“We regret to inform you that your flight from Zurich to Hamburg has been cancelled”.
Of all the worst-case scenarios I’d prepared for, this one wasn’t on the list.
The plan to visit Kai’s mum in Hamburg had been mapped out with NASA-level precision: my parents (87 and 84) and I would fly, while Kai – driving up from Switzerland – would collect us at the airport. Rendezvous complete, mission accomplished.
Instead, at 6 p.m. on Sunday evening, the cancellation message landed. The only way to reach the airline was via a chatbot. Efficient in theory, hopeless in practice: Europe’s entire passenger handling system had just collapsed, and the poor bot was swamped. Each of my typed pleas was followed by a ten-minute silence before the next robotic reply.
In the middle of my frantic typing, my neighbour texted: she was stranded in Romania for three more days. At that point, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, or just be grateful I wasn’t trying to escape Romania.
For two hours I stared at my phone, watching dots pulsate in slow motion. Still, credit where it’s due: eventually the bot confirmed three new tickets for the first flight Monday morning. Success! The only catch: my parents needed to be at the tram stop by 5 a.m.
I called my dad. My parents thrive on improvisation and handle curveballs like pros.
“Hi Dad, I have bad news, good news, and medium news. Our flight was cancelled.”
“Oh, ok.”
“But I’ve got us a new flight.”
“Ah, ok.”
“But we need to meet at the tram stop at 5 a.m.”
“Ok! See you tomorrow!”
And that was that.
At dawn, they were already waiting, fresh as daisies at the tram stop. After that bumpy start, the trip slid into a smooth rhythm – it felt almost suspicious. Trams, trains on time, assistance ready, a calm flight, Kai waiting, our Airbnb hostess welcoming us with a smile. It was as if the travel gods had decided: enough entertainment, let’s give them a proper holiday.
And so, with all the logistics finally settled, we could finally focus on what really mattered: a week in Hamburg with Kai’s mum and my parents – three octogenarians, each with their quirks, sharing one city and seven days together.
The highlight of the week was a visit to “Miniatur Wunderland“, the largest model railway exhibition in the world and a leading tourist attraction in Germany. I’m not interested in model trains, but it was still incredibly fascinating, as it is all set in stunningly crafted landscapes with incredible detail. After 4 hours, we had to drag my dad out of there.
This was followed by many outings, walks and sightseeing trips.
Kai and I made sure we got in a run in the mornings. Autumn was in the air!
The travel gods may have tested us at the start, but they paid us back with a perfect week: family, laughter, and a countryside dressed in sunny autumn colours. Not a bad trade!
- Do you enjoy multi-generation travel?
- When was the last time you had to deal with travel chaos? How did it end?
I am linking up with Jenny from Runners Fly and Jenn from Runs with Pugs for Tuesday Topics!
Tja, wie heißt es so schön: wenn einer eine Reise tut, dann kann er was erleben ! Eingetroffen ! War sicherlich nicht sehr angenehm, aber Hauptsache, es ist nichts passiert ! Dafür wart ihr ja dann bei schönstem Wetter ein paar Tage fröhlich geeint zusammen, gefällt mir, auch wenn es teilweise anstrengend war, besonders für deine Eltern, aber – wie gesagt – alles gut – und das ist die Hauptsache !!
Gelaufen seid ihr auch, alles gut – und wieder gut in Zürich gelandet. Perfetto !!
Liebe Grüße von der grauen, kühlen, aber sehr leeren Ostsee, ich geh’ dann mal laufen, laufen, laufen
Ha, ja, eine Reise voller Überraschungen – und wie du sagst, Hauptsache, alles ist gut gegangen! 😄 Vom Flugchaos bis zum Miniatur Wunderland – wir haben alles mitgenommen. Meine Eltern haben die kleinen Abenteuer erstaunlich gelassen genommen, ich dagegen hatte zwei Stunden lang ein episches Chatbot-Duell.
Aber am Ende: Laufen ging, Sonne gab es, und alle waren froh vereint.
