It was Saturday, so we woke up at a reasonable hour and had a leisurely breakfast at our hotel. Then we walked down Albert Street to the ferry terminal. We could tell it was going to be a glorious day. The sky was a deep blue, and there were very few clouds around. The temperature was just right to make t-shirts the comfortable style choice.
The previous evening I purchased ferry tickets over the internet for one of the Fuller ferries to Waiheke Island. When we arrived at the dock to catch our particular ferry, since we already had tickets, we grabbed a cup of coffee, sat near the boarding gate, and waited for our boat to arrive.
When we boarded, we sat on a bench that was on the bow of the boat. We had a view of all of the passengers as they boarded the vessel. It turned out to be an excellent seat. As we pulled away from the dock, we had an exceptional view of the Auckland Skyline from the Auckland Harbor.
The seas were very calm. The only disturbances seemed to be from other boats. During the one-hour trip, we saw several other ferries going both directions. One, in particular, was a ferry carrying vehicles. It appeared to have just two trucks on the deck. I do not recall ever seeing such a small boat.
We approached Waiheke Island from the west, entering Matiatia Bay. Moored in the bay were several small boats and yachts. Our captain skillfully brought us to the ferry terminal. One would think he must have done this at least once before.
Just outside the ferry terminal, we found a bus. We got on and rode into town, stopping at the roundabout at Oceanview Road and Oue Road. We walked from the bus stop up the hill, shopping as we went. The last shop at which we stopped was a second-hand and antique store. It looked less like a thoughtfully merchandised shop and more like a hoarder’s shipping container. As it ended up, that description was not far off the mark. The woman that owned the shop told us she had recently returned from France with a shipping container full of antiques.
As the owner and Leslie talked, I spotted an antique broach. The broach was greenstone with a small silver kiwi in the center. Greenstone is a type of jade typically found on the South Island of New Zealand. The shop owner told us it dates from 1840 or 1850. Because of the kiwi, I had to have it. Leslie immediately fell in love with the broach. I bought something for myself too; a $15 second-hand Hawaiian shirt. I think Leslie got the better deal. Preparing to leave the shop with our purchases, the owner told us we had to eat lunch at Casita Miro.
We walked back downhill, looking at a few other shops. We stopped at an area where we could see Oneroa Bay. It was beautiful. We both decided we should travel to Auckland again and then plan to spend a long weekend at Oneroa Bay.
There was a tourist information shop nearby. Of course, we bought a magnet for the refrigerator. We also noticed it was nearing lunchtime, so we asked one of the people there for directions to Casita Miro. She said we would need a taxi since it was seven or eight kilometers away. She was kind enough to call for a cab that arrived in about a minute. Our driver took us along Sea View Road. The views were stunning. Casita Miro is a vineyard in a rural setting on Waiheke Island. When we arrived at the gravel driveway, it was about 11:25. There was a closed sign hanging near the restaurant. I got out of the taxi and asked if the restaurant was open. Luckily, it was just opening.
The young man behind the bar asked if we would like to taste some wine. He obviously did not know with whom he was speaking. We quickly took him up on his offer. We found out later that he was the owner’s son.
The restaurant building had a Mediterranean look. It was glass on three sides. We could see there was a stairway on the uphill side, leading to a lookout area. The stairway wall had a tile mosaic in the style of the Spanish artist, Joan Miro. The visual was quite striking. At the top of the stairs was The Bond Bar. We sat down at a table overlooking the vineyards and Onetangi Bay. Fortunately, this blog comes with photographs because I do not think I can adequately describe the beauty. We sat there for a while and soaked in the vista…and wine. Soon we saw a man dressed in blue coveralls, boots, and a pink cowboy hat come strolling up the hill. After striking up a conversation, we discovered he was the owner of the vineyard, Mr. Bond. We talked to him for ten or fifteen minutes. We told him how much we liked his Sauvignon Blanc. We asked if we could buy some to take with us. Oddly, he answered that question with another question. He asked when we were going to drink the wine. We told him we planned to have it at the hotel in Auckland that very evening. He said he usually does not sell it for takeaway because he does not use preservatives. He only makes that particular style for use at the restaurant. Since we were going to drink it within several hours, he said he would sell some.
