| My favorite picture from this trip comes from the top of an ancient castle in Corfu, Greece |
| Erin's Last Journal 6-26-02 Today we fly home. This will be my last journal for the first trip of three months. What a time it has been! I am definitely glad to be going home, for several reasons, but will also be excited to go back out again, now that I've experienced some of the wonder of exploring other cultures. We got up early and showered, then put on the one set of clean clothes we'd made sure we'd have for the trip home. (We took pity on those who'd have to sit around us!) We packed everything we'd need for the 16 hours of flying into our day packs, and got rid of some stuff we wouldn't need any more. It felt nice to throw away those cheap shower shoes that were 2 sizes too small!!! Then we walked the few blocks to the train station, and were sweaty by the time we arrived. We bought our tickets and got on the express train, which was hot and muggy without the air conditioning on. Far from being an express, it stopped at 4 other stations and took 40 minutes, but it was convenient as it puts travelers off right in the bottom level of the airport. We arrived at Malpensa at 9am for a 12pm flight to Washington, D.C., where we'd be transferring to a flight to LAX. It took us about 90 minutes to get through all the security checkpoints, baggage check, metal detector, etc. Then we grabbed a quick, expensive bite to eat at the airport bar, and sat to read for an hour before boarding. Both of us were pretty quiet, thinking about all the things we have to do when we arrive home, as well as the things we'll miss from traveling. I was also thinking about all the good things I'd be getting back to, like functioning plumbing, access to a car, my mom and friends, and the same bed for more than 4 nights at a stretch! We boarded the flight and were told there'd be a short air traffic delay. Luckily it wasn't bad - we left only half an hour past scheduled time, and the pilot thought he could make up the time in the air. We settled in for lunch, which was chicken and blah, then watched a selection of movies. I saw three - Crossroads, High Crimes, and Dragonfly. It served to pass the time pretty well, and I got down to typing journals afterward - to be totally caught up by the time we arrived home! We must update the website in the next few days for all our friends that have wondered if we fell off the earth after leaving Barcelona! :) Once we arrived in Washington, D.C., we checked on our next flight. So far, on time. We waited there for 2 hours before boarding our flight, but once in our seats, we were informed that due to stormy weather, we'd be delayed for in indeterminate amount of time. Sure enough, we sat on the tarmac for almost 90 more minutes before we were able to take off, and watched half of another movie before even getting in the air! Luckily we made up some time in the air, and arrived only 90 minutes late in LAX. Mom and her friend were waiting for us with big hugs and a quick ride home, where we greeted the dog happily and dumped our packs on the floor. We were exhausted but unable to sleep yet, so we did some preliminary catching up with mom and had a cold drink to wind down before hitting the nice, soft bed. WHAT A GREAT TRIP!!! |
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