priority card for bag check. We picked up our checked bags from the Frankfurt flight and put them in the bag drop for our flight to Lexington. Homeland security agents with dogs were around the bag check area for incoming international passengers. Mary saw a ticket agent who issued her a boarding pass identifying her as a “trusted traveler which sped our screening through the US security check.

We separated from Cindy and Jodie so Jodie could interview with Homeland Security for her Global Entry card. She had already completed the registration and background check and only needed to have a face-to-face interview to complete the process. Mary and I walked around Charlotte airport for about 30 minutes then it was time to board our flight to Lexington. Like every other flight that we have been on, this flight was mostly full for the short flight to Lexington.

We landed in Lexington earlier than scheduled and our bags were among the first on the carousel, so we were out of the airport in record time. Emily and Ian had parked our car at the airport for us, and we found it quickly. Since it was a little after 6 pm when we left the airport, we stopped at Grimes’s Chicken on the way home. We were back at the house about 7 pm and mostly unpacked by 8. We would do laundry on Wednesday and stock in groceries. We knew that, with a six hour time difference, it would take a little time to adjust being back in our home time zone.

Like our other adventures, the trip was a memorable one. Everyone had a great time, although each of us had varying favorite cities. We left hoping to return to Germany and Austria soon.