We finished our wine and walked back down to the restaurant to take our table. We ordered two starters. One was goat cheese croquetas with honey. The other was patatas bravas that we had not had since we lived in Spain. They were both exquisite. Then we shared a paella of saffron bomba rice with pan-roasted market fish, sea kelp, lemon, and mussels. Our dessert was beyond amazing. We had a torta that was honey-almond, served with vanilla ice cream and summer berries. While we ate, Mr. Bond stopped by a couple of times. We felt like we were extraordinary people.
After our killer lunch at Casita Miro, we sat outside on a bench while we waited for our taxi. As it happened, the same driver picked us up. She took us directly back to the ferry terminal. Once there, we only had to wait five minutes or so for our return ferry.
The voyage back to Auckland was just as beautiful as our voyage to Waiheke Island. The photographs demonstrate what I mean.
This was my first trip to Apia, Samoa, a business trip.
I made it to Wellington Airport around 08:00. After I checked in, I was “greeted” by a rather large dragon head, a model of the dragon from The Lord of the Rings trilogy sits in the terminal across from the check-in area.
Since I had plenty of time, I went upstairs to the shopping and food court area to wait for my flight. One of the first sights I saw was Gollum, a character from The Lord of the Rings. The pose looks as though he has his head underwater in a stream, trying to grab a passing trout. Although Gollum is ugly, the overall display was unique. I found it hard to keep from looking continuously.
At the other end of the shopping and food court area were two raptors suspended from the ceiling, one of them ridden by Gandalf. Gandalf is a wizard character from The Lord of the Rings.
My flight to Auckland boarded and departed on time. I found myself sitting by Brent Arnell, a right-handed batsman with the Wellington Firebirds cricket team. The entire team was on the flight. Brent said they were on their way to Auckland for a match. I must confess, I did not know who Brent was until I got back to the internet, and I was able to ask Mr. Google.
We made it to Auckland in about an hour, landing without incident.
About an hour after leaving Wellington, I arrived in Auckland. I waited for the free shuttle bus to get me from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. It seemed like it took forever. I probably could have walked it quicker. Oh well. Once at the international terminal, I made my way into the main waiting area. While I was there, I saw a massive Airbus A380 taxiing. Those are truly amazing planes. I understand there are “suites” on the upper level of some of the aircraft. I am confident I will never experience one.
While I was waiting at the airport, I stopped at a shop and bought a book on the history of New Zealand. It has been fascinating so far.
Boarding the plane and the takeoff were uneventful.
I was happy to see that one of the white wines they served onboard the Air New Zealand flight was Thornberry Chardonnay. Leslie and I have become quite fond of that particular Chardonnay.
I arrived in Apia at about 20:30 local time. Samoa is just to the west of the international dateline. I felt like I could see yesterday if I looked to the east. My one checked bag was one of the first to come off the carousel. From there, I went to stand in line at customs. I had a brief conversation with the customs agent and then sent my bags through the x-ray machine.
Walking through to the other side, I quickly spotted the driver for the shuttle to the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel. He took my bag and me to the waiting van. Once seated, he went back to wait for another couple who were also staying at the hotel.
The drive from the airport to the hotel took about 45 minutes. It reminded me a little of Georgetown, Guyana. The road was only a two-lane road. When the van caught up to traffic, it took a while to find a proper location to pass the vehicle. One big difference from Georgetown is there were streetlights along the entire route, even away from the city.
As we passed homes, it was amazing to see that every home was virtually wide open. When I say wide open, I mean WIDE OPEN. Many homes had no windows or doors. House after house saw family after family sitting and watching television as traffic buzzed by on the road.Many of the homes had a fale in front, or near the front, of the houses. A fale is a large open structure used as a meeting or gathering place. They have tall coned or domed roofs held up with large timbers and no walls. The driver said that when there are deaths in the various families, the fale serves as the funeral location.
The number of churches we passed on the way to the hotel surprised me. By far, the largest church compound was the Methodist Church. Both sides of the road had Methodist Church property for a half-mile. In Apia, the driver pointed out the Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He said its compound is even more extensive than that of the Methodist Church.It was close to 22:00 when the van reached the hotel. Not surprisingly, the registration lobby was in the middle of a fale.
After placing my bags in the room, I stopped by the bar, in a fale, for a beer. I had a Vailima, one of the beers made in Samoa. On the way to the hotel, the driver proudly pointed out the Vailima brewery as we passed.Before departing Wellington, I queried Mr. Google for the location of the U. S. Embassy in Apia. He very kindly showed the site and indicated the walk would take me about 17 minutes. I departed the hotel with a map neatly tucked in my pocket. It was not that hot, probably just 81 degrees Fahrenheit, but the humidity made it a little uncomfortable.
