There’s no place like home…

Just going to borrow this image of Waiwera from John Murray, who has been keeping us up to date with the local news.

By the time you read this, Russ and I are safely, happily and very tiredly back in New Zealand.

As we were getting roadblocked every step of the way, with a medical application for oxygen availability – Russ made the decision that we would book with a different airline, not apply for oxygen, knowing they have it on board, and head home.

Booked to leave Monday 5th, Berlin time to Heathrow-Singapore-Sydney-AUCKLAND…. one more spanner in the works was thrown at us……a huge strike with ground staff at Heathrow airport, came out in the news , to be in effect Monday and Tuesday, our first stop, London!

Of all the luck the airport we chose was cancelling feeder flights for Monday left, right and centre!

So again plans change….after a two hour phone wait Sunday morning (and another cost) we changed flights again, quickly packed and headed to Heathrow on Sunday afternoon in readiness for the long haul on Monday night! So another two nights in another hotel, close to the airport. (We are really over this hotel life, I need a kitchen!)

London, airport suburbs, hasn’t got any prettier in the last 30 years, since I was there, and summer is still winter temperatures, flying visit of a day and a half, totally enough…but it was nice to be in an English speaking country, where we could respond at least somewhat intelligently (except for the house maid man, who asked me to speak to him in French – oh gosh really, nevertheless I tried)

And Monday evening rolled around and we were off (a little apprehensively – praying all from here on in would go to plan) Riding the public transport in the airports, everything from wheelchairs To electric tandem chairs, to the flint stones car! I got to ride most of them too.

Well, everyone, we are very weary, but have never been so happy to be home in familiar surroundings, even though it is cold. We have eaten too much, sat too much but made it in two tired old kiwi pieces! We both need a months R&R to recover from our unplanned adventures in Northern Europe…thanks for taking the ride with us and helping keep our heads above water.