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They say good things come in threes. Some might argue otherwise, but I needed something to name this report, so I'm sticking with what may be an oft-repeated lie. Nevertheless, we will be traveling for three weeks, in three A380s, and who knows what else may coincidentally align with that number. This trip was planned with destinations in mind to explore the new, and find comfort in the old. To start, getting away for a week to a tropical paradise is never a bad idea, and the Maldives is no exception (other than maybe the flight time). For someone like myself who frequently says no to afternoon naps because they summon unsubstantiated feelings of guilt afterwards in not using the time "productively," being in the middle of nowhere puts me in a different mindset where I am able to let go of such contrived thoughts. After just short of a week there, I had planned to trek to Europe via EY Apartments again, however an issue with ticketing led me to cancel and look for an alternative option. We've flown both Emirates and Etihad multiple times, but we were never able to sample Qatar's offering. With their flight from DOH-FRA recently changed to the A380, it was the perfect chance to finish off our comparison of the ME3. Similarly, we've seen Dubai and Abu Dhabi before, so we opted to spend a day or two in Doha to see what Qatar's hub can offer.

What follows afterwards was not always in the cards. You see, due to a series of unfortunate personal events for a friend of mine, we ended up reconnecting. Prior to this, we hadn't drifted apart drastically; we still talked every now and again. But it was obvious that over the years he dove head deep into his hobbies and I did the same. The difference was that rather than heading in the same, common direction that we used to, I ventured into new interests. We still talked, but the conversations become simpler, and subsequent contact becoming fewer over time. After he broke some news to me the day I returned from Prague/London, it took a while for me to process, but I eventually invited him on this trip to get away. He needed a significant change in scenery, something to look forward to, and friends to help him move forward. I had a lump of Skypesos, so I'd comp the trip, and we'd meet up in Italy. We are both car enthusiasts, so I had to think to myself, "What would be a good way to interject something that he would enjoy...something special that he wouldn't expect?" Before I "retired" from autocrosses and track days, he and I always dreamed about doing the international track day and drive some laps at the Nurburgring. I had checked this off the box years ago, but here was my chance to add a detour to the itinerary so we could experience it together. The stars aligned that we were flying into FRA, so we could hop in a rental car, drive to the track, and spend the night before taking a few laps in the morning. Then we'd head back to Frankfurt for the flight to Rome.

Having mentioned this to a third friend of mine, whose own trip to Europe a few months earlier didn't materialize as he had hoped, he also became interested in joining. He had more vacation time and would meet us in Frankfurt as well, but would continue on from Rome to spend a few days in Scotland with us. A visit to a distillery or two, a road trip with some beautiful scenery, and riding the Jacobite steam train would be the highlights before we parted ways. My family would continue on to London for 2 days before heading back to FRA for the flight back to the US.

24,156 miles left to fly and departing this afternoon...To be continued...




If you enjoy this report, here are some of my previous trips that I've posted:

Czeching In and Jetting Out - LH F/J, FR Y, and BA F
Spring, Fall, and Hopefully Sakura in CX F, SQ NEW and Old Suites, CZ J, and OZ J/F
3 for the price of 2? RTW Babymoon to Japan, Maldives, UK (JL/EY/LH J/F/Apartment)
Slummin' it to Spain - BCN, PMI for some Park Hyatt, and MAD
Christmas in Vienna with a Splash of Porsche and FCT - LX/OS Y, OS J, LH F
The Journey is Half the Fun; RTW in SQ Suites/CX F/JL J/EK F/EY Apartment/AA F
Escaping to the Southern Hemisphere: A Bora Bora Getaway
Honeymoon In Europe (UK, France, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, etc.) - AA/LH/EK F