At the end of my nearly one-mile walk, I found myself facing a rather dilapidated building, but there was no indication of the Embassy. Regardless, I soldiered on, taking the elevator to the fifth floor…no Embassy. I walked down two levels, by now sweating profusely, still no Embassy. I walked into an office and asked the receptionist where the U. S. Embassy was located. She was quite surprised. She told me it was back down the road. Armed with that information, I began my three-quarter-mile walk in the direction from which I had come. I finally stumbled across the correct building and located the Embassy. The staff was surprised my “five-minute” walk had taken me so long. I told them Mr. Google is usually a pretty smart guy, but he missed the mark this time.
At the end of my workday, I walked the three-tenths of a mile back to my hotel. It was much quicker and easier than my morning tour of Apia.
One day for lunch, we ate at Sails Restaurant and Bar. The view of the ocean was breathtaking. The waves broke far offshore. There is a coral reef that does not allow the waves to come onshore unless it is a cyclone. There is a shipwreck that was visible from the restaurant that was the result of a past storm.
The buses on the island are colorful. They are not as bejeweled as the jingle trucks in Pakistan, but they are very nicely painted. The slogans on the sides of the buses are the names of the bus companies. Painted on the front is the name of the village to which the bus is destined.
I did see Robert Louis Stevenson’s home on the island. I did not have time to visit, but I will on a future trip. The house is now a museum. He is buried on top of the hill overlooking the home.
On Friday afternoon, I began my journey back home.
Departing Apia, Samoa was uneventful. However, about 45 minutes out of Auckland, the ride got a little bumpy as we crossed a weather front. I believe it was the remnants of a cyclone. Thankfully, the landing at Auckland was nothing compared to our first landing at Wellington this past November.
Even though the ride had been a bit bumpy earlier coming into Auckland, the landing in Wellington was surprisingly smooth. The pilot did say we had picked an excellent time to arrive in Wellington. Earlier in the day, Wellington airport was closed periodically because of high winds.
Leslie and I drove to Napier today. It was about a four-hour drive from our home, north on Highway 2. As we got closer to the mountains, the slopes got steeper. At times, it seemed as if we were driving on a cliff face. Regardless of the pitch, the hues of green were just amazing. It was like driving through the green-section of a box of 120 Crayola Crayons.
The road became very narrow, with numerous curves. The scenery seemed to get more and more beautiful. At a couple of the sharper curves, we encountered logging trucks traveling the opposite direction. It seemed mere inches separated our vehicles.
The road summit is at Rimutaka Hill. There was a turn-out there, so we stopped to look. The short trail to the overlook was dirt and gravel. It was also steep. Because of that, Leslie opted to wait in the car. Within 50 meters, I was at the top of the overlook. The view up and down the rugged valley was spectacular.
Signs at the turn-out told the story of infantry reinforcements crossing at Rimutaka Hill during World War I. The pass is at an elevation of 555 meters above sea level, about 1,800 feet. The weather there must be terrible in the winter. I make that assumption because of the drop-arm at the side of the road, near the bottom of the hill. On the downhill side of the pass, we mused that the mountain road reminded us of Independence Pass in Colorado. The road was very narrow, especially on some of the curves. I am not sure how two logging trucks could pass each other on such a route.
In the valley, we drove through the town of Carterton. As we drove along the main street, I saw a sign for Paua World. Even though it was a kilometer or so off the main road, I thought we should see Paua World for ourselves.
Paua (pronounced pah-wah) is a fist-sized shellfish with beautiful mother-of-pearl on the inside surface. In English, we know it as an abalone. Paua World is a “factory” that makes a multitude of tourist trinkets from the shells. We bought a couple of things and then hit the road again.
About two hours into our drive, we approached the town of Pahiatua. It was nearly noon, time for lunch. Along the main street, we spotted The Black Stump Café. We decided that was the place for lunch. Inside, the lone waiter immediately brought us water and menus. I spied beer-battered Terakihi, fries, and Harrow’s tartare sauce for $18.50 (about $12 U.S.). I decided I would try that, even though I am not a big fan of seafood. However, I am determined to do better since we live on a beautiful island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Little did I know at the time, my selection was better described as fish and chips. I found them to be the absolute best fish and chips I have ever had anywhere on this planet.
