Back in the USA

We're back.
A lot of this week I've thought about exactly what I was doing a week ago and I'm doing so with a little bit of sadness and lot of fond remembrance. We had one terrific journey.
Let me tell you a little about coming back. What an ordeal! The coach picked us up at the flat at 7:40 a.m. We had done most of our packing early in the week but what came over nicely in four checked bags and four carry-ons had morphed into five checked bags and five carry-ons. Could it have been the 12 Christmas ornaments I bought - all breakable, of course? The souvenirs and gifts for friends and family? A few books we picked up along the way?
You should have seen us. Keith would step on the scale for a starting weight, then lift up a suitcase. I would crawl down under the suitcase to read the scale upside down. We shifted items from suitcase to suitcase. No matter how much shifting and sifting we did, we were facing some fees.
At the airport, the lines were snaking around all over the place - apparently the baggage conveyor belt had broken and that was causing huge delays. When we finally got to check in, our patience was rewarded with an angel at the counter. All but one of our bags exceeded the weight limit and we had an extra to boot - but she only charged us $50. We were thrilled!
The flight home was a piece of cake for me. I slept from the time I sat down to about an hour before we landed. I always sleep on planes - lucky for me.
Our wonderful friend Rhonda picked us up in her huge van, which was good because we had all that luggage ... and we had a dog to pick up on the way home!
When we walked in the door at Randi's, Mocha was joyous. He seemed a little overwhelmed so he really focused on Keith. Randi gave us such a wonderful gift - she had a hardback book made full of the photos she took of Mocha while we were gone. It's titled "The Adventures of Mocha." What a keepsake!
The first thing that hit me when I got home was how warm and cozy our house looked, as opposed to the stark white and blonde wood floors in the flat. We slept so well - our bed was incredible. And doing laundry was a pleasure!
Our first big culture shock came on a trip to Harris Teeter on Sunday night - all the choices! 100 salad dressings instead of three. 30 types of mustard instead of one. Hardly any prepared food.
So, we're back to normal life - putting up a Christmas tree, cooking and cleaning, working and driving again.
I have several more blogs to post, so keep checking!