Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Back Home!

We arrived home safe and sound after completing the last leg of our travel trilogy. We left Munich after spending four sleepless nights in a very rowdy youth hostel (we can laugh about it now, but at the time, it wasn't too pleasant). Our U.S. Airways flight to Philadelphia was, of course, delayed which meant we would miss our connecting flight to SFO and not be able to get in until later the next day. Luckily, the reservationist took pity on us and put us on a nonstop Lufthansa flight to SFO. We ended up arriving several hours earlier than when we were originally scheduled to get in. 

Mission accomplished: Japan, Mexico, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Each trip had a specific purpose or intention, and each trip was wonderful, memorable, and successful. Now that Z is back home, he is thoroughly pleased that he went along and put up with me for such a long time and under sometimes stressful conditions. Of course, he didn't have any choice in the matter since these trips were mainly for his sake, not mine. He was a real trooper, though, and I hope he'll want to travel with me again in future years. (No more youth hostels for me, though). His world has been greatly expanded, and he has many new memories that will last him a lifetime.

 Thumbs up upon arrival at SFO...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome back, Linnea! The picture of you and Zach at the SF airport is great; so are the other happy pictures you just posted. I'm glad that despite some ordeal, you lucked out in your flight home. I hope you are resting well now. Sorry to hear Zach has more school work to do already. Thank you and Zach for stretching my horizon. I sensed from the beginning that all of those wonderful trips were primarily for Zach's sake. No matter how fun a travel is, planning and preparing for it alone is much work, let alone moving from one part of the world to another. I see the same kind of labor of love in the trips my father planned for me and enjoyed together. They enriched my life in a very, very special way. Those experiences are always with me no matter where I am and how much time passes. They just seem to get more and more precious. Now my father, getting close to 80, has much less stamina, but I have the precious gift that will be enjoyed for the rest of my life. Remembering my father planning each trip in excitement is part of joy. I wish you and Zach many more happy travels together.

Linnea said...

Hi Hisako,
Thanks for your kind words and encouragement throughout our travels. I'm looking forward to hearing about your travels with your father. We have to get together for some sake and ice cold Japanese beer so that you can fill me in! Linnea