Sunday, June 7 – Going home!

We lugged our bags to the shuttle stop and got right on one.

Stephanie and Ruth moving along with their stuffed luggage.

The airport had a few confusing moments (the electronic check-in didn’t work too well, everyone needed assistance from the staff). I just made it under the weight limits (even with all the books I had!). Ruth wasn’t so lucky, but knew it would be coming. Jim didn’t make it at first, but was able to shift some things around in the bags and not have to pay extra. Once through security the gate wasn’t announced, so we hung out in the first waiting area we came to until it was finally announced.

Jim, Kelli, and Ruth passing time, waiting for our gate to be announced, in Milano Malpensa Airport

Right: Me with a life-size Lego Hagrid near the gates.

The flight went well, great hospitality again. It was cloudy, but they broke up a little near the beginning of the flight and I got a shot of the Valle d’Aosta from the air!

Valle d'Aosta from the air. Fitting to see our first stop again on the way home. We went up and down its length many times during our stay there.

We didn’t have long in the Amsterdam airport, we had to go straight to the gate. And a good thing too, as they were doing an extra inspection of everyone on our flight for some reason.

Sculpture of exhausted, slumped travelers in the Amsterdam Airport - just what we would have liked to be doing!

The long flight to Minneapolis was, well, long. There were great movies to choose from though. Our Minneapolis layover seemed to take forever (being at the end of such a wonderful, marathon of a trip). So close to home, yet just far enough! We had dinner and attempted more photo exchange, worried that the storms our family members reported in Iowa could delay (or even cancel, that late at night) our flight. It was delayed, although not as much as we thought (the time on our tickets was the old time of the final flight into Waterloo). The flight was pretty turbulent, but we made it! (the poor attendant attempting to deliver snacks without falling over – she was very good at it!). Met by families, we waited for bags and parted ways.

The end of one fantastic trip!