aPhantom.net European Adventure Part 1
We had been planning this trip for nearly two years, so it was hard to believe that we were really about to be on our way.
The plan was to secure Shambhala in Brunswick, Georgia, drive to Atlanta to pick up proper clothing for a luxury cruise; take an Amtrak train from Atlanta to New York; catch the Queen Mary 2 from New York to Hamburg, Germany; tour Europe for two months by car; and catch another cruise ship from Rome, Italy to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The only reservations we had made were for the cruises, the car lease, and hotels at the start and end of the trip, so we would be “winging it” for all the time in between.
We did a final check on all of our documents and made copies of our passports and driver’s licenses to carry along just in case. While checking the credit cards, we discovered that two of our ATM cards were about to expire. A quick call to the issuing bank brought the news that they were sending replacement cards “next week”. Not going to do me much good if I am at sea when they arrive. The agent promised to send new replacement cards overnight to Atlanta. We had planned a couple of extra days there so this “should” be fine. I could pick up the cards on Monday with time to spare.
We thought we would get an early start on the drive from Brunswick to Atlanta on Sunday but everything takes longer than we expect. Our planned departure time of ten a.m. turned into noon and then one p.m. We were just about to leave the marina parking lot when Jim noticed he didn’t have his wallet. We quickly returned to the boat to retrieve it breathing a sigh of relief. It would have been a BIG problem spending three months in foreign countries without a driver’s license.
We were about one hundred miles into the three hundred mile trip when it began to rain. Then there was the road construction which had traffic backed up for miles. We had planned to meet some friends for dinner, now it looked like we would be more than fashionably late. One last traffic jam in downtown Atlanta and we finally made it, only slightly late for dinner. It’s great to have understanding friends.
The replacement ATM cards did not arrive on Monday as promised and it took three more phone calls to finally get them delivered on Thursday. On Tuesday, I opened my wallet to pay for something, only to discover that MY driver’s license was missing. Where had I used it last? How could I possibly get a replacement in four days? When the initial panic subsided, I remembered that the last place I had my driver’s license was in the scanner, making the copies. Oops, forgot to lift the lid and take the license out. I suspected it was resting peacefully in the scanner on the boat in Brunswick. After a few panicked calls to the marina, I got a friend to pick up the spare boat key from the marina office, go aboard and (another sigh of relief), find my driver’s license just where I thought it was. Another overnight package with my license arrived in Atlanta. I was becoming popular with the overnight delivery companies.
When told about our planned trip, several people asked “How will you pack for such a journey?” To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure. The trip was to span two cruises and two seasons. 
The dress code recommendations aboard the Queen Mary 2 are a bit more formal than many of the other cruise lines. The schedule showed four formal nights for the ten day trip. The return cruise was twenty-five days, who knows how many formal nights that might include. My little black dress and Jim’s coat and tie were going to get a workout for sure. After culling and re-culling, I finally got the clothing pared down to what would fit in one large and one small bag, a cosmetic bag, and Jim’s guitar. The good news was that we would not be dealing with any airports, so we wouldn’t have to deal with that bit of added complication.
Saturday finally arrived. We phoned the taxi and were off to the Amtrak station. Much to our surprise, the station was absolutely packed with travelers from Atlanta to New York and destinations in between. We had planned to check the large bag but the baggage agent insisted that it weighed over fifty pounds, the weight limit for one piece of luggage whether it was checked or carried on. Who knew that there was a weight limit for trains? The only solution was to buy a box from the rail line for five dollars and remove eight pounds of stuff from the bag and move it to the box. We could claim the bag and the box in New York. It makes you wonder about all those old movies where everyone traveled with large steamer trunks.
The train finally left Atlanta about one hour late. The trip to New York was scheduled to take seventeen hours and arrive about two p.m. the next day. Our “sleeper room” was little more than two facing seats with a top berth overhead. If we hadn’t checked the large bag, we wouldn’t have been able to close the door on the sleeper cabin. The train still had a dining car, minus the white tablecloths and fine china. Meals were included, maybe not exactly fine dining, but it was better than having to bring your own lunch. The next morning the train stopped in Washington, DC where we changed engines from diesel to electric for the remainder of the trip as no diesel trains are allowed in New York City. Even after waiting about twenty minutes for the engine change, the train made up all the lost time and we arrived in Penn Station, New York one-half hour earlier than our scheduled arrival time.
Penn Station is more like an airport than a train station. This is where Amtrak meets New York and northeastern commuter trains. I read an article recently by someone who had studied the signage, or lack of same, to try to understand why everyone seems to get lost there. The recommendations from the study were roundly ignored. We did manage to find the baggage claim area and to re-claim our box and bag. A friendly “red-cap” found us a taxi and we were on our way to the Hotel Le Bleu in Brooklyn.
Our room on the second floor was very nice with an interesting glass shower which we were grateful for after the night on the train. The hotel concierge recommended a very nice restaurant in the neighborhood which turned out to be quite good. It seems that Brooklyn has become very trendy these days with many local shops, restaurants, and brownstone flats. After a short walking tour of the neighborhood, we were ready for a good nights sleep.
After a review of the ship literature one more time, we decided we should probably do something about the overweight bag. The ship “recommends” that bags weigh no more than 23 kilograms but they don’t care how many you bring. The simple answer seemed to be to get another bag and move some heavy stuff to it. Another recommendation from the concierge and we had a pretty nice bag with wheels for about $20. After re-arranging a few more items, we were ready to be on our way to the Brooklyn Ship Terminal. The taxi dropped us off right at the ship entrance, someone took the bags, and no one cared what they weighed. That’s what you get for being prepared.
In about an hour we were on board and in our cabin. The Queen Mary seems to be a celebrity wherever she goes. The harbor was full of tour boats and helicopters flying by for photos of the ship. At about four p.m. we left the dock with excellent weather and much fanfare. The views of New York Harbor, Staten Island, and the Statue of Liberty were quite stunning. We felt like pinching ourselves to be sure we were really here.
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