Frankfurt: Easier the Second Time Around

September 2, 2015

Our flight from Montreal was on time, uneventful, and not 100% full. That meant that Keith moved to a different seat and I was able to curl up across two seats and get a bit of shut eye. The advantages of being short!

We knew where the hotel was this year, so after a bit of trundling with the bike boxes on the trolley we were at last year's teeny tiny elevator. Guess what? It was closed for repairs. We had wheeled by a school group, and much to the amusement of the kids, who were now on the bus, they watched us reverse the whole thing and trundle right back past them again. We hit the jackpot with the second set of elevators. The door was still ridiculously small, but the interior allowed us to get both bikes, the trolley and ourselves into the elevator at the same time. Happy days!

When we checked into the Sheraton, the staff from Guest Relations remembered us and greeted us like old friends. That is exceptional in my opinion, and we were made to feel most welcome, despite our unwieldy luggage. This year, with the help of Johannes, we unceremoniously dumped the bikes in the storage room and went straight upstairs for a snooze.

Rejuvenated, we went downstairs and assembled the bikes, with me holding tools and bikes, and Keith doing all the real work. It went very smoothly, with only one small glitch. Somehow our bottle of chain oil leaked, and although we had it in a ziplock bag, a tool had punctured the bag, and several tools were well lubricated. I took them all to the elegant Sheraton washroom and gave them a good scrub. Bike tools have probably never before been cleaned in such gorgeous surroundings.

Then we went out for dinner at a little Italian cafe and did some shopping for a SIM card for the phone. We have decided what we are going to get, so will finish that transaction tomorrow after breakfast.

I am now wrapped in the Sheraton's cosy white robe, and ready for bed again. I am appreciating the luxurious room, the king size bed and how spacious it is. The real biking starts tomorrow. We are excited.

Keith about to begin. I am giving the bike tools a wash at this point.

Bike mechanic hard at work. It went very smoothly this year.

Bike boxes tucked away awaiting our return. My box is inside Keith's enormous one. Keith even brought the full size pump this year, which really simplified matters when it was time to pump up the tires. All the tools we don't need on the road, the pump, and the packing material, tape etc. are inside the boxes.

This is on our way to dinner. Frankfurt is a huge airport, with the train station connected, and busy, busy, busy.

Public art of the day. Seems to have a similar theme to yesterday's in Montreal. She is contemplating something...maybe 'where the heck is oversized baggage??'

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