Day 95 ~ Back to Our Real Life...

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at least to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land. ~ G.K. Chesterton

April 27th came faster than we expected. The 94 days we though would never end passed by in a blur of fun, activity and adventures. We had to be out of Cabin #7009 by 7:50 AM,  so we rose early and went for one more breakfast on the fantail before meeting fellow disembarkees in the Cabaret Lounge.

We dropped by Kristy and David's cabin to say goodbye and leave them a couple of extra Cokes we had left over. The friends we made on this trip continue to be the enduring highlight of the journey. We hugged and promised to keep in touch (and maybe do this again together in 2021!)

We had a Princess transfer to the Ft. Lauderdale airport. After a trip through customs, three different porters, and a bus driver who was very vocal about the tips he expected (altogether about $50 between him and the various porters! In fact, the porters and driver in Florida were the most aggressive in demanding tips in all our travels), we arrived at the American Airlines Priority First counter (remember, we splurged on first class airfare) at 9:15 AM to check in for our 2:42 PM flight.

They wouldn't check us in. 

Don't let that smile fool you. He's just being nice. We were both pretty disgusted by this turn of events.

Apparently, we were too early. They couldn't take our bags or give us a boarding pass until 4 hours before our flight. So we stood there for an hour and a half (there were no chairs on the check-in level) feeling like neither a priority nor first class. After being treated like royalty for over three months, it was a dash of reality we weren't quite ready for. (Side note for other travelers: If we'd known about this 4 hour policy, we'd have bought a disembarkation tour and had one last adventure! Be sure to check on this when leaving a cruise.) 

Anyway, after we were finally checked in and made our way through TSA, our spirits lifted. We were going home! Our dear #1 Daughter was meeting us in St. Louis that evening and we'd spend the night in her Columbia, MO home being mobbed by our rolicking pack of granddogs. What could be better than that?

Couldn't resist sharing one last food picture. This Arabic breakfast features Greek yogurt, a falafal, pita bread, assorted olives, peppers and other veggies. Yum!

After breakfast with #1 Daughter & Daughter-in-Law at our favorite coffee house in Columbia, we pointed our noses south and headed for the Ozarks. We were delighted to discover that we hadn't missed spring! The woods along the highway were dotted with red buds and dogwoods in full glory.

And after seeing the karst rock strata in Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro, the layers of rock outcroppings along the way home were fascinating in a fresh way. I really need to learn more about geology to understand more about the history of our beautiful planet! 

Thinking about the water-starved United Arab Emirates, I was thankful afresh for the wide Missouri River and all its little tributaries that spread this life-giving liquid throughout several states.

Before this trip, I'd never realized just how precious dirt is. I mean, think about it. We are blessed with abundant topsoil in this country. We have more than enough arable land to feed our people, and extra to export to others. What incredible wealth! 

And not just abundant land for crops and livestock--the USA has been showered with other resources. Timber is big in the Ozarks. In fact, we're surrounded by the Mark Twain National Forest--oak, walnut, hickory--renewable wealth as far as the eye can see. And beneath the ground, we have oil, natural gas, coal, precious metals...oh! how much we've been given!

The Missouri state capitol building in Jefferson City

And we live in a free society. Whatever its faults, and they are many, we have a government that guarantees our rights. We're free to live, work and play as we choose. We can follow any religion or none at all. Our daughter and her wife aren't in danger of being arrested (or worse!) because they're gay. We are able to vote, to petition, to demand change. Power is passed from one administration to the next peaceably, relatively speaking. And in the meantime, we're free to say any silly thing we like. 

This is not a summation of our trip. It's too soon for me to have processed it all yet. These are just a few of my random, grateful thoughts about being home again. And I think I understand what Mr. Chesterton was talking about when he said the goal of travel was to set foot on your country as a foreign land. It means seeing home with clear eyes, not blind to its faults, but oh! with such thankful eyes.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be adding more pictures and hopefully some videos to the blog, along with some additional commentary I didn't have time for while I was on the Pacific Princess. When I get a week's worth done, I'll put up links to the "enhanced" posts in case you're interested. And if, by chance you've just discovered this blog, welcome! If you're planning a world cruise yourself, you might want to start back in the May 2017 posts when we first booked and began preparing for our trip.

More soon...

PS. Oh, oh, oh! Just gotta share that I actually LOST 7 pounds while we were on our world cruise. I credit my commitment to up my step count, which means I need to keep going and find ways to walk more now that I'm home.