If someone does a trip, then he can tell something. (German quote)
Am I really and truly 'here'? Am I? It's Sunday and I'm sitting on the Lanai (Hawaiian word for porch) of our wonderful holiday home and write these lines. Thus, yes I am here, definitely! 😃
It had been a demanding tour and I admit that I underestimated the lenght and the distance. From leaving home to arriving at the hotel in Waikiki took us indeed 30h. But let me start at the beginning of that early Friday morning. Our friend Oliver was right in time at 4am and drove us to Dusseldorf Airport. My honey and I both had one big suitcase and one carry-on baggage. Didn't I wanted to take less with me this time?😔 On this point, I've failed completely, once again! And again I had a few kilogramm to much in my bag and we had to redistribute some stuff. Women! I guess we're all the same, right? 😏
At the airport we had to stand in line for the check-in even though we had been there before 5am. After entering the security area our first walk was to one of the airport restaurants - who can guess for what? To get a coffee of course! We hadn't been far away from our gate but at some point we heard our names through the speakers: "Last call for ...!" Holy crab! We hadn't heard even one of the boarding calls for our flight to Paris. Quickly we left the restaurant and went to our gate. This really never happened before. What a start for our big journey!😲
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| Many A380s at Paris Airport (not our plane) |
The flight time to Paris was only 45 minutes and so our only interest after landing at cold and rainy 12 degrees was to get some more coffee. This time we didn't missed the boarding time because we had been early enough at our gate but again we had to stand in line. This time quite a long time. Later on we understood why. It had been a big aircraft (at least for me) with 48 seat rows and most of the rows with 10 seats! 2 passageways, 3 seats on the right and on the left and 4 seats in the middle. But we were lucky because our seats were in the last row and instead of 3 seats there had been only 2! Close to the board kitchen and the toiletts. I know close to the toiletts doesn't sounds very nice but indeed we had enough space and there was still enough distance between the cabine and the board kitchen and the toiletts for not feeling bothered. So, good prospects for the 11-hour flight to Vancouver.😊
The rest of this flight is quickly told. Good food and service, very good board entertainment - simply nothing to complain about. Our flight route was France, England, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Canada and over Canada I was able to make some impressive shots out of my window.
Click on the pictures to enlarge them!
Short note:
I'm sitting on the Lanai while writing this and it starts raining. One of those hawaiian rain showers that doesn't takes very long but pushes humidity up very high and it smells really good!😍
In Vancouver we had a stay of almost 6 hours, the longest on this trip. In the meantime we were very tired and it was no surprise that both of us slept most of the time on our last leg to Honolulu - another 6 hours. Fortunately, we were able to complete the immigration formalities in Vancouver already. So we could leave the airport of Honolulu, as soon as we had our luggage and go to the rental car meeting point.
I opted for a blue SUV. If there was a red, maybe I would have chosen that color.😉The drive to the hotel was again a little adventure because of our tiredness, the foreign roads and traffic signs, the darkness and a navigation system we weren't used to of course. But we finally made it and when we arrived at the park service of the Hyatt Recency I gave the car key to the park service without thinking. I only wanted to go to our reserved room, get out of my clothes and fall into the bed. We both!😵 Of course, after a soothing shower, I could not stop myself from going to the balcony, taking a few more shots and, of course, posting them immediately.😉
After only a few hours, I woke up early enough to watch my first sunrise in Hawai'i in the famed and impressive Waikiki. Frankly speaking, I still couldn't believe I was finally in Hawai'i, but I enjoyed every minute watching Kalakaua Avenue come to life.😀 As daylight increased, I realized that I was finally where I wanted to go for decades and where my favorite series was filmed.💗
Click on the pictures to enlarge them!
A bit later we had breakfast on the terrace of the hotel, which is just opposite the Duke Kahanamoku statue. Likewise, there is the stop of the Waikiki Trolley and these two striking points reminded me of countless scenes of Hawaii Five-0. I nearly couldn't enjoy the wonderful breakfast buffet because I was so distracted!😂
Click on the pictures to enlarge them!
Another short note:
The rain only stopped for a short while. At the moment it is raining without ceasing. That too is part of this paradise.😉
A little later we checked out, got our rental car and made our way to the Windward Coast. Despite traffic in Waikiki, driving in daylight was much easier than the night before. But it was still difficult to understand this navigation system. Fortunately, I had already looked up the way to our apartment at home and knew at least approximately, in which direction we had to go. When we passed the Kualoa Regional Park, we just had to stop.😍 Again I had some scenes from Hawaii Five-0 in my head. I guess within the next 3 weeks I will have many more such moments.😉
Oh, how wonderful it felt when we finally parked the car infront of the house that will be our home for the next 3 weeks! And most impressive thing at all was the fact that everthing - truly everything - I had seen so far had been exactly the way as I had seen it in the internet on so uncountable pictures. Of course nothing is perfect but undeniable Hawai'i is one of the most beautiful places!💗 I had information how to let us in and within some minutes our luggage was in the apartment and we stood on the Lanai and gazed at the wonderful view.🙏
Click on the pictures to enlarge them!
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| such a lovely place! |
A few minutes later we met our hosts for the first time. During the year we wrote several emails and we even talked on the phone and it was such a wonderful moment when we finally shaked hands for the first time! We got some good hints where we could provide us with the necessary food and other stuff. So we sat shortly afterwards in the car again and drove to the next village to shop.
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| view to the front / street side |
I remember well how much I loved to snoop around the stores in the States before, and it still hasn't lost fascination. Therefore it took a while until we drove back. Back at the apartment we unpacked our suitcases and bags and tried to make ourself comfortable what is very easy at this place. A swim in the ocean, a good meal and the fact of being on the way for so many hours made us fall to sleep that evening very early. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach is one of the most wonderful noises I know and it is a great lullaby.💗
The night had been restless because of some uninvited guests - mosquitoes! Nevertheless, I woke up again when the first light appeared on the horizon. My sweetheart was making coffee and we sat on the Lanai and watched the sun rise and bring light to this new day.😎 Seeing that our hosts were sitting on their patio with coffee in their hands watching the sunrise was a very touching feeling to me. At that moment, I knew it wasn't an obsession that had tormented me so much in the last few months. It was simply a need to enjoy the beauty of nature and to feel the inner peace that this experience brings. I can hardly put that feeling into words, to be honest. It was the first moment I wondered if this could be a part of what they call 'The mana of Hawai'i'. Well, I'll find out.😊
Click on the pictures to enlarge them!
So these were just the first two days of our stay on O'ahu. While I write the end of this post, it's now Monday. I woke up at 3am after going to bed very early. The new day is coming soon and we will start our excursions today. My darling is still asleep while I sit here and finish the post. Now I'm gonna wait for the first day light ... 💗💗💗
Aloha! 🌴🌺🙏
If someone does a trip, then he can tell something.
So I would take the stick and hat and choose to travel.
(Matthias Claudius)
⤇ Thanks for reading! Comments & thoughts appreciated. ⤆
Excelente !!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, hun!:-)
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