We left Cleveland about noon on Tuesday, heading to Germany. The security at the airport was not very organized, but we got through and had some time to spare. I noted with interest that the paper is saying the earthquake was possibly caused by "heavy rain." See the photos below if you don't believe me.
We are on Iceland Air this year, and I am pretty disappointed with them. We flew Iceland Air in 2013 and they were pretty good, but this year they cancelled our one-stop flight and added in a third leg with a four hour layover. The 767 we were supposed to fly on (with seats 2-3-2 so we would just sit together, aisle and window) was replaced with a 757 (3-3 seating) so Gail ended up in the middle seat instead. I felt that it was kind of like false advertising, from the route to the final product.
So that is how we ended up killing four hours at Wolfgang Puck's in Washington DC. before our flight to Düsseldorf, through Reykjavik.
We came into Reykjavik just after sunrise Wednesday morning (Oh, where did Tuesday go?), and the light on the low mossy coast was perfect and golden. I forgot how expensive it is here until we dropped $19 US for an espresso, coffee, slice of carrot cake and brownie for breakfast. Nineteen dollars.
From there it was just three hours to Germany, where we got off the plane and found Angelika and Ralph waiting for us. After hugs all around we loaded up and headed to their home in Neuss, just across the Rhine from Düsseldorf.
It was good to see our friends again.
We have been to their home in Neuss before, you can see photos and read about the city here. It sure felt great to stop traveling and settle in for a few days.
We ate a delicious lunch together; potato salad that Angelika made, and then walked through the parkland and along the canal, past the ruins of the walls and towers that protected the city, into the downtown.
Something new along the way: they have restored the old locks on the Canal du Nord where it crossed another canal, built when Napoleon came through here in 1809.
We ended up at a bakery for cakes and coffee before walking back to their home. The cathedral bells rang as we walked through the park, and it was a relaxing evening.
We were up pretty late talking, but the jet lag and lost sleep caught up, so we made plans for tomorrow, then crashed about ten.