Continuing our drive northeast, we turned onto Highway 50 shortly after the town of Norsewood. We understood Highway 50 had less traffic, and it was more scenic. The route was incredibly beautiful. It was a good thing there was not as much traffic because there were three one-lane bridges we had to cross. Luckily, one could see far enough ahead to determine whether one might meet another vehicle on the span.
Much of the trip wound through rural areas. We saw several hay fields in which there were the large round hay bales. The plastic shrink-wrapped hay bales look much different from those in the U.S. That makes sense, given the climate in New Zealand.
With the one-lane bridges behind us, we began driving through some rolling hills, which were thick with grasses. The wind had picked up speed. It was mesmerizing to watch the wind blowing the grasses. It made the hills look more like a green ocean.
For the last 30 kilometers (18 miles) or so, we drove through one vineyard after another. The Hawke’s Bay area is well known in New Zealand for its wine production. A local map touted the locations of 32 different vineyards near Napier. We were glad to know we would be contributing to the wine economy during our stay.
At about 15:00 we pulled into the parking lot of the Pebble Beach Motor Inn. It is located on Marine Parade, directly across from the ocean. We walked into our top floor room and immediately fell in love with the view from our terrace. It was stunning. If I had a stronger arm, I probably could have thrown a stone and hit the ocean. Just 400 feet down the road to our right sat the National Aquarium of New Zealand.
After checking in, we made a quick trip to the supermarket to get a few items to stock the kitchen of our room. When we returned to our space, we did not feel like going out. So we ordered pizza for dinner. It was brilliant, sitting in our room, eating pizza, drinking wine, and watching and listening to the Pacific Ocean’s lap at the beach along Hawke’s Bay.
Across the street from our room, in the park between us and the ocean, was a fountain. It was a beacon to all things children and all things seagull. If a group of children was not splashing around in the fountain, then a group of seagulls was there, trying to clean up and taking a drink.
Once we got things sorted in our room, we decided to walk to the beach. On the way, we saw a seabird of some sort sitting on a nest in the pebbles under a log. As we watched her, she watched us. She turned her head to keep a close eye on us even though we never approached too close. Unfortunately, the next morning, we noticed she was dead. We have no idea what may have happened overnight.
The beach was not one of sand, but rather one of gray to black pebbles. The sun heated those small pebbles. I think the largest ones we saw were maybe two inches across. They were all reasonably flat. One afternoon, we decided to lay on the beach. I cannot express here just how comfortable that was. As one wiggled, the pebbles formed to one’s shape. The stones were nice and warm, which made the lie-down all the more relaxing and comfortable. I would highly recommend that to any visitor to the beach.
On our first full day in Napier, we agreed we would go to the aquarium. Over coffee, we read up on the aquarium. We found that it opened at 09:00. We were at the door at 08:55. As soon as the aquarium opened, we made a beeline for the penguin exhibit. The literature noted that penguin feeding occurred at 09:30 every day.
We sat at the penguin exhibit, enjoying the antics of the penguins as they and we waited for feeding time. One penguin swam erratically in circles, appearing quite excited. Several others stood on the wooden pier, looking longingly at the door from which the feeders no doubt used to enter the exhibit. They too were quite animated.
Ultimately, a woman and a man entered the exhibit. The man, carrying a bucket, went to the far end of the enclosure, followed by a flock of penguins. There was also one lone seagull there. As the man fed the penguins, the woman spoke to those of us gathered about the penguins. All of the penguins there are Little Blue Penguins (the smallest penguin species), each of which was rescued from the wild. The rescues were necessary due to any number of maladies; for example, one penguin had lost an eye, another had lost a flipper. Even the seagull, a rescued bird, was missing a wing. The seagull received some fish too.
Because of our visit to the penguin exhibit, I realized I saw Little Blue Penguin on a rock in Wellington Harbour. As I rode the train into town alongside the harbor, I saw a lone penguin standing on a small rock, just off the shore. I was surprised to have seen only one that day as I thought they were more of a social animal.
When the penguin feeding finished, we walked to the Oceanarium area. This large aquarium includes a glass “tunnel.” The tunnel allows one to walk literally through the aquarium while many of the fish swim overhead. It was similar to the tunnel we encountered in the aquarium in Valencia, Spain, but for one detail. At this aquarium, in addition to a carpeted path through the tunnel, there was a moving sidewalk too. All one need do is stand still and watch the fish as the sidewalk moves through the tunnel.
