Homeward Bound

HOMEWARD BOUND

“I'm sittin' in the railway station
Got a ticket for my destination . . .”

The final day of my most marvelous and great adventure had arrived, and I was very sad to see it all come to an end.  The trip exceeded my expectations in every way.  I kept thinking how grateful I was to everyone who helped make it all possible and grateful to have had this incredibly wonderful experience.  (Look to the end of the post for the acknowledgements.) 

Glenys prepared a most excellent breakfast that included a delicious omelet and salad.  Ramy was so kind and took time off from work to drive me (accompanied by Glenys) to Penn Station.  Sonia returned from taking Sofia to school, and we said “good-bye” and “adios” until the next time we’re together. 

On the drive to the station we passed by the Hudson River and other areas I hadn’t seen in the daylight.  I hope to return to New York City to experience it again.  And again.  And again.  (For the record, I’d love to repeat my Gone with the Wind experience, too.  It was all just too magical and memorable!)

Ramy stopped across the street from the station and Glenys and I dashed inside.  Once I assured Glenys that I could manage to find the correct train, we hugged and said, “Good-bye.”  I did find the right train and boarded as soon as I was able. 

The train was packed, and I didn’t get two seats like I’d had a few days earlier.  I watched the scenery and read.

Susan picked me up in front of Union Station after fighting her way through Cherry Blossom Parade traffic.  We took a circuitous route out of downtown because of parade detours.  I enjoyed seeing parts of the area I would have never otherwise seen.  She took me to one of her favorite food spots—Elevation Burger.  The lettuce-wrapped burger was quite tasty, as were the fries.  I’m sure the shake would have been yummy, too, but when I saw the calorie count listed on the menu board, I opted for water.

We went to Susan’s house in Vienna to get my boarding pass (thanks for printing it, Susan!) and GWTW souvenir-filled bag, and then drove to the airport.  I was sad to bid farewell to my dear cousin. 

It seemed that Dulles Airport was the size of Rhode Island.  Going through security took quite a while.  Then I had to make my way to the area where I took some sort of tram/shuttle/thing to get to the gate.  I wanted to stop at a book shop and get a book because I knew I’d run out of reading material about 20 minutes into the flight, but I didn’t have a lot of time.  I grabbed the first magazine (a recipe collection) I saw, bought it, and hurried to the gate.  The boarding process was well underway, so I immediately boarded, got settled in my seat and finished my book shortly after take-off.  That left the next five hours with little to do except read and reread and reread the magazine recipes.  I should have taken more time to browse the book shop.  I even watched Parental Guidance, the in-flight movie.  It was a good and funny one.

Of course, I landed safely and am alive to tell the tale of my wonderful, grand, glorious and perfect two-part adventure.  I can hardly wait for the next one.  Maybe my husband will accompany me.

Acknowledgements:

To Lance for his willingness to be Mr. Mom and indulge my fantasy and not complain.  To Sara and Mark for being without a mother for 10 days, and especially Sara for not fretting that I wasn’t around to help her celebrate her birthday and bake her a cake. 

To Susan, master road-trip planner, tour guide, amazing and perfect traveling companion.  I had so much fun with this lovely cousin of mine!  She had traveled many of those roads the previous week when she went with her family on spring break, and she did it again for me!  I’d accompany Susan on any trip!

To Joe and Daniel for sacrificing their time with Susan, their wife and mother, and for sacrificing a trip to the Final Four.

To cousins Mark and Cindy and family for opening their home to us, and entertaining and feeding us.  You're some of my favorite people, and so very talented and gracious!

To Uncle David for providing the courage and inspiration to do some of the zany things Susan and I did.

To Sonia, Glenys, and Sofia who made the second part of my journey so delightful and perfect, and for spoiling me rotten.  I felt like a queen, an honored guest.  They went out of their way and welcomed me with open arms.  They let me know by their words and actions that their home was my home.

To Ramy for the personalized taxi service to and from Penn Station, and to both Ramy and Amparo for taking us to dinner.  The evening with them was just great (and tasty)!

To Rachelle and Nelson for helping behind the scenes with my trip.