Tag 1 - Don Curry takes off again

In recent years, Don Curry has been preparing several trips: with detailed itineraries, daily schedules, and sometimes even pre-booked hotels and other accommodations. The Corona pandemic prevented each of these vacation projects. But finally, after double vaccination and careful research on which countries currently allow tourists to enter, an extensive tour through Anatolia should now be possible. In an unusually short time, Don Curry planned ahead and soon realized that it would be a long, very long journey. Finally!

As an experienced traveler, Don Curry knows that surprises are always a part of traveling - pleasant and unpleasant ones. The latter category certainly included what happened to him one day before the trip. As usual, he wanted to use the online check-in to shorten the procedure at the airport. When he entered his booking number with Turkish Airlines, his outbound and return flights were immediately displayed. However, above them was a clear red warning triangle with a mysterious message: 'Due to special circumstances, there have been various changes to your flights. Please use the options provided.' There were two options: 'Change flights' or 'Cancel flights'. What could this mean? Had tomorrow's outbound flight already been canceled?

Don Curry visited the website of his airport: dozens of departures were listed for the next day, but his flight was not among them. A slight sense of unease crept in. Would this trip fail again? Don Curry called Turkish Airlines' hotline. After a reasonable time in the queue, a friendly lady tried to solve his problem. She couldn't explain it, and she couldn't check him in, despite multiple attempts. She simply told him to be at the check-in counter of the airport at least 3 hours before departure. And she assumed that the flight would take place. That doesn't sound like a clear confirmation, Don Curry thought. So it would remain exciting...

The next morning, Don Curry started an hour earlier than planned. He had pre-booked a particularly pleasant solution for the parking problem: valet parking. The customer can simply drive directly to the departure terminal, where a driver is waiting to take over the car key and bring the vehicle somewhere to a covered parking lot. 30 minutes before arriving at the airport, you are supposed to call the driver. Don Curry did that properly. 'You are early', a voice said sternly in broken German. 'You must give the car later.' Don Curry tried to explain that his airline required him to check in very early, hence the early arrival. 'Yes, airline early; but car later, as planned.' Don Curry already imagined how he would have to look for a parking garage to be able to check in, then retrieve the car from the parking garage to hand it over to the valet driver. But suddenly, the voice said graciously: 'Come!'

So Don Curry drove directly to the terminal and was warmly greeted by the valet driver, unpacked his luggage, handed over the car key, and watched his vehicle drive away. It was already a strange feeling...

Meanwhile, Don Curry had other problems. He was supposed to check in as early as possible, at least 3 hours before departure. He arrived at the Turkish Airlines check-in counters about 3 hours before departure, and he saw that none of them were open! But he also saw that at least a small queue of 8 people had already gathered there. Fellow travelers? Or also victims of an uncertain fate?

But after a short wait, something moved behind two of the counters. They opened, and on the screen above, they displayed exactly the flight that Don Curry had booked. When it was finally his turn and he could present all the necessary additional formalities such as vaccination proof and the COVID entry form for Turkey, he was even asked if he wanted to be assigned the window seat at the emergency exit - always the most pleasant seat considering his extensive limbs. He wanted that!

The rest of the journey went smoothly but still brought some little surprises in both directions. Positive, for example, was the fast and well-communicated completion of formalities at the car rental office in good English or later the spectacular sunset right at the new Bosphorus Bridge. On the other hand, the unfriendly and disinterested behavior of the employees in the car rental company's parking garage turned out to be quite negative. Don Curry was simply handed the key and was expected to find his car and inspect it for damages himself. He didn't find any damages, but he discovered the actual problem only after he had already traveled 30 kilometers. Although he had paid for a full tank, the fuel gauge only showed about one third. But by then, it was already too late to turn back.

Even so, on the last 40 kilometers, Don Curry ended up in the darkness of a late Turkish evening, which is quite dark as there is hardly any street lighting. It was precisely now that he passed through small villages and on bad country roads. Cats suddenly crossed the road, dogs tried to attack his car by barking, and again and again, Don Curry spotted dark figures at the roadside at the last moment: people, sometimes whole families, on their way to the next village.

Finally, the destination was reached. Separated only by a road from the beach and the roaring Black Sea, the small Kumsal Airport Hotel was to be his first accommodation of the journey. In the attached restaurant, he ordered his first kebab with salad and of course, Efes beer.

Now he was completely satisfied again. After all the small and big adventures of this day, he was now standing right by the Black Sea, enjoying the soothing rhythm of the waves and feeling happy: It's so wonderful to be able to travel again, to take off again...