Fall Fun... An American Friendly Vacation
After having my wings clipped for far too long, travel day has finally arrived! We got up early to enjoy a Bailey’s and Coffee… get the last of our errands/packing completed. This trip was planned around opening day of early voting. The polling place opened at 9am. We arrived shortly before opening, found a parking place and realized the line was already wrapped around the perimeter of the parking lot. It took us 75 minutes to cast our vote.
First leg… Houston to Dulles. The weather… fantastic! The approach was so green. On the right, I noticed that one side of the road was very rural and the other side of the road, very residential. What a glorious day!
With only twenty minutes between legs, we wasted no time getting off the IAH>IAD flight and onto the IAD>FRA. October is ordinarily a good time to fly standby but with Covid, it is especially easy to get a good seat! We ended up in United Airlines Polaris. Unfortunately, no mimosas were served but we still got our down pillows and blanket. A nice meal, a couple of movies and a good sleep… before we knew it we were landing in Frankfurt!
Taxiing down the runway, we smiled at our “Welcome to Frankfurt”. We had to get creative when planning this trip. Our goal was to find a place to visit that would allow Americans, without a Covid test and no quarantine. At first I thought it would be impossible… but lo and behold, we found three countries that fit the bill. It took a bit of planning to figure a route. There are European countries that allow transit, with proof the final destination is in a country accepting Americans. Paris, London and Frankfurt allow transit as long as you don’t check luggage. We had to remain in the secure area of the terminal.
Makeshift “police stations” were set up around the airport. This allows for interviews on travel specifics to make sure everyone is legal to be where they are. We had carefully planned so we landed, remained in the same terminal and departed within the twelve hour window allowed. No one bothered us but we did see people getting questioned and one guy was escorted onto the plane by two police officers.
We found Albert Einstein hanging out in the airport…
One thing we noticed was the two US airports we visited were very orderly. Passengers followed mask and social distancing rules. The planes were boarded and deplaned in rows of five and everyone followed those guidelines. Frankfurt… not so much! Boarding our final leg, everyone got up and crowded to board. The jet bridge was crammed. And landing… OMG… passengers were up before the plane even stopped. They started walking down the aisles. No order what-so-ever.
First impression upon landing in Tirana, Albania? Beautiful! Very green, rolling hills. The country has a beautiful coastline along the Adriatic Sea, but we are spending the first days in the city centre. We had a long taxi and stopped just short of the gate. Busses were waiting… yes, we were crowded into shuttle busses and driven for about thirty seconds to the customs building where the plane had stopped. We could have walked in ten seconds but making a U-turn made the ride thirty. Customs was very quick. Then out front to find a taxi.
Fortunately, we had a set fare (converted to about $20) because the traffic was crazy. The painted lanes were merely a suggestion that no one adhered to. Two lanes transformed to three or four depending on the area. We tried taking a few photos out the window. Not fancy photography but will give you an idea of what we saw… until we can get out and take pictures.
Lots of construction, very old buildings and of course, traffic. After a 35 minute knuckle-gripping ride, we made it to our meeting place. Lina, the host of the Airbnb, met us at an easy to find spot called Burger Star. Lina gave us a tour and then told us about restaurants and how to use the public transportation. He was a wealth of knowledge! Our flat is on the third floor (with an elevator). It has everything we need. Comfy bed (which I will dive into momentarily), a great shower, tv with netflix, cooking utensils and a balcony. Our home for the next couple weeks. Looking forward to exploring Albania!!!
