Homecoming
Okay, I know the pictures a little odd. But this is the kind of mood we were in on our last day in Heidelberg. I think it sets up the story of an eight-hour flight quite well, don't you?
We got up at about 3:58 the next morning instead of 4, because Thleen is either psychic or she heard someone else's wake up call. We stumbled out into the lobby at 4:45, not terribly aware of anything that was going on, and were handed our sack breakfasts. As you can see from the picture, food at all that early was not terribly appetizing. After being asked all sorts of inane questions and going through all the procedure of leaving the country, we said goodbye to Kathleen and caught our flight. For an eight-hour flight, it wasn't terrible, but for one thing, we were all expecting to be able to fall asleep on the plane. Not very many of us were that lucky, myself included. So instead we watched Sweet November and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and tried not to cry (not because of the movies, of course; just out of sheer tiredness).
After going through more customs at Chicago, we somehow all got the urge to stuff as much greasy food as we could handle. (God bless America, home of the free and the most grease per capita of any nation in the world.) We all found out that eating a lot wasn't really the best idea, but I suppose we were all just glad to be so close to home...and felt the need to celebrate with food. At any rate, we got on the plane bound for Indianapolis, and most of us conked out the second we sat down. After only a short 35-45 minute flight, we were home again, and we met our families and friends at the gate. I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was great to see them again, but at the same time, I think we all would've liked to stay in Europe a little longer. Well, that's the end of my adventures in Europe. I guess my final thought is, be sure to take any chance you get to go, because it was definitely one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. Hope you enjoyed hearing about it!
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