Using the NL PO and Transiting Copenhagen

June 27

Went down to the lobby leaving B still in bed (she sleeps alot), and got a taxi to the main PO with my package. Most taxi drivers wear a coat and tie. This one had jeans and a jacket but no tie maybe because it was Saturday. But he took the package from me and put it into the taxi for me.

Golden Tulip Hotel

I picked a roll of tape up and was busily taping over all the masking tape which was all the hotel had while I waited for my number (everyplace here seems to have the little machines that dispense numbers like in the DMV). When I got to the desk the man asked me if I had filled out a form, which I had not. He weighted the package and it was 5.15 kg. He said to the states that would cost €60, but that if I took the 0.15 kg out, it would be only 30. I said that the package was already taped, but he said 'no problem' and undid everything I had done. I took the maps of Amsterdam out, and hey presto, now we are down to 4.99 kg. He got his little tape machine and we taped it back up.

I also filled out the declaration form as "own" items. Actually it had a dress, a pair of shoes stuffed with clean underwear, a bathing suit, two English conversion plugs and the rest was travel literature. Originally when my suitcase was weighed at Dulles, it was 21 kg, and when I weighed it to go to Copenhagen today it was only 19 kg (42 lbs), so that means that before I mailed the package it was 24 kg or about 52 lbs which is one kg or 2+ lbs over what is allowed by SAS. The whole thing (including the tape) cost €34

The taxi man was standing outside and when he saw me at the top of steps starting to hobble down to the street, he went and got the taxi from where he had parked (not much parking in Amsterdam and way more cars than in 1950), and backed it up to the door. The taxi ride was €17 as he had waited 20 minutes.

I went up to the room and got repacked and we checked out at about 11:45. We left our suitcases and went out to the previous restaurant and had lunch.

Grandaughter eating soup

Sandwich

Sandwich at lunch

Water at lunch

Finished lunch and went back in to the hotel.

Hotel lobby

The shuttle was to come at 1335, so we got our suitcases out and were waiting when a taxi driver came for us. I was expecting a van, but it was a taxi. The driver came in and then left and went back to the taxi, so we followed with our luggage. The bellman asked me if I needed help, and I said I thought we'd be OK (it wasn't far), but he evidently didn't believe me, because he grabbed B's bag (giving her a heart attack because she didn't know he was going to do that), and took both my bags and took them to the taxi and gave the taxi driver a talking to (I think - as it was in Dutch) for not helping.

The driver went toward the Central Station so I asked him if we weren't going to the airport and found that he had someone else to pick up first. Where are they going to sit - it was a regular taxi and not a big van. He said he would do the best he could but they were busy so they sent a taxi. He went to a Hilton that was out in the boondocks.

When we got there, I took my computer and sat in the front seat, but the man and his wife that were waiting were NOT pleased to share the taxi, so there were multiple conversations about it both on the phone (I guess to the dispatcher) and with the man of the couple. I of course didn't care when we got to the airport as our plane didn't leave until 1800, so we had plenty of time.

The hotel told me that the shuttle would be €14.7 each but the driver said €30, so I gave him € 30 that I had saved from my euros. B and I found the SAS desk and checked our bags, and walked to the Assistance desk and got a wheelchair for her to push.

Then we shopped (B bought herself some perfume) and we went to Burger King before we went to the gate.

B waiting at the gate

We got Whoppers and King Nuggets and my granddaughter got a coke.

Burger King etc

Burger king

Meal ticket

There were other places to eat. Before you go through passport control, in addition to Burger King there is:

AH to go
Cafe Rembrandt

Cafe chocolate

Airport food

Cupcake Chic
Dakota's Restaurant
Dutch & Delicious
Grand Cafe Plaza
Happy Seafood
Hello Goodbye Bar
Hema Food Counter
Juggle Juice Bar
La Place Express
Multiviaal
Pizza Per Tutti!

Hot Wok and Pizza

Pronto ice cream bar
Segafredo
Starbucks
Touch Down
Vlaamse Frites

At the gate, another lady was there on a cart (the ones that they zip around the airport in, and they took our wheelchairs down to the door of the plane (on a VERY long ramp) so we could get on first. The other lady had trouble walking down the aisle of the plane. B said she wanted to sit by the window, although she didn't have her camera out and couldn't take pictures and the flight was less than 2 hours. So we did that. We had been given 25 A and C and there was no seat B so we were together.