Geniesse deine Ostsee-Runde, liebe Margitta! So leer und ruhig klingt nach perfektem Laufwetter.
Liebe Grüsse aus dem herbstlich-sonnigen Zürich!
Liebe Catrina,
was war denn das? Ein Test der Reisegötter?? 😉
Vielleicht wollten sie aber auch nur, dass das ganze Maß an Hoppalas schon im Vorfeld abgehakt war und ihr dadurch einen wunderbaren Hamburg-Urlaub verbringen konntet. Die Bilder sprechen für sich und deinen Eltern gebührt mein voller Respekt für ihre Flexibilität! 😀
Schön, dass ihr alle wieder gut in Zürich gelandet seid – genießt eure letzte Europawoche!
Igh Argh Ugh. I lose it when I have to deal w technology bots. My experience is 1,000% negative. Never works and a waste of time. I am ALWAYS trying to get to a real person. It takes a lot of patience! I mean a LOT of patience 😅💦
I love that your bot was actually helpful. Wow!!!
Looks like you had a great time.
Love the Miniature Wonderland trains. Amazing details. Even outhouses!😅💦 I did such models when I was a kid. I still have one if my trains😅💦
Multigenerational travel & trips. Day trips are fine but a week thing might be toooo much!😅💦 Everybody w their own idiosyncrasies would be a nightmare I am afraid. 😱 You are brave!🤚 Kudos to you & Kai!
I think I would have been too exhausted to get up early enough for that morning run!🏃♀️🏃♂️💨
I guess you want to spend time now because if the age of your parents & you are far away in SA for a long time. Good memories. Perhaps your folks will go back to SA this year?
All the best
Haha, yes, Yves – those bots can really drive one up the wall! 😅 Normally I’d say they’re a total waste of time, but this one somehow redeemed the entire species. At one point, I actually wondered if it had quietly switched to a real human – the replies suddenly became faster and almost… coherent.
Did you get the blog notification this time? It looks like it worked! 🎉
Miniatur Wunderland was incredible – you would have loved it. The attention to detail is mind-blowing, right down to the portapotties! And I love that you still have one of your old trains – that’s proper collector status.
You’re absolutely right: the trip was a fine balance of comedy, logistics, and diplomacy. 😄 Luckily, everyone stayed in good spirits, and those morning runs definitely helped to be patient later on!
And yes, we really wanted to make the most of this time together. We’ll be heading back to South Africa next Tuesday. I don’t think my parents will make it this time – the trip is too much for them. But we will be back in December!
Ha, das dachte ich mir auch…. Chaos und Stress alles am Anfang, und danach voll die Entspannung. Es ist komisch, aber danach ist wirklicht NICHTS schiefgelaufen, sogar das Wetter spielte wunderbar mit (während es in Zürich fast die ganze Zeit regnete). Meine Eltern haben das Ganze wirklich mit bewundernswerter Gelassenheit genommen… davon könnte ich mir eine Scheibe abschneiden!
Danke dir, liebe Doris! Die letzte Woche ist in vollem Gange… fast wie Brownie’s Saisonabschluss, nur mit weniger Gemütlichkeit!
Kudos to you, Catrina, you handled that travel chaos like a pro, but even higher fives to your parents for being able to arrive at the tram stop at 5 AM, bright eyed and bushy tailed! Your Airbnb looks fabulous and that view is stunning – good find!
My grandson would have been right there with your father in wanting to stay at the model train exhibit forever. And oh my goodness, that guy peeing in front of the porta potties in the exhibit is hilarious!
Thank you, Debbie! Yes, my parents really excel at “emergency” situations – they were at the tram stop at 5 a.m. looking fresher than I did. 😅 The Airbnb really was a lucky find, we’ve been there a few times now and that view made every breakfast feel like a holiday postcard.
Haha, the model train exhibit was full of those hilarious little details! Your grandson (and you!) would have loved it. I hadn’t even spotted that guy peeing in front of the porta potties – too funny!
