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| Resting after a long 10 days of walking |
We had an early flight, so we were up extra early. I think we had breakfast though I can’t remember. We dragged our bags across the road to the main terminal and got checked in. When we checked the news, it confirmed that all air traffic through or even over France was stopped due to the general strike. It was a good thing Mike had re-routed our flights, but we were worried about the timing. From touchdown in New York we had just 90 minutes to get through immigration, get my checked bag, re-check my back, then go back through security, and run to our gate. That was allot in a very short time.
But for now, we just needed to check my bag and go through Greek security. There were no issues and we soon found ourselves waiting at the gate. Mike tried to get us into a Delta affiliate lounge, but since I only remember sitting in a humid waiting room, it was either too far away or we didn't have enough time.
I don’t remember much about the flight. I know I watched a couple of movies, and I managed to get 3 or 4 hours of sleep.
When we landed in JFK we tried hard to get off the plane as quickly as possible, then power walked past as many people as we could, but several flights had arrived at the same time, and the hall was packed with people. When we got to immigration, Mike headed off for the Global Entry line. I didn’t have Global Entry, so I joined the peon line and waited, and waited. It moved steadily but it wound back and forth about 8 times down a long hallway.
I think it took over an hour for me to get through, and the agent barely looked at my passport before waving me on. Mike was waiting and already had my bag, so we sprinted to check-in to drop my bag, then to security. We arrived at our gate before the flight departed, but they’d already closed the doors and they weren't budging.
The only flight left that night that would work for us was a flight to Denver, but it arrived very late. We switched to that flight then went to grab snacks and drinks before the flight. The rest of the travel was a blur until we arrived in Denver.
It was very late and Nannette’s vision wouldn't allow her to drive at night, so we checked into the hotel at Denver Airport, the Westin, with its sweeping tent roof that looks like a fleet of sails .
Mike’s flight back to Salt Lake was at 6:00am so he got up extra early and we said our goodbyes. It had been an extraordinary trip and we were both sad to see it end. He headed back into the airport, and I went back to sleep.
Once I got home, I spent many hours describing the trip to Nan and showing pictures - my substitute for the blog I hadn't written. I should have written it right then but I still didn't have the motivation. I think my mother would have loved this blog.
I think Nan asked me what my favorite thing of the whole trip was. I don't remember if I gave her an answer, but I doubt it. We saw so many 10 out of 10 things that it's impossible to really compare them. Even now, I've spent hours looking through photos trying to dredge up the memories and even more time talking to Mike about the trip so I could write this, and I still can't pinpoint any one museum or ruin that eclipsed the rest. When you see something extraordinary multiple times a day for 10 days in a row, you might get blasé about it but that's not how it felt and not how it feels now. I just remember the awe I felt and the realization of the importance of those places and things. Doing a trip like this with a great friend just makes it much better. So that's my answer, my favorite thing of the trip was going with a great friend and sharing all these experiences.
Thanks Mike
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