Flying to Copenhagen

They sold snacks and drinks, but B just drank the coke she had bought in the airport.

Granddaughter with her drink

When we got off the plane in Copenhagen, there was one guy there for the two of us that needed wheelchairs and he had a 5 person electric cart. I was off the plane first, so B and I got ourselves onto the cart. I was concerned that the other lady also needed a wheelchair and he was the only one there. He said he was there for both of us since it was a Saturday and everyone was busy.

She eventually got off the plane and onto the cart. But when we got to a place where we actually had to get into wheelchairs because the electric cart wouldn't fit in the elevator, he did some calling and left her in the cart for someone else to take care of and put me into the wheelchair. When he wheeled the wheelchair into the elevator that was just for handicapped, a man and his wife with a stroller and a luggage cart pushed their way into the elevator too in spite of the wheelchair handler's protests. But when we got to the bottom, the wheelchair guy locked the gate out so that he couldn't get out and had to go back up again.

B got a luggage cart and we got our luggage. He wheeled me all the way out of the airport and into the hotel!!!

Wheelchair in the hotel entrance with my computer bag

I don't think he was supposed to do that. I am, incidentally, most confused about tipping as the first wheelchair guy told me that they do not tip in Denmark, so I didn't. But I felt I should.

View from the hotel room window

Anyway, I signed in at the hotel, and they asked me if I wanted a handicapped room, so I said OK. This is a very plush hotel and very convenient for the airport, but like all the Hiltons, they nickel and dime you for everything that less expensive hotels give you for free. Like the internet.

Looking up the atrium

I asked if they could help me print out my boarding passes for tomorrow and one of the very good looking guys at the concierge desk said he would help me. We went to a machine and I think the reason that I could not get a boarding pass before was because they had to scan your passport and they could not do that on the internet.

The plane was full and they were asking for people to give up their seats so maybe that was another reason. I said no and my passport was swiped. B had already gone up to the room, with the airport luggage cart, so we tried calling the room for B to come back and have her passport scanned, but she did not answer the phone. I had to go up to the room and get her and she would not go down with the concierge and do it - I had to come with her. We couldn't get luggage tags.

The handicapped room was very nice - we had to use our room key to go up in the elevator, but not to keep the lights on in the room. It had hospital beds,

Hospital bed

Remote for the bed

and a wheelchair accessible shower,

Bathroom

so when B showered, she got most of the floor wet.

B selfie

I sat on my cane for a shower and managed to keep most of the water contained in the shower area. There was a mini-bar,

Mini-bar

but if you wanted ice, you had to go and get it.

They had a buffet restaurant, a regular restaurant and a bar for snacks and we decided that we weren't that hungry and went to the bar.

Orchids in the restaurant

B just had a strawberry smoothie (65 DK), but I opted for a Nordic sandwich which was smoked salmon, shrimp and creme fraiche on dark bread (135 DK),

One half of Nordic Sandwich DK135

forgetting that I'm not that fond of smoked salmon. B tried some of the fish eggs that were on top, but didn't like them OR the dark bread. I also had cranberry juice (35 DK). B left after she finished her smoothie.

Looking across the atrium

I tried to get on-line to tell the parental units and Bob that we had gotten as far as Copenhagen but could not get the sign-in screen to come up. So I called the number indicated, and got someone who said that the hotel internet was down and to try again in 5 minutes. But when I tried later, I still couldn't get on, so I went on to bed.

28 June 2009

I woke up about 6 and wrote yesterday up in an email and the internet worked now, so I sent it. Then I showered and got dressed and we went down to breakfast when was a really extensive buffet - almost bigger than the Lido on the ship.

Looking down on the buffet restaurant in the atrium

They had various items like eggs made to order (poached, soft or hard boiled and omelets), plus the normal hot buffet items like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, beans,

Beans and potatoes on the breakfast buffet

tomatoes, pancakes, waffles, French toast and porridge. Then there was bread which could be toasted, rolls, sweet rolls, coffee cake,

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cheeses and cold meats, cold cereals

Breakfast cereals

and a variety of juices, tea and coffee.

