January 31 - Flying

We were up at 5:45 AM. We had complimentary breakfast due to Hilton Gold status, and the buffet was extensive and had "make-your-own" waffles and a chef cooking eggs to order, four or five kinds of juice, an array of bread, cheeses, meats, grains, yoghurts, and fruit. One of the better breakfasts we had over the two-month journey.

Terminal 1 was an easy walk from the hotel, but we were flying Delta - of course that was Terminal 2. We could have taken a shuttle or a sky train, but we had too much luggage, so had a bellman assist us to the taxi area and took a taxi about 7-minutes. The taxi drivers normally are not pleased with a fare of such duration since they have been waiting in a queue for a long time to snag a fare, so Ron tipped him 5 Euro immediately for loading all of the bags in the taxi, (before he told him Terminal 2) and then tipped him another 5 Euro when we exited. He seemed to be pleased with the extra 10 Euro.

We checked in, and Ron thought one of our four checked bags might be a "problem". It was close. The maximum allowed is 32-KG, and that particular bag was 31.5! The check in agent said that no matter what you paid ,the baggage handlers would leave any bag weighing more than 32 KG on the tarmac and would refuse to place it on the plane. We were relieved to see it in Atlanta!

Our luggage in hotel lobby

We headed to the Delta Sky Club and settled in for a couple hours.

We boarded and took off on time. Due to storms in the eastern US, we flew down over Michigan. It was a long 10-1/2 hour flight. Time to watch three movies, have two meals, and sleep in the lie-flat seats. There was turbulence in the Atlanta area, and the plane was bobbing all over the sky, but the touch-down was smooth. I heard one of the flight attendants comment, "Nice landing", and she later mentioned it on the public address. 

Whoever designed the new Atlanta international terminal should have their architectural license revoked. There is a 20-30 minute walk from the gate to the Immigration area. Ron had gone ahead of me to get into line, and I came across a golf cart and asked the driver if I could have a ride. Ron heard a cart beeping and thought to himself, "I bet Mary is in that cart." As we approached, I asked if he wanted a ride. Even after the driver deposited us at the elevators, we still had a long way to walk.

We collected our bags and were met by the driver we had arranged through a groupon coupon - a fabulous deal at $27, as limo to Braselton is generally around $150. About an hour drive to the house. Ron tipped the driver $20.00 as was suggested by Groupon. He seemed to be pleased with the $20.00 Everything seemed to be in order and our car started right up after two months sitting idle. Now to the humdrum tasks - unpacking, laundry, paperwork and taxes! Time to shed pounds gained from the many repasts enjoyed and photographed! Time to start planning for the next journeys - a short trip to Florida next week and two weeks in Red Lodge, Montanna early March. We are planning a trip into Yellowstone Lodge by snow cat!