Home Again (but ready to go back)

In 14 days we were in 7 different countries – England, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.  By my calculations we sailed on a boat 1796 nautical miles, flew 10,072 miles and drove 200 miles.  We traveled by boat, bus, plane, and car.  I also figured I sat on approximately 184 different toilets in 14 days.  As they say in the commercial – “priceless.”

Thanks to Patrick, I came home to a house cleaner than the one I left.  Kevin staged an intervention and cleaned out my refrigerator.  I washed 8 loads of clothes on Saturday.  Bill’s first American culinary urge when we got back was BBQ and mine was bacon and turnip greens.

Due to heavy bags, we spent about $166 in overage fees and shipping clothes home.  I left about 12 pounds of goodies in Edinburgh to lighten our bags – umbrellas, hair dryer, curling iron, jelly beans I was taking to a friend, shoes, and a blouse that Bill said didn’t look good on me.  By the way, Bill, I don’t like the way a few of your Bass Pro shirts looked on you but didn’t tell you to put them in the garbage! We mailed our package ($86) from Edinburgh on Monday and it was home before we were on Friday.  Note to Bill – DO NOT ship home dirty underwear and socks.  I hate that I was the first one to open that box!

From this trip, I know these things to be true:

1. If you are seated next to a chatty Irishman, pretend you are asleep.  If he is cuddling you inappropriately, pretend you are asleep and it is Brad Pitt touching you.
2. You can in fact have 4 bags of potato chips for your 3 meals a day.
3. I appreciate my big washer and dryer.  In the homes in Northern Ireland, they are miniature and can wash one pair of socks and two pair of underwear at a time.
4. I never want to hang my bras on a clothesline in Ireland again.  It almost reached the ground.  Roberta put a tea towel over them so no one would notice, but I really needed a beach towel.
5. Plan for it to rain.  In fact plan for it to rain 12 out of 14 days.  Make sure you have a good raincoat because an umbrella just does not work.  Naturally you plan all of your touring thinking there will be beautiful sunshine.  Stick to your plans and get wet.  You can dry your underwear out with a hair dryer.
6. If you don’t have knee trouble before you leave, you will when you get back.
7. Travel makes your world bigger.  You meet new people and get to “live” history.  There is no better education than travel.
8. I am grateful for the friends I made on this trip and for my “family,” the Lyles, in Northern Ireland.  There is another Terri Dean in the world and her name is Roberta Lyle.  No one can make me laugh like she does.
9. Don’t put off travel “until you have the money.”  You will never get to go anywhere.  Dream a dream and you will find ways to save the money.
10. Bill, you do not need shorts in Scandinavia, Northern Ireland, or Scotland this time of year.


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