The long awaited… “Welcome Home!”
After a heart-warming couchsurfing experience with Ray in Liverpool. We were finally ready for our last big travel day, which actually started around midnight. We trekked with our packs and two handbags (ugh!) down the one street that connects Ray’s apartment to the coach bus station (did we mention that Ray’s flat was very conveniently located?) Our occasional exhausted pauses on the 15+ minute walk were cheerfully boosted by the reminder that this was the last time we’d have to do this.
At the station the clerk filled our water bottle for us and we boarded the 5 and 3/4 hour bus to Heathrow airport. Upon arrival, Christine breathed a huge sigh of relief that we were early at the airport to catch our flight home. We ate a wierd late-night snack/breakfast of curried chickpeas and couscous with rye crackers. On pain of expulsion, the alcohol we had planned to drink for a nightcap on the bus had been prohibited. Alas, at six something in the morning a small bottle of Duvel and some cider was now accompanying our last breakfast in Europe.
On checking in, AirCanada was very clear about the re-entry requirements for the US. Our bags would be checked to Toronto where the USA pre-clearance screening would take place. There we’d have to submit a customs form indicating whether we had food with us or if we had walked in any agricultural areas or other soils, among other questions. We would also recheck our bags and pass through a US style security (where shoes off is compulsory).
And so with our boarding passes, which Ray was kind enough to let us print before we left, and a light fluffy daze in our heads, we drifted through security at Heathrow and soon found our seats on a comfy Boeing 767 for an 8 hour flight.
Now these seats had fancy movies and television shows on demand all for free and we had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal so we were ready when our food (a more breakfasty omelet) arrived before anyone elses. After suprisingly tasty food and some comedy, Jonathan found the drooly-sleep place on his pillow that was desperately needed after a restless night on the bus. Christine enjoyed the Curious Story of Benjamin Button to its teary-eyed finale as the plane descended into Toronto.
It was Jonathan’s first trip to Canada! There was a little snow flurry and some Molson beer but nary a Mounted Policeman. Our transition was smooth and uneventful as we breezed through the customs interview. Anyone could see that our boots had been caked with mud from foreign soils but no one seemed to mind. One border official was concerned if we had any potted meat product from the UK, an emphatic “No” was our reply.
Our second leg flight was a little puddle jumper to Dulles just over an hour. It was great to see some fall color still on the trees as we descended into Northern Virginia. We collected our bags and walked out to the curb. And yes, not more than two minutes passed before Taffy and Granma drove along to pick us up.
It was a tearful reunion for some amid a huge feeling of accomplishment and relief. We could relax for a while, not having to co-exist with strangers or do things we didn’t understand. We are so grateful for the cleanliness and order that exists in our new homeplace. There really is a place for everything and things are almost always where they should be.
The weather has been absolutely fabulous as well.
It’s not easy to describe the changes that happen upon first returning to the states. In many ways, we are still visiting and do not yet have a place of “our own.” The big lessons from this trip will be revealed in their time. All we have to do now is pause planning and just be in the moment.
Tags: 2009-November, Tag Index
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