It's good to be home

I arrived home last night, after a really, really, REALLY long day. We left the hotel in Gliwice yesterday morning at 6:00 am, traveled to the airport in Krakow, and hung around the airport until our various flights left. Going home I wasn't traveling with the rest of the Chicago group, so after we checked in, we said our goodbyes before we headed to our separate gates. I hate saying goodbye. I flew from Krakow to Munich, Germany in a plane with propellers. Propellers. So small that we had to climb one of those rickety metal sets of stairs to get into it. Lots of praying going on for that hour or so. When I landed in Munich, I only had less than an hour to catch the next plane. And of course, the gate I needed was on the opposite end of the terminal. I took off on a run, and arrived sweaty and out of breath, and annoyed that I couldn't browse through all the cool stores I was flying pass. But now I have another stamp in my passport as proof that I really was in Germany. We boarded the plane, sans propellers, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Homeward bound at last.



Dad picked me up and I directed him to the nearest place that served hamburgers. I love Polsih food, but I must admit that after 10 days I was glad to see some beef again. And ice. I don't know how people from Europe can drink lukewarm beverages. Ugh. I do wish that I could have smuggled some kielbasa home. Man, that is the best stuff ever. Nothing here even comes close to it. But I doubt the US customs people would have let that go by undetected. *sigh*



So now I'm sitting in my living room, getting my internet fix, and trying to ignore the suitcase of dirty clothes sitting in front of me. Perhaps if I ignore it long enough it will unpack itself.

I must admit, I am glad to have my phone back. I felt quite adrift not being able to call and talk to family and friends. And not having my computer to be able to update and share a story right away was frustrating. Some nights when I got to the internet cafe I was too tired to think straight, and I know there are stories that I'm missing or forgetting. It makes me appreciate the luxuries that I have.


I have about three hundred pictures on my camera, so the next few days I'll be trying to catch up with those. I've tried to quickly update about the last three days in the posts below. I'm sure once I start looking at the pictures, I'll be adding more stories.