What a lovely trip (after the initial chaos). How wonderful to have parents that are still able to do these sorts of things and to be calm in the middle of changes!
That miniature railroad museum looks very impressive. Like you, I don’t have any real interest in this niche, but it is fascinating. Anything done well is interesting to me, and this is clearly at the top of the model railway hierarchy!
That AirBnB looks gorgeous. What a happy post to read this Tuesday morning over my cup of chai tea <3
Haha, yes, I’m glad it turned out so well! My parents really do well in unforeseen situations.
You would have enjoyed the railroad exhibit – your family would have loved it too. There were teenagers there (I guess a school outing) that were extremely excited, taking photos of everything. You can’t help but get sucked in.
The Airbnb was such a treat, especially with the countryside. Speaking of which, I’m so glad you initiated the walking challenge! We’ve had beautiful weather for it this week, making every step a joy!
I’m laughing at your dad’s response to the “medium” news- “Okay, see you tomorrow!” Sounds like your parents are great people to travel with.
I spent many months in Hamburg when I worked in Germany! Nice city- I remember running around the lake. That miniature wonderland exhibit looks amazing!!! My only complaint would be, I would have a strong desire to move the people around, make them talk, and act out little scenes… which I’m pretty sure isn’t allowed!
Sounds like you hit Hamburg at the perfect time for beautiful weather- glad the trip was such a big success.
My dad really takes surprises in stride! 😄
OOOHHH, of course – you know Hamburg! Have you heard of the Elbphilharmonie? It’s a stunning modern concert hall on the harbour, with incredible acoustics. I immediately thought of you, since you used to play in an orchestra — even imagining performing there is awe-inspiring.
Haha, and yes! The urge to make the little figures act out scenes in Miniatur Wunderland was almost irresistible!
My parents are in their 80s, and if I needed a 5AM pickup, they would be there in a heartbeat.
I see and raise your non-interest in model trains, and if my dad had been there he would have seen and raised your dad in who stayed the longest. At least you and I can appreciate their passion.
I don’t want to jinx myself, but travel snafus have been minimal lately. If any trouble was going to happen, I would have put money on it being the connection at the Newark airport for my Halifax flight, but the return flight was only slightly late. Let’s knock wood and hope that the good luck continues.
Our parents are aligned! And our dads’ fascination with model trains is aligned! And our fascination with watching their fascination! 😄
Fingers crossed your travel-snafu streak continues. I really enjoy reading your travel recaps, I’m learning so much about North America. People around me are starting to wonder why I know so much about the US State Capitols, haha!
I LOVE YOUR DAD!
I LOVE ALL YOUR PARENTS!
AND I LOVE THOSE MINI PORTAPOTTIES!
I hope that one day, we will be the cool octogenarians in the travel situation.
My family is “old.” Like not at all physically (my mom had me when she was 17). But after the age of 40/50, it feels like they all just gave up and went to rot on the couch. And while I really didn’t have relationship with my grandparents (toxic), it was really sad to watch them just shut themselves up behind closed doors with no friends, no outlets, and no dreams, with my mom, aunts and uncles doing the same. This girl wants to be traveling until the day I can no longer do it. I don’t care if it means canes, walking sticks, wheelchairs or scooters.
Haha, Jenn! I love that you love my dad too! 😄 And yes, our parents are absolute troopers. Those mini portapotties were the best little detail ever!
I hear you about your family. It’s sad when people just stop exploring or living fully. But honestly, you’re on the right track to becoming a very active centenarian!
Travel, adventures, new experiences – they keep us young in mind and spirit, until the very last possible moment. Here’s to being those “cool octogenarians” one day!
so happy that it all worked out in the end. Your parents are troopers. Everyone looked like they were having a blast.
No experience with traveling parents.
But I often have travel woes. Last March flight cancelled from DC to Albany. Had to take an expensive Long train ride the next day… not fun.
