This is the post I like writing least. The adventures are over and the only thing left to do is pack up and spend an entire day traveling. Not very exciting but necessary nevertheless.
We actually had to set and alarm today – oh, the horror! – in order to make sure we got to Edinburgh airport on time. We are always warned about needing extra time because Frank can’t check in on line because the websites and apps don’t know how to deal with his green card. So we hit the road early and had the rental car back and were in the terminal by 8:30 for a 10:55 flight. And then we waited. First the queue to check in and get rid of the big bags. We managed to be under the 22kg limit for both bags – Frank’s was 20.2 and mine 20.9 – even with all the stuff we were bringing home. Then we queued for security. TSA precheck doesn’t mean anything in foreign airports so no shortcuts there. Then we waited to board. This time it was a real Delta flight so even though it was just a 757, we had a good experience: always too little leg room but the seats were comfy, the wine was free, and there was only 6 hours and 45 minutes to kill before landing in JFK. This means I got through Rocketman and Toy Story 4 as well as finishing my book.
We figured landing in JFK had to be better than Newark but maybe not by much. The queues in the immigration hall were unbelievable:
Travel tip #38: The $100 fee for Global entry is worth it just to avoid the hour long wait in JFK once. We were out in 10 minutes but the regular queues had 45-60 minute waits!
Then we claimed the bags, rechecked them, went back through security and got to wait for our flight to Rochester. Good thing; we got upgraded to comfort plus which meant more leg room for the whole 45 minutes we would be in the air. Bad thing: a one hour delay while they fixed something with the bathroom. We finally arrived just after 6pm (or 11pm Scotland time) where we were met by wonderful friends who loaded all our crap in the car, took us to meet other friends for dinner and then safely deposited us and our belongings back at the house in time for us to be sound asleep by 9:30pm
And now the great adventure is over for this year. It was wonderful and different, exhilarating and exhausting. It’s the longest trip we’ve taken in ages and I confess that the thing that makes coming home even nicer is seeing Buddy’s wagging tail again. Never thought I’d miss a dog so much. Until next time!
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