Trip to Orlando

Eyes closed, eyes open - next day. First work and then pleasure. First we have to pack our suitcases again and arrange everything so that the suitcases can close. Not such an easy task. But it works in the end. We have everything stored away and intentionally leave clothes and two towels behind. We have earned our breakfast. Speaking to the owner one last time. You get the impression he is waiting for his guests at breakfast. He thanks us for being his guests and asks if we liked it and if we were satisfied. We nod and confirm. He gives us one last piece of advice. We should not return our rental car too late, but we have already calculated that with the early check-out, of course.

We carry everything to the car and make our way to the airport. One more quick stop to refuel the rental car and off we go.

Up to this point, everything has actually been uncomplicated - we arrive at a huge parking lot where we recognize our rental company again and at least 4 people point to the entrance where we should park our car. A quick 'Hello, how are you, was everything okay' and he scans the code on the windshield of the car and that's it with the return. He briefly inspects the car, checks if we have refueled and gives us the receipt. A friendly man guides us to the shuttle bus and stows our suitcases in the bus. After another 15 minutes drive, we arrive at the LA airport at the correct terminal.

We have to check in at a computer ourselves and indicate that we still have luggage with us. 2 suitcases - that'll be $50 please - Ka-ching, the money is gone. We can then check in the suitcases directly and an employee shows us the way we should go.

Up to this point was the easy part. We arrive at a queue in front of the security check. The tone becomes a bit rougher and we are asked to distribute our things in the baskets. That means taking the laptop out of the backpack and placing it in a box. Putting the backpack on the conveyor belt, emptying all the bags, taking off the belt, and lastly taking off the shoes and putting them on the belt as well. Immediately get back in line and you briefly feel like you're about to be smuggled into prison. Quickly through the naked scanner and then it's over. We actually expected this procedure for entry into the USA, but everything seems to be a bit more complicated for domestic flights. It's a good thing we only have to go through this procedure 2 more times. Finally, we are driven by bus to our terminal where we will later depart. We quickly enjoy a lunch and waste time until the delayed departure at 3:30 pm. We are given two special seats with a lot of legroom - of course not just like that. We sit at the emergency exit and the flight attendant asks us if we speak English and if we also feel called upon to unlock the door and open the emergency exit in case of emergency. The very friendly American in the row next to us says - it also means that we would leave the plane almost last. Of course, only in an emergency. Nice that the German tourists are selected for this.

During the flight, we chat a bit with the American and apart from several turbulences, the flight of just under 5 hours went by pretty quickly. Even here, the coffee is from Starbucks. Flying has also continued to evolve. Delta Airline offers satellite live TV, series and movies in English (for free), as well as internet for your smartphone (for a fee). Consider how high we are in the air.

The landing is a bit rough as we are only in a small airplane. Just like in San Francisco, we had to take a kind of monorail from the outside terminals towards the main terminal. Said and done. At the baggage carousel, we again felt a little uncomfortable because we had to wait a long time for the second suitcase. Anyone who has ever not received their suitcase knows how that feels.

Our hotel did not offer a shuttle service, so we have no choice but to go to the taxi stand and explain where we want to go. We have good 30 minutes ahead of us. The guest bears the cost of every toll, highway use, and customs. Expensive ride, but there was no other way.

We reach our hotel shortly before 1 am and someone is already waiting to check us in. Quickly take care of the paperwork and then look for our room. Luckily, everything is clean. For dinner, we had a handful of cookies and went to bed.

Tomorrow at 8:45 am, the shuttle will depart for Disneyworld. And the most important piece of information - we are 3 hours closer to the time in Germany again. So only 6 hours behind in total :)