Thanks, Darlene! Yes, my parents really are troopers, they make even early-morning pickups look effortless. 😄
Ugh, I hear you on travel woes! Flight cancellations are never fun, and a long, unexpected train ride sounds exhausting. Fingers crossed your next trip is smooth sailing all the way!
How lucky to be traveling when the chaos hit, but it looks like you had some great weather, and what a beautiful view from your Airbnb. My parents took me and my siblings and all our kids (so 21 of us) on two big trips, one to the Kimberleys and one to South Africa. We all had such a great time and really helped build relationships.
Wow, 21 of you on those trips?! That must have been an incredible adventure – such a wonderful way to strengthen family bonds. I can see why those memories are so special! I also love how your parents gave the Grampian Tour as a gift to you and your siblings; travelling together like that really helps build lasting connections.
This looks like a fabulous week, despite the hassle leading up to things. It’s great your parents are still up for traveling, and are SO flexible with spontaneous change-of-plans (and early departures!).
My parents really are amazing – flexible, cheerful, and always up for travel, even with last-minute changes or early departures! 😄
I’m so glad you were able to get another flight and that everything worked out! It sounds like your parents are so flexible! Looks like an amazing week- so glad it all worked out!
Me too! After that chaotic beginning, the week fell perfectly into place. It turned out really well!
Liebe Catrina,
was für ein Alptraum! Alles vorbereitet und dann dieses! Ich erinnere mich an die Meldung in den Nachrichten, dass das System am Boden war, aber dass es euch erwischt hat, Riesenpech. Andererseits, es ergab sich dann doch eine Ausweichmöglichkeit, und ihr konntet wunderbare Tage gemeinsam genießen!
Mein härtestes Reisechaos war 2018, als ich per ICE in die Schweiz wollte und dann kurz vor der Grenze die Strecke wegen eines Chemieunfalls voll gesperrt wurde. Alle Taxen belegt, alle Hotel ausgebucht, man erlaubt uns, im Zug zu schlafen, dimmte sogar das Licht. Plötzlich kam noch ein ICE, alle sollten mit in unseren Zug, nichts mehr mit schlafen. Mitten in der Nacht ging es noch ein Stück weiter, dann umsteigen in Busse und man brachte uns nach Basel SBB. Da fuhr natürlich nichts, es war eiskalt (Januar), der Warteraum der SBB VERSCHLOSSEN, obwohl sie wussten, dass da Busse kamen. Also bin ich 2-3 Stunden im Bahnhof rumgegangen, um mich warmzuhalten, bis der erste Zug Richtung Bern fuhr. Ach, und mein Handy funktionierte nicht, ich konnte Chris nur mit dem Handy eines Fremden informieren.
Das Wunderland – steht auch schon lange auf meiner Liste! Es muss phantastisch sein. Ist auch immer noch DJ Bobo als schweizer Vertreter dabei?
Ja, der Herbst ist da, hier eher schon mit trübem Wetter, dass zu Indoor-Leben einlädt.
Liebe Grüße, Elke
Liebe Elke,
Uuuiii, aber deine ICE-Geschichte schlägt ja alles! Ich kann mich an den Chemieunfall erinnern. Das muss sehr anstrengend gewesen sein – und dann mitten im eiskalten Januar!! Zum Glück konntest du das Handy eines anderen benutzen. Würde mich mal interessieren, ob sie aus diesem Fall gelernt haben und heute ein besseres Notfallszenario hätten.
Miniatur Wunderland war wirklich phantastisch, es würde euch sehr gefallen. Und ja, DJ Bobo ist noch immer dabei als Schweizer Vertreter. Das Foto mit den kleinen Toitois waren an seinem Konzert.
Wir geniessen in Zürich gerade einen goldenen Herbst, es sollte bis Ende Woche und darüber hinaus halten!
Chatbots for anything customer communication-related is a disaster. They are trained to answer a specific set of questions and if anything is outside that, they know sh**. If the future is chatbots for everything, then I don’t know what..
