Traveling in Europe in August 2021

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

I am sure many of you, especially the folks who plan to travel in Europe in 2021 want to know what the experience will be like.

So, here is our report

Our Airport Experience in Frankfurt

We flew on United Airlines from Houston. I described the service and our thoughts about flying first class in an earlier blog a couple of weeks ago but it is clear that while comfort and service is still very good, the food just doesn’t measure up.

Getting into Germany was very easy—we just showed our passports and vaccination cards. We were a little worried that a recent negative COVID test would be required, and even though we had taken 2 less than 72 hours prior to our flight, the border control officer did not ask for any test results.

This is probably a good place to point out there is a constantly changing landscape of entry requirements, so make sure you stay updated prior to leaving the US.,

You are required to wear masks in the airport public areas, except when eating or drinking. At passport control, you must unmask so they can check that your face matches your picture—even the border control officer smiled when we unmasked—it is surprising how different people look wearing a mask and provided a little comic relief for the new travel environment.

Coming Home from Frankfurt Airport

Leaving to come back home was not hard but we learned some valuable lessons about the required negative COVID test to re-enter the US. We had the self tests offered by some companies and featured as a good alternative by United Airlines, but we could never get it to work. First, we needed to update the App and even though we had a hot spot, could not get the App to work or update. It also appeared we would need two different devices to get the technician to talk us through the test procedures. After over an hour of trying, we gave up.

The fortunate thing was that at Frankfurt airport, there is an excellent testing site. It took less than 15 minutes, and we had our results in about 30 minutes. All reports are digital but you can also get a printed copied, which we did.

Our advice is clear—use the airport testing facility, do not waste money and effort trying to use a self testing kit. Just make sure your departure airport has a testing facility.

Getting Around in Europe on Public Transportation

We arrived by train and taxi after spending 3 days in Switzerland. Trains seem to have changed very little except the mask requirement. We used trains in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

I should point out, there is an increasing reliance on smart phones and contactless ticket checks. Both Anne and I had smart phones, but our batteries were weak and we were constantly using our back up chargers or the power supply on the train to keep the phones charged. A great lesson learned—please make sure your phones are in top shape.

As seems to happen at times in Europe, the German railworkers decided to strike on Mondays and Tuesday during the month of August for better wages. As a result, we had to alter our plans and spend the last 2 days of our trip in Brugge—Anne was delighted to say the least!

It does bring up a second lesson learned—always check your transportation arrangements prior to the next segment. Anne cancelled our hotel arrangements and made a new seat reservation for us. We lost a minor $11 or so for a previous train seat reservation that we decided just wasn’t worth the hassle of standing in line at a rail station ticket office for a refund.

A second lesson—always check connection times and tracks if you are changing trains. We knew we had only 18 minutes between trains in Brussels prior to the train to Frankfurt, and we pretty much almost jogged between tracks. I will note the Brussels Midi station is easier than past times with our slightly heavier luggage load, as more lifts and signs are better than in the past. It was far easier than we expected and we made the switch with 10 minutes to spare.

Hotels

We stayed in 3 hotels during our trip. In Switzerland, the Hotel Des Alps was wonderful as in our previous stays. Again the only thing was masks in public areas.

In Brugge, Martin’s Relais, was the same—great hotel, no noticeable change except the morning breakfast. To help insure social distancing, there were 2 meal times—0800 to 0915 and 0930 to 1030. The quality was the same—great spread as in the past. Again, waiters and all employees wear masks at all times. Since it was a buffet, all guests wore masks when away from their tables and there were clear arrows on the floor to direct the flow. All seem to us sensible changes.

The Sheradon Airport hotel in Frankfurt was not much different except their breakfast included 4 breads (all very good) in a paper bag, juice, coffee and tea and some fruits. My only complaint was that there was too much bread in the paper bag—we just couldn’t eat it all and we hate wasting food.

All employees wear masks. Also, there were no glasses in the room and ice machines are not allowed. You have to call room service for these items.

Dining

Here is a report about our how dining has changed.

Only in France, during a stop on the cruise in Strasbourg, did we have to show our passports and vaccine cards.

In all of the many very good places we ate on this trip, all waiters wore masks. We never saw a dip in the quality of service or food—it was all excellent.

In Brugge, we were exceptionally delighted with the restaurants. This is due to Anne and her smart decision to reach out to the hotel and get recommendations of places locals would most likely eat. It was so good, I plan to write a blog about our great finds.

Another tip for you, seek out local suggestions for great places to eat. Be clear what type of food you want and price point you are willing to pay for and the results can be amazing.

Site Seeing and wandering in the Towns

We stayed at 3 different locations.

In Switzerland, we stayed in Lucerne and visited Bern for the first time. Here are some photos of Lucerne.

I will write about Bern in a new blog, as we will update our city guide but we enjoyed the visit. We managed to take over 20,000 steps during our visit (about 10 miles or so), so we really got to see a lot of the historic old town area and the top sites.

A couple of photos to let you know about this interesting town:

Bruuge was wonderful and we updated some photos of the interesting sites. Here is a sample:

I took a recon trip to Waterloo and Bastogne for our 2022 Battlefields tour (3-13 October 2022). It was a whirlwind visit, but affirmed how good this tour is going to be. Again, this will be the subject of a future in-depth blog.

My Final Thoughts

Here is the bottom line—Europe is open, safe and fun based on our experience!

What a great adventure—our return to Europe was wonderful—just another reason we love the Old World of Europe so much! We hope you enjoyed our report and these pictures as much as we enjoyed seeing them during our travels.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

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Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent

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