Day 18: Airports
Time for the always-exciting final blog entry of the trip, wherein I try to find entertaining ways to include some of our least-exciting photos — the ones we took as we make our way thru various airports en route back to the U.S. But first, here’s a good one…
We rolled out of bed and showed up bright and early for the Ibis breakfast at 6AM. After consulting the bus timetables, we grabbed our bags, checked out, and caught the No. 5 line from the Palexpo (some kind of convention center) to the Geneva Aéroport.
After waiting in a patience-testing slow line (gasp) to check our bags and get seats for our Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt, we easily found our gate and determined it would be better to exchange our euros back to dollars in Germany, rather than in the land of Swiss francs.
The short flight from Geneva to Frankfurt was quite pleasant because Lufthansa apparently hasn’t gotten the memo that airlines are supposed to cram as many people as possible in coach. Thumbs up to leg room on Lufthansa!
Upon arriving in Frankfurt, we eventually navigated our way to both a currency exchange and our connecting flight to Chicago. Not sure if it’s just me, but the Frankfurt airport is pretty darn confusing. From the map, it looks like the terminals are stacked on top of each other (?!), but the signage in the airport doesn’t really help convey such a layout. Anyhow, that probably explains all of the “bus” gates, where you get a shuttle ride to board your plane on the tarmac.
Eight hours later — after a few decent airplane meals, a couple free beers, and plenty of sleeping (or watching 20-year old movies like Saving Private Ryan!) — we landed in Chicago and breezed thru customs thanks to Global Entry. To repeat, Global Entry is the best. Jo’s parents picked us up and we celebrated by going out for Mexican food. Trip officially complete!
Considering we didn’t know exactly how the second week of our trip would play out with the Alpine Chaingang biking tour, it’s now safe to say our France trip was a huge success. The biking trip was incredible. The weather was amazing. We saw five stages of the Tour de France (stages 4, 5, 10, 11 & 12). We caught up with old friends and made some new ones. We biked crazy mountains in the French Alps, and (technically) visited or traveled through four countries. Heck, we even got the GoPro to (sort of) work.
The only downside is my daily Divvy Bike commute is now permanently ruined.
And last but not least, for the next week, we watched the remaining stages of the 2018 Tour de France each morning on NBCSN. Hard to beat the soothing sounds of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin providing commentary on the race and describing gorgeous French countryside over breakfast. Well, unless you are there in person. 🙂
Til next time!
Thank you, Matthew and Joanna, for taking us on such a fantastic and fascinating journey. I marvel at the amount of time and energy you devote to your blogs. It is a gift to those who follow you. Of course the best part of your trip was your safe return to Chicago! Thank you again for taking us along through your blog!