We took a trip through the tunnel. Just as we exited, we saw a diver in the tank, right on time for the 10:00 feeding. The diver was adept at communicating to the audience via hand signals and pantomime. It was fascinating to watch the fish swarm the diver each time he pulled his hand from the feeding bucket.
We continued through the rest of the aquarium at our leisure. We finished up at the Fish Bowl Café with a cup of coffee. We sat on the terrace while we enjoyed our coffee. When finished, we took a quick stroll through the Treasure Chest Gift Shop, emerging with our requisite refrigerator magnet.
Our next stop was the Art Deco area of old Napier. A disaster is the reason there is so much Art Deco architecture here. In 1931, an earthquake destroyed much of the city. The townspeople vowed to rebuild. At the time, the fashionable architectural style was Art Deco. For that reason, the central portion of old Napier has an abundance of Art Deco buildings. It was like going back in time. The town celebrates that heritage each February with an Art Deco festival.
We stopped at a street-side café for a leisurely brunch. As we have done so often in the past, we enjoyed our meal as we watched the world.
Near the Art Deco center of the town, there was a bronze statue of a mermaid. It was ever so slightly more significant than the famous mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Denmark; although it does not seem to be thronged quite as much as that statue. The figure is known as Pania of the Reef. A plaque at the base of the sculpture relates the following story. “An old Maori legend tells how Pania, lured by the siren voices of the sea people, swam out to meet them. When she endeavored to return to her lover, she was transformed into the reef which now lies beyond the Napier breakwater. To perpetuate the legend the Thirty Thousand Club presented this statue to the City of Napier – 1954.”
We went for a swim near the Port of Napier. The water was anything but warm. Regardless, it was fun. When we left the beach, we drove back toward our hotel. I just happened to see a sign pointing up a road to Bluff Hill Overlook. I took a quick right turn and headed uphill. The closer we got, the more narrow the road became. I was delighted we did not meet another vehicle on the way up.
Once we parked on top of Bluff Hill and walked to the fence, we were astonished by the view. It was probably a 270-degree view of the area. We had a commanding view of the port. It was just amazing how many trees were on the dock, waiting for shipment out of New Zealand. One of our taxi drivers said the logs were destined primarily for either Japan or China. Quite frankly, with the environmental consciousness in New Zealand, I was surprised that so much timber is exported.
We departed Nynäshamn, Sweden, on July 16, at about 20:00. The cruise schedule had us at sea all day on July 17, arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark at about 05:00 on July 18.
At various times throughout our cruise, Leslie took time to practice with about a dozen other passengers as the ship’s choir. All of the practice culminated with a performance on our last night at sea. When we arrived in the piazza area of the vessel, there was a string quartet playing. The same quartet played every evening.
When the quartet finished, a talent show began. The first act was two young gymnasts, a girl, and her brother. I believe they were Dutch. The emcee said the girl was aiming to perform at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She was good. Next was a young woman singer who had an absolutely beautiful voice. She reminded me of a singer one might hear in an animated Walt Disney movie. The final act was a brother and two sisters. The brother played the piano, and the sisters sang. They needed a bit more polish, but it was nice to see they at least tried.
Following the talent show was the choir which sang several songs from The Sound of Music. They sounded good, but of course, Leslie was the best!
After the concert, we, minus Lorraine, went to the dining room for dinner. Lorraine was not feeling well. During dinner, we heard the captain on the public address system announce we would pass under the Storebæltsbroen (Great Belt Bridge) at about 20:00. Sure enough, shortly before 20:00, we saw the bridge looming on the horizon. We watched the sight from our balcony. Below us, on one of the main decks, we saw several other passengers gathering to watch the passage and take photographs of the bridge. The bridge connects the Danish islands of Funen and Zealand. Zealand is the island on which we find Copenhagen. The span really was a fantastic sight.
We docked right on time. Once at the Marriott, Lorraine and Arlene waited for a room while Leslie and I walked to the tourist information center to get our Copenhagen tourist cards. The cards ended up not being worth the price only because we did not make much use of them. We ultimately used them for only one bus ride, one church, and one museum.
While we stood in the tourist information center, my name caught my eye; the Vice and Vesterbro Tour. Vesterbro is a district in Copenhagen. We all know what vice is, so maybe we will try that tour on our next visit to Copenhagen.
