Final Days

Monday was an adventuring day. We set out in the morning to visit the legendary Sherwood Forest! Yes, we went to Robin Hood country. We stopped in a town on the way and saw an ancient church. Then made our way to the forest... Of course, it is a lot smaller now, much of it having been cut down for building before it was made a National Nature Reserve... It was a beautiful place, even in its end of winter bareness. There were birds singing everywhere, an laughing voices as people wandered the paths... The main attraction being Major Oak. Major Oak is an extremely old oak tree, that is the rumored location of Robin Hood's hide out. Granted, it's not QUITE old enough fro that, but it's a fun thought! Around the oak, there were booths set up, archery and catapult games, and people in costume. It was a fun festive atmosphere.

Tuesday we took the morning off. We spent time watching T.V. Nice and quiet... In the afternoon, we went to Matlock. It is a sweet town. We walked through the park and around some of the streets, taking it all in. After a bit, we loaded back into the car, and headed to Mairi's parents' house... They live in Matlock. The Montgomerys are WONDERFUL! I loved them to pieces in no time. I was treated to tea from china cups. Offered three different types of cake, and ate the one I chose with the cutest silver cake forks. I got to hear some great stories, family history and such... It was a lovely afternoon. A nice way to spend my final day, surrounded by that family feeling, hearing stories and having great conversation.

That night was hard for me. I love England, and it feels so much like home. I didn't want to leave. Much as I DID want to leave, be home, see my family and friends, I DIDN'T want to leave, you know?... I went to bed that night, with tears...

We got up Wednesday morning at 2:30... Ugh. We had to leave just after 3 am to get to the airport... The good byes were hard. Mairi and Ben had brought me and I cried as I hugged them and turned away... They watched me up the escalator, I turned a corner, and that was the end.

Security wasn't bad at Manchester Airport... The last time I flew out of there, I was surrounded by policemen with machine guns, and had to go through 4 different security checkpoints. This time was much easier... The flight to Paris was short and pleasant, but arrived in Paris late. Now, I had been warned in advance about Charles De Gaulle Airport... I was informed that 3 out of 4 times through, your luggage will get lost, and if you have less than an hour and a half, you probably won't make your flight... IF my plane from Manchester had arrived on time, I would have had an hour and twenty minutes to get the next one... And the plane was twenty minutes late... Great...

I ran... I ran very fast through the airport, knocking people out of the way, shouting "Excuse me!" behind me... About a hundred yards from my gate, I had to stop. There was an enormous line, and they were not letting ANYONE skip through it. Great... I was beginning to panic a bit. Thankfully, I was standing next to two guys from Seattle, who were waiting for the same flight as me. We talked and kept each other calm, agreeing that as so many of us seemed to be in the line, they would hold the plane, right?

It took forever. When we got through that line, we were sent to another line. This line? Another security check. Yep. I got frisked, for the first time in my life, by a large, rather frightening French woman. Then I ran again... I was the second to last person to get on my plane, and had no assurance that my luggage had made it on.

The plane was really nice. The most comfortable one I have ever flown on. The seats had more room, and I could even move my feet. The seat next to me was empty, something I had been praying for hard. I was nice and cozy for the over 10 hours I was on the plane. Every seat had its own screen and had tins of movies and T.V. shows to choose from... It was a great flight, despite its length, except for one thing... The flight attendants didn't feel the need to pay attention to the coach passengers. Half an hour after we took off, we got a snack and drink. Five minutes after that, we got lunch and a drink... That was it for a VERY long time. They kept taking food and drinks up to first and business class, but we were utterly ignored...After SEVEN hours, I was very thirsty. I was tired of waiting, so I rang the call bell... I waited five minutes, then rang it AGAIN... Someone finally came. For crying out loud! SEVEN hours and I had to ASK... An hour after that, the decided to feed us again. A tiny muffin and a drink... I guess it was too much to ask to have a nice comfortable, smooth flight AND good service. It was silly of me to expect it...

Upon reaching Seattle, I made my way to customs. That customs check was surprisingly easy... Of course, then we had another one. At the second, I was lucky enough to be chosen to have my bags all searched. Yay... When I finally made it to where I was supposed to meet my mom and Tab, I was a wreck. Exhausted, sad, and ready to go home... But they weren't there. It took me 45 minutes to find them. They had been told repeatedly by airport officials, that people from my flight would be coming to this other place... So imagine my distress, when after all those hours of travel and multiple searches, to not find them anywhere... It wasn't pretty. I fell apart a little once I finally got to them... After the two hour drive home, I spent my first afternoon and evening alternately watching movies and having long chats with mom and Tab. That, and trying to stay awake...

I am very glad to be home, but miss all my people over the ocean SO much. I hope they all know how much I love them and how grateful I am to them for all they have done for me...

And now I am trying to adjust back to life in the US. My first challenge was approaching the correct side of the car when a passenger... I almost got in the driver's side...