The alarm rang at 7:30 and after a quick shower we headed back to the dining room for breakfast. Next trip (!) we would enjoy breakfast in the dining room more often. We had a table for two near the window and watched a large cage being lowered to the level just below us and loaded with luggage. Then the cage would be lifted up and swung around to be emptied in the nearby terminal. Quite an operation. Next to us was an absolutely miserable couple. They did not speak English, but were not speaking German either. They were rude to all the servers, had absolutely dour expressions on their faces, and kept demanding more food, never once uttering anything that sounded like a please or thank you. What if THEY had been our table mates, we thought.

We returned to the room to gather our things, then headed downstairs at 8:20 for our 8:30 disembarkation time. Luckily we were able to disembark right away. As soon as we got into the large terminal, we saw our bags waiting for us. We gathered them and headed towards passport control and customs, our passports in hand. But no one ever asked us for them, or even took a glance at our luggage. We just walked right out the door where attendants with orange ties were waiting to direct us to the airport bus we had booked.

We were on the bus by 8:40 am, but waited in our front row seats for an hour before we left for the airport. Once underway, it was a much speedier trip to the airport than we expected from our earlier cab ride. Once there, it was a rather long walk from the bus to Terminal 2 but there was no need to rush as we had plenty of time until our 1:40 pm flight to Dublin.

We were so early that the Aer Lingus attendant was not at the check-in desk yet so we waited in the wheelchair assistance area for about an hour. Once checked in, we headed back to wheelchair assistance where we were assigned the same guy who had assisted us when we first arrived in Hamburg. He remembered us as well and asked jokingly if we came back every 6 days.

The Hamburg airport is very sleek and modern, all glass and pale wood. Very organized, with numbered check-in areas, clear signage, and large open gate areas. We breezed through security and passport control and got to gate B50 in time to grab a sandwich on good German bread for lunch. We were surprised when they started boarding our flight a full hour before the flight time. We had the best seats so far: 2A and 2B. Everything seemed to be going so smoothly!

But then . . .  we sat on the runway for over 2 hours. The flight attendants kept making increasingly pointed announcements about people taking their seats, but traffic in the aisle was stalled for a long time. Once that finally started to clear, we saw more people getting off buses and climbing the stairs to the plane. It seemed they were holding the plane for some incoming flights (too bad they hadn’t held our plane in Amsterdam for FIVE MINUTES so we could have made that flight!). After such a smooth beginning, we were now starting to worry about being able to make our bus from Dublin to Belfast.

We arrived in Dublin over 1 hour late – then sat on the runway for more than half an hour waiting for a parking place to open up. Once we were finally parked and the buses were waiting outside, we were told to stay on the plane and let everyone else off, then we would get our wheelchair assistance. So we waited. And waited. There was some glitch with the wheelchairs. Fifteen minutes passed, then twenty. We were becoming convinced that we would not make our 4:50 bus. When they finally came to collect us in a special van, it was 4:25 pm. We would still need to collect our luggage, go through passport control and customs, get from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, and then cross the road to find our bus. What were the chances?

Luckily Paul, our wheelchair attendant, was determined to get us there in time. “I’ve never lost anyone yet,” he said, “and I’m not going to start now.” Soon we were speeding through passport control. At baggage claim, our suitcases were already waiting for us on the carousel Then we breezed through customs and started the long jaunt to Terminal 1 and the bus. Paul knew exactly where he was going and the most efficient way to get there. We made is with 5 minutes to spare. Whew!

From there, it was a quick 90-minute drive to Belfast. At Grand Central Station, we had a little trouble finding Alison. She told us to get in touch with her when we saw the “Balls on the Falls.” Didn’t know what that meant. Asked security guy what this meant and he laughed. “It does sound a bit odd, doesn’t it.” Apparently it is a sculpture of one ball inside another along the road at the end of the Falls Road (hence Balls on the Falls). We probably would have seen it on our way to the station if we had known to look for it. It was starting to rain just as we headed outside. Finally, we saw Alison. Quick hugs, then we rushed through raindrops to their van where Maurice was waiting. Short drive home to Holywood.

When we got to the house, we were greeted warmly by Lucy and Adam, Alison and Maurice’s children, and their black cocker spaniel, Susie. We all sat in living room chatting for a while. Then shared a wonderful supper of homemade chili and amazing bakery sourdough bread. We felt so immediately at home, having been here just two years ago. So looking forward to some relaxing days ahead catching up with our friends.