I haven’t had any big travel disaster but some delays which meant I had to have transfer flights rebooked, I’ve been lucky that I haven’t had to stay overnight but several hours extra at an airport is a big problem when you’re coeliac because staying at airports in most cases means NO FOOD, sometimes for a full day. Which nowadays feels like a disaster! I’ve learned to cope with prepared protein powder (you can always buy milk or a cold cappuccino drink as a mixer), walnuts and protein bars but it’s not really an optimal meal.
Looks like you got some good quality time and got to see some cool stuff after all. I love that mini railroad! I’m obsessed with all things miniature. Here in my hometown we also have a mini railroad museum, perhaps I should go visit, haven’t been for many years.
Oh yes, Susanne, chatbots are hopeless for anything even slightly off-script! I actually suspect that mine switched to a real human at some point, the tone suddenly changed and the sentences felt less robotic. Must be awful to have a job like that, taking over from a chatbot when the clients are already highly frustrated!
Being coeliac must make travel delays so much tougher; airports are a wasteland for gluten-free food. Good thing you’ve found a workaround, even if it’s not ideal.
And yes, you should absolutely visit that mini railroad museum! Miniature worlds are strangely addictive once you start looking closely. Didn’t you do some brilliant photos with miniature figures a while back? You’d have such fun with your camera there!
Yes, I photographed miniature people with food, it was so much fun! I planned to do something outdoors with them but ran out of ideas. I’ll see what I can do indoors this winter. But yes, now when I’m a better photographer it would be fun to go back to the mini railway museum!
Oh yes! These were such creative and fun shots!
Doing something outdoors would be great, but I can imagine how tricky that is to stage. Indoors this winter sounds like the perfect plan – I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
What a lovely way to spend time with your parents. They all look very adventurous for folks in their 80s!
I don’t blame your dad for being fascinated by the model trains. That’s not my thing either but after seeing your photos (and realizing they weren’t actually real people) I’m fascinated too.
Thanks so much, Debbie! Yes, they really are adventurous — I’m lucky they’re still up for travelling.
And I know, right? Those scenes with the little people looked so real! It was absolutely captivating. My dad was more taken in by the technical side, like watching a kid in a toy shop, ha!
I’m glad it turned out to be a small blip in your plans. It looks like you had a great time together.
The miniature railroad displays look fascinating but four hours is a lot!
I was so glad, Coco – once we got the blip out of the way, we had nothing but a smooth ride! Fours hours is a lot, especially when the sun is shining outside!
Liebe Catrina,
nicht mehr von unterwegs, jetzt vom PC! Mal sehen, ob es noch rausgeht?! 😉
Nachdem wir uns beim Chat nicht gesehen hatten, musste ich doch wenigstens deinen neuen Bericht lesen! 😉
Was so ein einfacher Städtetrip ‘verursachen’ kann. Zum Glück folgte dem anfänglichen Chaos (für dich) eine tolle Zeit in Hamburg mit euren Lieben. Ich war zwar im Frühjahr im Eingangsbereich des Miniatur Wunderlands, hatte aber nicht genug Zeit, es hätte sich nicht gelohnt! Das habt ihr mir jetzt voraus. Deinen Vater kann ich sehr, sehr gut verstehen, faszinieren mich ja schon die Dokus im TV!
Gerade vor ein paar Tagen haben meine Frau und ich festgehalten, dass wir nach Hamburg müssen. Wir versuchen eine Veranstaltung in der ‘Elphi’ zu integrieren! – Mal sehen wie lange es meine Frau im Miniatur Wunderland dann aushält?! 😉 Deine Fötelis sehen fast wie Drohnenaufnahmen aus der Luft aus!
Wir sind der Meinung, dass es bald mal einen Urlaub mit unseren jungen Leuten geben muss. Wir erinnern uns gern an die Urlaube mit unserer (damals kleinen) Tochter und den jeweiligen Großeltern!
