Brussels Attacks

[Pauline]

Horrible news this morning of the attacks in Brussels, with bombs going off at the airport and at a metro station in the city.

BBC - Brussels Attacks

It was not so long ago that there were the attacks in Paris. Paris and Brussels were targeted this time, but it could be any city in Europe.

Our thoughts are with the people involved and living in these cities. But then our thoughts turn to ourselves. This combined with the earlier attacks in Paris will make air travel in Europe more difficult. There were air traffic controller strikes in France last week. Now there will be heightened security in the airports and cities. We are flying into France this weekend (to Nice).

 

[ellen]

I'm feeling a little selfish myself as I'm wondering if I'm going to be facing a lot of questions about safety at my sales meeting for my fall fundraising trip to Venice. The meeting is next week and I can't decide which is worse, having to address people's fears or if a week after the fact they have already forgotten about it and it doesn't come up.

 

[Callie]

It's a scary time to think about travel to Europe. We are not changing our plans (other than getting to the airport earlier than usual), but have certainly had some second thoughts about what we'll be doing and where we'll be going. I'm glad it's not our first trip to London - we don't need to see Big Ben or the Tower Bridge or any other big tourist sites, but we will need to use the underground. The State Department website is not very encouraging with its travel alert for Europe and for the first time, I think we'll sign up for the Safe Traveler Enrollment Program.

Is anyone doing anything different - changing plans, canceling trips, special precautions, etc.?

Callie

 

[Pauline]

I just canceled our Nice trip (we were leaving on Sunday) for another reason, but this whole thing was at the back of my mind. I think the airports will be difficult for the next month.

 

[Kathy]

Well, I can give you a report this weekend. We've been in France (Paris and Provence) since March 10 and will fly home on Saturday: Marseille to Paris; Paris to Atlanta; Atlanta to Knoxville. We have just 1-1/2 hours to change planes in Paris, so I'm hoping things won't be too complicated.

It seems there are so many things to be afraid of in today's world: a terrorist attack, a crazy person shooting up a public place, a drunk driver.

 

[Shannon]

I'm leaving in a week for almost three months in Europe. The only thing I fretted about a little was, that I will be in a London club seeing one of my favorite bands in May and they are pretty high profile. I think its because the people who died at the Bataclan were folks a lot like me (indie rock lovers) and maybe that is why I was fretting.

I know Pauline will remember this: my mom and I went to Spain in 2004 a few days after the Atocha bombings. It was as tense as it is now. When we were there, about 2 weeks after the bombings, we were to go from Madrid to Sevilla on a train. But there was another bomb that day, on the train tracks that we were suppose to be traveling on. It was found thank goodness but no trains left that day. We got to Sevilla the next day (not on the train) but the whole experience was chaotic and scary.

I now travel in Europe 5 months out of the year and I would never give it up. But that doesn't mean I don't see an unattended backpack and get a little nervous.

 

[chiaro di Luna]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/10/europe/brussels-attack-arrests/index.html

Link above - Just to up date this topic.

I am going to France this month. No change in my plans. Always am very alert to surroundings and won't use underground this trip.
I did cancel my 3 week trip to Italy for August for a number of reasons.
I hope others will up date us on their experiences. I will report here on this thread after I arrive at CDG in a few weeks.

 

[Callie]

We've been in England for a bit more than a week and there has been not one mention of the Brussels bombing. Nothing is different to my inexperienced eye, other than a few more unarmed Police Community Liasion officers at Paddington Station. We've used the underground everyday and it's as crowded as usual. There were security officers checking bags randomly as we entered the British Museum and the V and A, but I don't think this is different than before.

I haven't really thought about it as far as where we are going and what we are doing.

Callie

 

[chiaro di Luna]

Well, I am home safe and sound and felt safe during my 2 weeks in France. Flew in and out of CDG terminal 2. There were 2 passport checks, kept shoes on, took out ipad to be screened, and showed passport as we boarded bus to go to plane. These were the only differences I noticed from my other times there.
TV showed lots of Brussels, protests and news of terrorists. After being back a week I see CNN interviewing a retired CIA agent who says he wouldn't want his family flying through CDG, now a days.

 

[Jeff Green]

I hope brussel have come back strong and are back to doing things the way they like doing so.