UMTravels

Because of my early flight out of Berlin to London (and back to Seattle), I booked a hotel right at the airport. When I was at the liquor store earlier in the day, I picked up some sparking German wine to have as a final toast with Horst.   And Horst was king enough to […]

Another beautiful day in Berlin, except for a couple of showers. Some shots from around Horst’s apartment: And yet another car – two-tone Miata: Had lunch at this place down the street from the apartment. I had the steak burger and an Aperol Spritz: Horst had a massive salad: Next stop was at the COVID-19 […]

Off to Potsdam we go, but we are in need of gas and wieners! Since I’m reading this book, Boys In The Boat, which deals with the University of Washington Crew team and their quest for the Berlin Olympics, we swung by the 1936 Olympic Stadium. And had I waited, I could have had a […]

Such a joy to be met at the airport overseas. It rarely happens, but Horst had a car for the week, and he wanted to see the new, much delayed, airport. THANKS! Horst is lending me his “spare” apartment for the week: After throwing my stuff down, we (Horst, Ollie, Myself) headed out for Vietnamese […]

In case you need a little refresher, here is the total flight plan of my first overseas trip in 18-months: After checking in, walked past DutyFree where they were selling Reindeer Hides…oddly, I already have one: It is a late afternoon departure from Helsinki, so, of course, there is a lounge involved. And if you […]

Just a little over 24-hours I Helsinki, and only one objective: hanging out with Viking Diva who taking the ferry across the Baltic Seat from Tallin, Estonia. Looks close, but it’s a 2.5 hour ferry ride. And Viking Diva will arrive in the morning, and me the afternoon due to boat/plane schedules. The Scandic Grand […]

When I originally booked this trip, Helsinki wasn’t on the list of stops until I found some spare miles in another account. When I added it, it would have been quicker than taking the train between Warsaw and Berlin, even with Helsinki being hours north. And then, a couple of months ago Finnair moved my […]

Got my first stamp in my new covid passport. If you look at the photo of me in the passport, I have one of my homemade masks around my neck. The Mercere Warsaw Ursus Station is outside the middle of the town. Nice modern hotel: With large, comfortable rooms. One of the reasons I chose […]

Twas a long walk from the First-Class Lounge to the gate for the Warsaw flight – and my worst fears were realized. The dreaded haul all your crap down the stairs, get on a bus, drive 20 minutes to some remote stand, and climb back up the stairs. In my case, it was a little […]

For those just joining the story, here is an overview of my first overseas trip in 18-months: Yesterdays’ adventure was the 14-hour flight from Seattle to Dubai. Since there isn’t much demand for flying to Warsaw from Seattle through the middle east, the schedules don’t really line up – leaving me with a 14-hour layover […]

My first overseas trip in 18-months. The lead up was a mix of excitement and anxiety. Equal amounts. I booked the trip in early March, probably after I’d cancelled, moved out, rebooked Australia and Cape Town trips. It was a lot of miles (180,000 Alaska miles) for a one-way ticket, but in was in First […]