Day Sixteen: Home, Sweet, Home!

...I am exhausted from reliving my trip through post! I can't believe how many it took to really feel like I captured it, as best as I could, via words (and limited descriptions, I'm sure I used the same five words to describe every sight, but expand their meaning, and that's what I MEANT to say!), and pictures. Each day ON the trip, I could never imagine all the things we saw and did, and the history we encountered, and I had those same feelings all over again as I sorted through pictures, and days. My next step is to print off the pictures, and then....someday, scrapbook. It will be awhile. I also feel obligated to say I blogged the trip for a little form of a living diary for me before the memories and details get lost in the pages of my past! I always go back and revisit periods in my life, and I have kept a diary since I was young....and now...I blog. I have some traveling friends, and some of them have visited these sights, and some have not. We love to exchange stories, give advice, and suggestions for travel, and here is another way to capture some of that to share. It felt a little...scratch that a LOT obnoxious to post five times a day, if I were anyone different, I could have savored it, posted every once in awhile, but there is this little monster that lives inside me. She makes list, and she has task, and she makes me finish them NOW. I am the most obnoxious person about finishing projects ASAP. I was one of those people that would write all my papers for the semester (if possible) in the first week or two of school, it's not that they were fabulous, but they were finished. (I'd take quality over fast any day, but I can't drag it out and savor it without wanting to crawl out of my skin with boredom). I'd spend an entire weekend working on any project and paper I could as soon as I got the semester's syllabus. I LOVE to finish things....and so, five post a day were necessary to tame the bratty monster in me that needs to move on to something else (I also like to take the long route in any explanation, I bet that was hard to pick up). That same little something in me also likes to compartmentalize things. So, I couldn't move on and discuss anything else in the blogging world until this line of post was finish, so who knows what else I did in June ;o)....I was a girl on a mission. OK, apology extended...I'll try to be a little more sane the rest of the summer. And now, the grand finale-we left Paris EARLY....we left for the airport sometime before five. Our flight took off without any hiccups. We landed in Heathrow, then caught a flight a few hours later for DFW (I am SO glad I don't have any stories to share from these flights!). We passed over Iceland, and Canada (pictures above) and then flew down through the middle of the country, and over the Great Lakes (the area I hope to start researching for next summer's destination vacation). And now, I'm home, in the land of free refills! I'm still tired. I can't even begin to say what a great time I had, I feel so fortunate. There are many things I have not done in the last 30 years, but now, this isn't one of them! I would recommend traveling through Europe with a tour company to anyone planning to visit. Our coach hit all the major sights, our tour guide gave us all the good information about each location, and more, and was so helpful explaining all the little things that are quirky about the different locations, which was so helpful (I don't like surprises, I'm thinking about hiring a guide to host the NEXT 30 years of my life!). It was so nice to arrive somewhere, and have our luggage 'delivered' upstairs without any effort, or elevator issues. In the morning, we just left them outside our door on the way to breakfast, and they were again carried to the coach by the 'coach ferries.' The hotels were also carefully selected by the company to please the travelers. They were all clean, well staffed, great views, safe locations, filling, and tasty meals. It was low stress, and there was very little wondering. It was also fun (...and maybe a little annoying at times) to travel with such a diverse group of people. We made some dear friends, and there is comfort in being in new places with people you know and can talk to, and share experiences with for the first time. And might I add, I had the best travel partner EVER, thanks Mom!