May 12, 2024. Dublin to Brussels
The new blog for our final week starting May 13 can be found at:
https://cycleboat2024.blogspot.com/
This morning there were scattered clouds, temperature was 14°C at 7 a,m, and an east wind at 5 km/hr. There was no rush to get moving since our airport shuttle reservation was for 11:50 a.m., to be sure we get to the airport with time to spare and we needed to check out of the hotel by their deadline. The suggestion for international flights is three hours before take-off and our plane was scheduled for 5:55 p.m. We had a leisurely buffet breakfast which included cappuccino from a self serve machine. There was fresh fruit, stewed prunes and canned fruit bowls, yogurt, dry cereal, bagels and bread to toast, pastries, fried eggs, sausages, baked beans, baked tomato halves, black pudding, scrambled eggs and fried eggs, We charged our devises and packed our things. Then we caught up on the news from home on our app.
Our walk to the pickup stop was just a 150 meter walk from the Hilton Garden Inn where we stayed. We left early to be sure to get our transfer and were able to catch the earlier Aircoach for the 15 minute ride to the airport. By noon, we had our baggage tags affixed, put on the conveyor belt and waited for a receipt to be printed for baggage claim in Brussels. We were so early - almost six hours - that our flight was not on the Departures board, but the app said it was on time, for the next five hours. Larry used the time with airport Wi-Fi to upload yesterday’s pictures - in less than 45 seconds his 39 photos were loaded. The hotel only had a complimentary basic internet.
We looked outside around 1:30 p.m. and there was a brief rain shower that wet the tarmac. We stopped for a sandwich and cappuccinos around 3 p.m. and noticed that the gate for our flight had changed from 414 to 408, right beside the café.
Our Aer Lingus flight was originally to leave the gate at 5:55 p.m. but the plane had not arrived yet. Boarding began at 6:30 p.m. which was 7:30 p.m. in Brussels, our destination. Larry had tried to contact our Brussels hotel to tell them that we would be late, but the Spanish SIM card could not connect the phone number. The plane was pushed from the gate at 7 p.m. and it took 11 minutes to get into place for takeoff. The pilot made an announcement that Paris air traffic control was routing the plane away from a thunder storm, but in the final ten minutes as we approached Brussels airport, there were several flashes of lightning in the sky around us. We landed in Brussels at 9:30 p.m., a very smooth touch down, even though the tarmac was wet and lightning was flashing nearby. The plane slowly taxied for 15 minutes to go around to get to the gate. Then we waited another 13 minutes at the gate, with the plane’s air conditioning still on! The ground crew was ordered to go indoors with lightning so close. The rain was lighter and the lighting had stopped.
It was a 15 minute walk to Customs & Immigration and about ten minutes in line. When we got to luggage carousel 8, the last one furthest away from the Customs Hall there was a sign - Delayed! As a last attempt to contact the hotel, Larry found the email with the hotel’s info email and sent a message that we would be quite late but we would be coming and that was answered before the luggage arrived. They were still expecting us. It took another 15 minutes, We had both suitcases and headed for the exit.
We looked for signs for the train level and were only a few minutes early for the Express train into Brussels. The train ride was less than 20 minutes. There were taxis outside the station. The ride to the hotel was less than ten minutes. It was 11:13 p.m. The front desk clerk was very friendly and the reservation was ready. The elevators were not working too well. We had a 4th floor room. One of the elevators could be used with a little bit of coaxing from the clerk. It worked. We opened the door and the lights were off and there was a slot to place your card, but it didn’t work. We phoned reception and the same clerk came up and you had to push down and wait for a switch to click for the lights. It was the fIrst time we had encountered this. Usually you just need to put and room key card or stiff paper in the slot without pressing down. We got ready for bed quickly since we had to be up early to meet at the train station at 7:50 a.m for a full day tour to Luxembourg in the morning.
Tomorrow (May 13th) a new blog starts and can be found at:
https://cycleboat2024.blogspot.com/
Total steps 9,365
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