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Eurovelo 15 - First stop ... Zurich

After boarding in Brisbane and getting away on time, my Tile luggage trackers alerted me that my bike was onboard however couldn't confirm if my bags made it. I was quietly confident as I was flying Emirates ... although QANTAS provide the luggage services.

Dinner was served soon after take off however they ran out of choices even though I was only in the 10th row from the front in Economy ... so beef and something it was - QANTAS also looked after catering services ... I'm royally screwed!

My luck was turning. I managed to be seated next to a family from the Netherlands who said they didn't live far from the Rhine. When I told them about what I was about to do they seemed very impressed so I waited for an invitation to stay with them on my way through ... and waited ... and waited ... for the entire 13 hour flight. When I stood to disembark the woman of the house stopped me .... here it comes ... and uttered the words "we'll wave to you as to ride past" (here is where I accentuate her laugh). Yes, I do realise it was a big ask to let a stranger stay with you, however in some cultures sharing a pot luck beef dinner means something!

The good news during the stopover in Dubai is that my Tile tracker found my two bags! This could be a significant turning point of the trip.  I do struggle to sleep on flights so by this stage I was almost comatose - the proof came when we boarded. My new travelling companion for this leg to Zurich was a young Indian guy who spoke great English. When I said hello and asked how his trip was going, he looked at me, apologised, and said he doesn't speak German. Cue headphones on and dial up the relaxing music.

Our fight was then delayed because two first class passengers had failed to board and now ground staff had to find their luggage and offload it .... too bad they didn't have Tile trackers on them. 

Finally into Zurich - bags and bike seem to arrive just as I get to the baggage carousel. I breeze through immigration and customs, and ready to assemble my bike within 25 minutes of landing. Two hours later task complete and one stop on the train, and a two block walk to the Walhalla hotel for sleep. Alarm set for 5.30am to catch my 7.00am train ... ever closer to starting my ride.
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Comments

  1. JDawson21 August 2022 at 06:51

    Let the adventure begin! So far so good Fulton, your conversations with airline passengers are very funny indeed - hopefully this is not a pattern for the remainder of the trip, but I can see ‘I don’t speak German’ becoming a response you can expect to hear often in the future!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FjS21 August 2022 at 15:26

      Hi Jas, I've had worse flights. Yes, my French, German, and Dutch is non existent other than please, thank you, and where is the bathroom. Should be fun.

      Delete
  2. CCS21 August 2022 at 19:02

    Glad the bike made it and you are on your way.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous21 August 2022 at 19:12

    Can't wait to read more Fulton, I love the stories you share about your taxi rides so this should be a blast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FjS21 August 2022 at 21:55

      I hope to share lots of stories ... as much to remind me in years to come as to share with others

      Delete

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