My breakfast

B's breakfast

Hotel elevator

We checked out about 9 and I mentioned to the guy at the desk that the internet was not working last night, so I only got an hour this morning, and he took the charge (65DK) for the hour that I used off the bill. Although I totally didn't ask him to - I was complaining that I couldn't use it more.

We had not been able to get the luggage tags from the kiosk, so we went back into the airport with the luggage cart and had our baggage weighed and labels put on. The man said to sit and wait and he would get a wheelchair, which he did. Before we went through security I tried to take a photo of some little girls with gold sandals, but the photo didn't turn out well. The wheelchair lady put us in the transition area and said to be back there by 11:15. The plane was to start loading at 11:35. She said another couple there was on the same plane

Me in the airport

B got a coffee from a vending machine with my DK coins and then we basically sat until I went to the bathroom and then B ran off and went shopping.

Shopping

She came back and said I had to come as she wanted this dress, so she pushed me in the wheelchair and she got a dress, which she paid for in dollars.

Got back to the holding area a little late, but the person wasn't there yet. When he (The cart driver was Australian) came, he had a 4 person cart, which all of us could fit on except that the other couple had a whole cart full of hand luggage. He had to get a bigger cart.

So we went through passport control and the old lady was sitting in the front and had her hearing aid turned off or something because her husband had to ask her several times to give them the passport. Anyway we got to the gate just a few minutes before boarding and the place was a zoo. Unlike in Amsterdam where they took us all the way down the jetway, here they just dumped us off in the waiting area and left us to find a seat and make our way onto the plane.

They had given us a form to fill out for US Homeland Security, and I had done it while I was in the holding area. Gave this to the gate person. Then I went to the bathroom, but there was a line, so when I got back to my seat they were announcing something and I asked B if they were boarding, but she hadn't paid attention and didn't know. The man sitting next to us said it was pre-boarding for those that needed assistance, so I said that's us, and marched onto the plane.

This time I sat next to the window,

From the plane

and I was more comfortable, but it was hard to sleep because my ribs hurt. I think it must be something to do with the altitude. I didn't make that connection until it was too late to do anything about it.

B's arm in the plane

Also B got a cold while we were on the ship, and has been complaining about it ever since. And now I have the cold too. (Sequel - I had a bad case of bronchitis for the rest of the summer.)

They fed us a full dinner about 1500 Copenhagen time - meatballs and mashed potatoes, salad, flat bread, cheese crackers, cheesecake.

Dinner

Dinner

I figured out that in order to play the video games I had to hold the controller sideways so that moving the pieces to the left was on the arrow pointing left instead of the arrow pointing up. B watched movies and listened to music. I listened to the comedy channel which had Anna Russell's explanation of the Ring Cycle on it - haven't heard that one in years. Just like last time, they turned off the games about 5 hours into the flight.

From the air over the US

We took pictures of the mountains and snow in Greenland

Plane crossing Greenland

Greenland mountains

when we went over that. Then about 2015 Denmark time, or 1415 D.C. time, they gave
us a snack - Blandet (which was a juice),

Blandet juice

tea or coffee and a small sandwich. We landed about 2:35 which was about a half hour ahead of
schedule.

When I got off the plane they asked me if I had a wheelchair and I said I did but they couldn't figure out if my name was on the list. However the lady from the airline directing traffic said that they could not hold up people disembarking to look for names, so she sent us off. The person pushing my wheelchair was a little black lady with accented English. Anyway, we went through immigration, found our bags (B pushed the luggage cart), and went through customs (I had made out the customs form for both of us assuming we were family, although B was somewhat obstructive about telling me what she spent - it wasn't as if I cared personally really - I just wanted to know how to fill out the form.)

As soon as we walked out of the secure area, there was Bob waiting. He got there about 2:15 and parked and came in. Parking cost him $8.00. I tipped the wheelchair person $3.00 and Bob took my suitcases and we walked to the car.

Leaving the Short Term Parking

I think we were home about 5. We stopped and had dinner.

Burritos for dinnr

Bob said that he got lost on the way home after dropping us off, and if I ever booked a flight out of Dulles again, I would have to take a taxi to get there because he was not driving there again.

My grandson and his mother (my daughter-in-law) came up from SC to pick B up.

B's mother and brother pick her up