Tuesday, July 16, 2013 (part two):
The second half of this travel day begins with the arrival at Chania Airport.
Aron had booked for all of us flights on Ryan Air, an Irish cheap fare airline. He's flown Ryan Air many times. You can't beat the airfare prices, but you pay for everything else! We showed up with our boarding passes on Aron's laptap. Every other airline in the world (that we knew of) recognizes and accepts these e-tickets, but not Ryan, at least not without charging some outrageous amount! So....we discovered this fubar after waiting in line at the ticket counter to check luggage and get our seating group (no assigned seats). Rather than pay the E-ticket extra cost, Aron and Carol dashed off looking for someplace in the airport where they could print out the boarding passes. On the third try, they finally encountered a helpful soul who took pity and agreed to print from Aron's thumb drive. In the meantime, I took a place at the end of the queue hoping they would return with paper tickets before I got to the counter. They managed to...barely. The next anticipated fee would be for overweight luggage and it was significant. Finally, we board the plane and managed to get seating in the same row! This airline is so cost conscious (I would say miserly or cheap) that the seat backs don't have pockets and the instruction card is printed on the seat back. They also don't provide barf bags, which created an embarrassing, not to mention messy, situation for a few passengers 10 or so rows ahead of us! Helpful hint: If you fly Ryan Air, take your own barf bag! Take two or three for the folks on either side of you!
The plane left on time and we were on our way to the smaller regional airport Weeze-Niederrhein (NRN) not far from Dusseldorf. That was quite a transition from the arid terrain of Crete to the green fields and trees of Germany. Aron had booked a night for us at Schlossruine Hertefeld, a partially rebuilt 14th century castle that had been in the same family for 23 generations! I suggest you check out the website for further details on the history/reconstruction/event services:
The owner/proprietor had told Aron he would have us picked up at the Weeze (pronounced Vee-Zee) airport and to call upon arrival. The owner himself came and loaded up our luggage for the five minute drive to the castle/inn. What a pleasant, jovial, unassuming gentleman this was! Astonished to read in the brochure that this everyman is, with his wife, Count and Countess zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld! When I stated the obvious, the count grinned and noted that his father is Prince zu Eulenburg u.H. and, when he passes, the title is inherited. Whoa! I made sure I got my photo made standing with Count-soon-to-be-Prince zu Eulenburg u. H.!
Mind boggling! Only once in the succession did the castle inheritance go to a daughter, who married a Prussian soldier named Eulenberg. WWII laid waste to the brick structure in April 1945. It was not Allied bombs that did the damage, but rather German troops "in the confusions of the world war," as politely stated in the brochure!
If you ever travel near Dusseldorf close to the western border with Holland, do yourself a favor and visit overnight or longer to experience the "very personal atmosphere" as advertised! What a treat our too short stay here was! We were treated royally.
In the evening, the Count and Countess served us fruit, local wine, crackers and the most delicious cheese from Switzerland (as noted by the Swiss born Countess). It was a fairytale experience complete with breakfast on white linen cloth using the castle's signature bone china.
A first class experience all the way! Carol and I gushed enthusiastically our appreciation in the castle/inn's guest book. Was it silly of me to close my sentiments with, "Y'all come see us?" :) I wasn't just saying it....I would love to see these charming folks again. I confess, Germany has never been at the top of my list of places I want to see. This one night has certainly reoriented my thinking. I shall return..."mit gusto!"
##
No comments:
Post a Comment