Day 22: Goodbye Azores - back home

July 26, 2020

The night passes too quickly...

The alarm goes off at 4:30 am, and at 5 am the taxi is at the door to take us to the airport.

We booked the hotel without breakfast, but since we are flying with children, they kindly prepared a packed lunch for us. To our surprise, they also prepared one for the adults as well :-)

We arrive at the airport at 5:30 am and check in our suitcases. We could have probably arrived a bit later, because just like the previous flights, there is hardly anyone here...

There are a few more Germans checking in ahead of us, but they are flying home with the even earlier TAP flight via Lisbon.

Cheers to the SATA direct flight! I wouldn't want to deal with a layover and transit anymore.

We sit in front of the airport building at the picnic tables, where we have already sat and had breakfast twice before departing.

Our packed lunch includes drinks (water and juice), cake, granola bars, fruit, a spinach puff pastry and sandwiches! Wow!

When boarding for our flight begins, we are almost alone at the gate. On the way to the plane across the tarmac, there aren't many more passengers.

In the plane, we count just 27 (!!!) passengers in the A320 (almost 200 seats) just before takeoff!

Insane - even fewer than on the outbound flight...

I start dozing off shortly after takeoff.

We receive another packed lunch, wrapped in foil, on the plane (similar to the previous one: chips, baguette, drinks, yogurt and chocolate).

There is no beverage service this time either - but I don't really miss it on the short flight.

We land over 30 minutes earlier than scheduled and touch down in Frankfurt already at 10:45 am.

All the time saved is wasted at the baggage carousel.

One would think that there is not much to do at the moment - due to COVID-19, there are hardly any takeoffs and landings - but we wait a solid 35 minutes until the designated baggage carousel starts moving.

Unbelievable for an airport like Frankfurt!

We quickly retrieve our suitcases, but unfortunately the 2 bags with the bodyboards are missing...

One bag arrives - after the baggage carousel has already stopped - via the baggage carousel, and we find the other bodyboard bag on the oversized baggage carousel...

Total chaos - Frankfurt World Airport.... no comment.

After over an hour, we manage to leave the airport building and finally make our way home.

We have successfully completed 3 weeks of Azores adventure under COVID-19 conditions!

In retrospect, thanks to COVID-19, we have been able to experience one of the most exclusive holidays we have ever had.

Where and when else would you have had sights and hotspots all to yourself during the peak season???

We were also impressed by the Azores themselves with their diverse island world (and yes: each island is DIFFERENT!).

We will definitely come back - there is still so much to explore!