xoxo, xenophile: Return Home: Day 14

View from the plane

Yesterday was our journey back home. It took 20 hours from the time we left our hotel in the morning to the time I got back to Brookings, so that should explain why I didn't write this until today. We said goodbye to our hotel in London and dragged our suitcases to a subway station, where we used our last ticket and took our last tube ride in London, which lasted at least a half hour, since we had to go all the way to the airport. We got through security and everything at Heathrow without too many hitches, and I finally tried one of these Cadbury Dairy Milk candy bars everyone had been eating. It was pretty good, probably even better than Hershey ones. On the eight and a half hour flight from London to Minneapolis, a girl wanted to sit by her friend and so switched with me, and I ended up with a window seat, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I couldn't sleep on the plane so instead I watched some of the free movies the plane offered, Les Miserables, Jane Eyre, and the Perks of Being a Wallflower, which were all pretty enjoyable.

Getting through customs in Minneapolis took a little while, but really wasn't too bad. I discovered my dream job while I was there, which would be to be the person who walks around the drug (and apparently fruit) sniffing dog while people are standing in line. The dog was an adorable little beagle, and he must have an incredible nose, because he smelled an apple in one of the girl's bags that she forgot was there, and the dog-walker confiscated it pretty politely. I guess I wasn't even aware that apples had a smell. We then had to grab our luggage, check our bag again for the next flight, and go back through security. Then we took the very long walk to the other end of the Minneapolis airport to catch our next flight to Sioux Falls. Apparently we didn't need to hurry as much as we did, because the flight was delayed. First I guess they couldn't find some of the crew, and then the 'sky bridge' or 'jet bridge' or whatever you call it that you cross over to board the plane was having technical difficulties, and then we sat at the runway for a while. So our flight was a bit late getting into Sioux Falls, and then to make it worse they lost Mickey's checked luggage.

Michaela's parents took us back to Madison and I visited with my family and gave them souvenirs for a while before my boyfriend came to pick me up and take me to Brookings. By the time we got here, I had been traveling for 20 hours that day (as I said), and had been awake for all of them, so I slept pretty well last night!

Overall this trip has been an excellent experience! I've seen and done so many things that I don't even know where to start when people ask me about them. I loved seeing the ancient Greek and Renaissance-era sculptures in the Louvre, the Impressionist and Post-impressionist paintings in the National Portrait Gallery, as well as the Rosetta Stone and other Egyptian artifacts in the British Museum. I'll never forget walking along the ramparts at Warwick Castle and hearing the music they played there, a mix of epic-sounding music that at different times reminded us of the soundtracks of Pirates of the Caribbean, Lion King, Narnia, or Les Miserables. And of course I'll never be able to forget the texture of haggis, the really cool pub where we tried it, or the street performers playing bagpipes in Edinburgh. I loved all six castles/palaces we got to see, and especially the ones we got to go inside! I loved Notre Dame and the bridge with 'love locks' behind it, and seeing the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero that first night we were in Paris. I think someday I'll go back to London, as there is so much to see and do there--the museums, the West End musicals (Wicked was amazing!), Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and Parliament, Leicester Square and Chinatown...I'd still like to see a play at the Globe Theatre and go on the London Eye on a clear day. I really enjoyed this trip and learned and experienced so much, it's really indescribable.

I have to say though, one thing that happens when you travel, and one of my favorite parts of it, is that you grow in appreciation for your home and the place you come from. Even little things, like having garbage cans everywhere (we had a really hard time finding them in London), or the waiter bringing the bill without being asked (which is considered rude in the UK) are more appreciated now. I'm also much more grateful to live in a smaller city, with fewer people, as crowded places can make me anxious, and to see so much green around here. As much as I loved our whole trip, it's really good to be back. After all, there's no place like home.