Day 1 Mediterranean Cruise
Ryan took me to the Amtrak station in the wee hours of the morning on a Thursday. We waited until they opened and then he took off to make it back in time for work. Well, an hour late but they were aware.
The Amtrak ride was good. Internet spotty. My seat companion was a very nice lady about my age and life experiences, but no kids. We were talking about our upcoming week and I happened to mention that I on the first leg of my journey to Barcelona. OH MY GOODNESS! She'd been there not long earlier and gave me all sorts of info on places to eat, things to see! The train had some problems and actually stopped for a couple hours while something was being fixed on it. From what I've been told that doesn't happen ALL the time but be thankful they took time to fix it! We both had to do some work on our laptops but when the internet conked out in dead zones, we chatted up a storm!
My sister and BIL met me in the Chicago suburb and my new friend and I parted ways cheerfully. Teresa asked about my train companion and you know what? I never even got her name! :) Oh well. It's not like we were going to be penpals or anything.
That evening, Teresa and Ken had a work dinner to attend so they asked their son and his family to babysit me. lol.
We had a tea party, played board games, ate pizza and watched tv together. It was a good time!
Teresa and Ken picked me up and I crashed hard back at their house.
Day 2 Mediterranean Cruise
I worked on my laptop for much of the day and in my free time, packed and repacked my suitcases. I had a large bag to check and another for carry-on. Teresa pulled out her scale and I was so surprised to find that my super heavy suitcase only weighed around 34 pounds! Doesn't leave much for souvenirs but that's ok for now! And my bulky carry on was well within the limits. WHEW! I did leave about 20 pounds of clothes in Teresa's guest room while we were gone though. Did I REALLY need that many pairs of jeans and extra shirts? Looking back now, I wish I hadn't left as much as I did. Oh well. Live and learn!
We three took off for O'Hare that afternoon. It had started to snow! Yikes! With only a 2.5 hour layover in Iceland, time was going to be close. Ruth Ann was on a bus ride from Wisconsin and met us at O'Hare before we went through TSA. We rushed to our terminal, we're that kind I guess! and then sat. I babysat the luggage while those three went for some supper. The flight was delayed 1.5 hours. uggh.
We finally got in the air and Ruth Ann promptly got a nose bleed! We managed to scrounge up enough napkins to help her out.
And DON'T believe these screens about the outside temp! I have no idea what is accurate up in the air, but it said that in Iceland, it was 172 degrees as we were taxi-ing to the terminal. I DON'T think so...
The movies were good but the seat screen in front of each of us was so close to our faces, especially if the guy ahead of us decided to recline his seat. But that's flying for you. It makes you appreciate the final destination so much better! And I may need new glasses for flights only.
We flew over Ireland and I got to snap a couple pics!
I'm glad I did.
Someday, I'll go back there!
Ok that's it for Day 1, 2 & a smidge of 3!
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