Reisechaos: da reicht schon Zugfahren in Deutschland, vor allem, wenn Ausfälle zu kompensieren sind! 🙈
Liebe Grüße Manfred
Lieber Manfred,
Oh, es hat geklappt! Vielen Dank, dass du dir nach all den technischen Schwierigkeiten trotzdem die Zeit genommen hast, zu kommentieren — und dass es sogar funktioniert hat, das freut mich! 😊
Ja, ein einfacher Städtetrip kann tatsächlich ganz schön viel Chaos verursachen, aber zum Glück folgt danach meist eine tolle Zeit mit Familie und Freunden. Miniatur Wunderland ist wirklich faszinierend — ich kann gut verstehen, dass man dort länger verweilen möchte. Ich bin sicher, ihr würdet auch eine tolle Zeit dort haben, und die “Elphi” klingt nach einer perfekten Ergänzung! 😄
Es ist schön zu hören, dass ihr bald wieder einen Urlaub mit euren jungen Leuten plant. Die Erinnerungen an gemeinsame Reisen mit Tochter und Grosseltern sind wirklich unbezahlbar.
Haha, das glaube ich dir! Ein Zugausfall kann wirklich ärgerlich sein! 🙈
Liebe Grüsse aus dem sonnigen Cape Town!
I’m glad things worked out in the end, Catrina. Your parents are amazing. There are a few octogenarians in each of my 3 churches. They are all very inspiring of what they do.
Although I’m not into model trains either I remember visiting the house of a former co-worker a few years back. His entire basement is one big model railway set. Every time when he said he was adding something else I could then picture it.
I edited my Guardian Tree article to add your comment you made on it way back in the spring. I had originally forgotten to add it when I finally did get to writing it. Thanks for those words of encouragement.
Thanks so much, Carl! I really appreciate you adding my comment to your Guardian Tree article – that means a lot. It’s such a lovely reminder of why these connections matter, and I’m glad my words could contribute, even in a small way.
And yes, your octogenarians sound inspiring! I love hearing about people who keep active and engaged in their communities. The model railway basement sounds amazing too – I can totally picture it!
What a nightmare to begin with! Your parents are amazing with their ability to adapt, especially at their age. I’m so impressed. And I love the fact that your Dad had to be dragged out of the model railway visit.
I’m not a fan of multi-generational travel, at least in my experience there is often a lot of drama to deal with! The last big upset with travel I recall was the second last time we went to South Africa. I didn’t realise that multi-connected flights (domestic flight between cities, leading into international) had to be adhered to perfectly. We decided to spend a week in CT, flying there 1 week ahead of the international flight, instead of taking our DBN to CT flight on the day of departure. We drove into CT airport and were told sorry, you can’t take your international flight now! That was a lot of money down the drain, and a lesson learnt!
Oh wow, Sean, that’s a costly lesson to learn! I had no idea those connection timings were enforced so strictly, that must have been maddening.
And yes, multi-generational travel definitely comes with its “moments”. What really saved us was having separate accommodations. Dad’s habit of clattering around the kitchen at dawn would’ve tested everyone’s patience otherwise. 😅
He was completely in his element at the model railway though. While I was expecting him to be fascinated, I didn’t think we would need to drag him out!
I hope all is well in Wales – from Strava, it looks like your trail runs are going strong!
Yes, it was very frustrating!
I think having separate accommodations is mandatory in these scenarios. When we stayed in SA earlier this year in Knysna having a separate cottage for all our time there was a life saver.
And thank you – yes, running every day here but only add the occassional one to strava to keep me active there! Still some flair ups now and then, but my ITB seems to be good now after focused strength work, and achilles is manageable.
Ha, “mandatory” is the right word! 😄 Separate cottages are the secret to family peace and morning sanity.
I’m glad to hear the strength work is paying off and that the ITB’s behaving. Achilles issues are sooo sneaky, but you have it under good control. I should copy from you and do some strength exercises for my adductor/hamstring niggle…
Great that you’re still getting those runs in every day though, that’s great consistency!