With our cards in hand, we decided we would do the Strøget (stroll). The Strøget is a mile-long pedestrian thoroughfare, encompassing the streets of Frederiksberggade, Nygade, Vimmelskaftet, Amagertorv, and Østergade. It winds from Town Hall Square to the Nyhavn area. Along the way, shopping is a mix of tourist shops and very high-end shops and boutiques. We did not buy anything.
On Strøget, the streets came to life as we walked along. The people made it a great walk. I enjoyed capturing photographs of many people as they walked together. Some that stand out in my mind is the couple walking two huge dogs; a young toddler running around; a woman pulling a sausage cart; a juggler; and a street performer.
About two-thirds of the way through the Strøget, we discovered the Royal Copenhagen building. That is the primary outlet for Royal Copenhagen china. We went into the store. Beautiful china was displayed everywhere. It was all lovely but incredibly expensive. The only thing I took from the building were some photographs.
The Strøget ultimately deposited us at the Kongens Nytorv Plaza. From there we walked the short distance to Nyhavn where we had lunch at a beautiful place, Nyhavns Frergekro. I tried a traditional Dutch open-faced sandwich known as Smørrebrød. It was roast beef with a remoulade sauce and gherkin pickles. I thought it tasted excellent. I also had the Nyhavn Dark Ale, which had a real smooth taste. Leslie ordered the Danish meatballs and some fried brie cheese.
When we finished lunch, we caught a bus, which took us near our hotel. We walked the last few blocks. All totaled, we put in about 3.5 miles that day.
Lorraine stayed in the room all day with Arlene. They were both getting sicker.
On this return trip to Copenhagen, I found it surprising once again how many swimmers, and sunbathers changed from clothing to swimwear and back again in public. I guess I am too shy to try such a stunt. Oh, and there is no way I am flexible enough to get dressed or undressed while covering up with a towel.
The next day, Lorraine and Arlene were to depart. Leslie stayed with them while I went on a walk. I wandered into the Christianshavn area. It is a small island. The canal scenes and the colorful buildings were striking.
I took some stairs to get up to the street level of the drawbridge which crossed over the canal. It was easy to see how much this city favors bicycles. On every set of public stairs, there was a steel track installed. The track was wide enough to allow for any size of a bicycle tire. It will enable a bicyclist to walk up the stairs while rolling the bicycle up or down alongside.
I ended up at the Our Savior Church. It dates from the 1680s, known for its massive spire with a winding staircase on the exterior. On a whim, I decided to go up. The climb inside the spire was impressive. One needed to be like a mountain goat to make it up some of the steeper sections. I did not count the stairs, but it had to be close to 200. Finally, one exits the interior stairs through a very narrow door. At that point, a narrow platform rings the spire. The views of Copenhagen were stunning.
On one side of the spire, copper-covered stairs began to ascend, winding around the spire to the very top. Supposedly, there are 150 steps there. Even though there is a sturdy railing, I had several mental battles about whether or not I should continue the assent or give in to my newfound fear of heights. Ultimately, I did not continue to the top.
Getting back down was also an adventure. The stairs accommodate two-way traffic, even though they are only wide enough for one person at many points. I felt like kissing the ground when I finally made it down.
Back at the hotel, we got Lorraine and Arlene a taxi for the airport. Once they were gone, Leslie and I took a cab to the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark). We had lunch when we arrived. Then we spent a couple of hours touring the museum. I saw several paintings by Edvard Munch, an artist I am familiar with, but I have never personally seen any of his works. I was also happy to see a couple of works from my favorite Spanish artist, Picasso.
We departed Copenhagen on July 20. At the Copenhagen airport, we decided to get a wheelchair for Leslie. Once we made it through security, we sat in a very comfortable waiting area set aside expressly for those passengers needing additional help. Everyone who helped us was extremely friendly.
When we arrived in Dubai, we also had a wheelchair waiting. However, they took us to the land-of-broken-people. It was not nearly as courteous or friendly as what we experienced in Copenhagen. Regardless, we only had a three-hour flight ahead of us.
As we approached Islamabad, it was cloudy and rainy. I do not believe Islamabad has a precision approach capability, so I began to get nervous as we circled. I was hoping we would not be diverted to Karachi or Lahore. I did not feel like dealing with that. However, nearly 30-minutes late, we landed in Islamabad. We were at home.