In The Air Again

 After a hiatus of over two years, we made our way to the airport for our first international flight, not entirely sure of what the COVID protocols would be, given the way things have been changing in the last week or so. To need masks, or not to need masks - that was everyone's question.

 We knew we'd be wearing them in the airport, so that was no surprise. What was a surprise, though, was the way Air Canada has upped its game for Business Class guests. A totally separate check-in area in Terminal 1, including security screening area, made that part of the process very quick and easy. Once we were through and into the gate area, we found the Maple Leaf Lounge, and when we checked in, the fellow at Reception came around and pointed out that we were entitled to go to the Signature Suite instead. 'Much nicer', he said, 'and once you've been there, you won't want to come back here.'

 So off we trundled to the Signature Suite. Very nice! We had options of buffet, fine dining table service, or a very comfortable lounge that also offered the table service menu. We sat in the lounge as we had a couple of hours to kill as check-in had been so fast and easy, and took advantage of the lunch menu. We never thought we'd see food at this level in an airline lounge - outside of Emirates First Class in Dubai, and that can't be matched. Here are a couple of photos of our meal:

 

Lamb Loin

Branzino

Tuna Tataki beside a Hemingway Daiquiri

Bruce had told us about the Signature Suite as he'd been there pre-COVID on his way to New Zealand, and raved about the experience. We have to agree with him on that.

 Our flight to Frankfurt was uneventful, although it left an hour late due to having to offload some luggage for no-show passengers, and the service and food were excellent. The only downside was that we still had to wear masks if we weren't eating or drinking, and that included when we tried to get a little sleep. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to sleep with a KN-95 mask on???

 We weren't looking forward to the 5-hour layover in Frankfurt, but at least we'd have plenty of time to navigate our way to the gate for our Budapest flight. Once again, getting through Passport Control was a breeze, and even security only took a few minutes. After stopping at the Information Desk to find out just where we'd have to go - we were so early that our flight wasn't showing up on the schedule screens yet - we made our way to the gate area, and, again, were sent to a nicer Lufthansa lounge than the one we'd expected. So, all in all, even though Frankfurt is not our favourite airport, we were quite pleased with the way everything turned out.

 The flight from Frankfurt to Budapest was only an hour and a half long, but quite comfortable. We were flying over the Main and Danube Rivers, so we took some photos from the air of the places we would be sailing during the cruise:

The Main River near Frankfurt

More of the Main

The Danube at Budapest. The city centre
is under the clouds after it bends to the left.

We were met by the Tauck representatives as soon as we cleared the baggage claim area. A private transfer for 30 minutes to the ship, and we'll leave the rest for the next post.