"Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Home again, home again, jiggity-jog

Well, we're home in Chapel Hill safe and sound.

From Edinburgh we flew back to Amsterdam, collected our bags from the airport lockers, repacked and spent one more night in limbo. We took the train into the center of Amsterdam until it was time to close up shop, and then returned to the airport to try and get a bit of sleep. We saw one couple who created a king sized bed out of a blanket and sleeping bags, pretty lush accommodations. We opted for benches. But when 7am rolled around we were reprimanded by airport security and told to "Sit up!" It was a rude awakening.

Yesterday our flights, connections, customs and security all went swimmingly. Messing around on my phone while checking in for our long flight from Amsterdam to Boston, I realized that Delta allows you to make special requests for your in-flight meal. They have a list of 20-some very specific diets you can choose, from kosher to Southeast Asian. Katie and I decided to be adventurous, checked vegan reasoning that we might be served something less apt to cause heartburn, and hoped for the best. Truth being told, it wasn't bad. We were served tofu marinated in a tomato sauce with rice and mint pea mash on the side, along with the freeze dried bread and salad on the side of course. We were pleasantly surprised with our meal, but while everyone else was served ice cream for dessert we got grapes, so you take your pick.

We arrived to Raleigh unscathed, but tired. We were greeted by Katie's dad and by my sister, Ida. It was really great to see and hug familiar faces.

It's weird to be home mostly because it feels relatively normal. While we might have had a an adventure of a lifetime (notice my wording, I refuse to say the adventure of a lifetime because that would imply singular, one), there aren't any immediate earth-shattering changes. We've experienced and learned so many new things that we will continue to experience and learn from for the rest of our lives. It's impossible to lump-sum it all into one event or trip and say "that happened." The things we tasted, the people we met, loved (and hated), the things we saw and were mesmerized (and the things we questioned the allure of), the snafus, the moments that were hilarious as they happened and the ones that will be someday, the savvy, less than savvy, the ignorant, and cultured, all of this will stay with us forever. The trip didn't just happen, it will be alive and well for a long time to come.

We hope you enjoyed following us and our adventure. We plan to keep blogging about our more local adventures in the near future, so check back every now and again to see what we're up to! This certainly isn't the end, if anything it's whetted our appetites for more.

Cheers,

Will and Katie

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