Final Days

26.06.08
Today marked the beginning of the trip's end. Sight-seeing and touring was finished. After a light breakfast, Bryan, Ryan, and I walked to the central transportation hub of Rome: Termini. There were dozens of buses and a massive train/metro station. At 10:30 this place was already saturated with tourists and locals. We scrambled to find our bus, which departed at 10:40 for the airport, but we had no luck. Someone finally pointed us in the correct direction of our bus, alas it was too late. Just as our bus came into our view, it drove away.

Not a problem. Since we were in the central transportation of Rome, we knew there would be multiple ways we could get the airport. We jumped on the metro and rode until the final stop. From there, we took a convenient shuttle to the airport. Despite the fact that we missed the bus, we arrived at the airport in a similar amount of time and for only E2.20.

Having some spare time in the Rome airport, I bought a panini-type sandwich from a vendor with cheese and salami. As you can imagine, it was delicious. Sure the sit-down restaurants are good for the relaxing experience and ambiance, but one would truly miss out on some excellent food if he or she were to constantly avoid the vendors.

Plane to Madrid. No problems. In Madrid, we took the metro one stop to our hotel for the evening. Our hotel was about a 10 minute walk from the metro station, so we walked through a quiet suburb of Madrid. There were no tourists here, only locals. It was a nice little town and quite peaceful. The hotel was clean and comfortable. Bryan and Ryan watched some television, but I immediately fell asleep when we entered the room.

A few hours later, we walked down the street to a restaurant that had a television so we could watch the big soccer game: Spain vs Russia. We watched the entire first half, before returning to the hotel. Spain won the game 3-0, and we heard small fireworks going off after the victory.

Before falling asleep, the three of us reminisced about the previous few weeks. We discussed our favorite foods, who we became better friends with, the good times, the bad times, where we wished to stay longer, etc. It was a great way to spend the final night in Europe.

27.06.08
Today's flight was the one we could not miss. Thankfully, there were no problems in returning to the airport or with our luggage. I said "adios" to Madrid and jumped on an 8 hour plane ride back to the States. In retrospect, the plane ride was not too bad. I watched all three movies: The Bucket List (despite the poor writing, it made me cry at the end), Curious George (a plot would be appreciated), and Sabrina (meh).

The real highlight of this flight was the food! I am still baffled as to why airline food has such a bad reputation. Everything I ate on my flights was delicious. The first course included chicken, asparagus, pasta, roll, salad, and mini-apple cheesecake. The (unexpected) second meal was a bag of potato chips, chocolate-coconut candy, and a warm turkey & cheese sub. That second meal really sealed the deal on my love for airline food.

As we fly into the Newark, New Jersey airport, I saw New York City for the first time in my life. I have never been to New York City, but I would like to travel there. My first impression was one of disappointment. That's New York? It doesn't seem that big, I thought. I had this mentality until I saw Cleveland from the air later that night. I instantly revoked my thoughts and recognized the massive size of NYC.

Upon entering the U.S., I had an interesting conversation with the customs agent who stamped my passport.
U.S. Customs: "What's up, man?"
Me: "Hey."
(Hand him my passport)
Customs: "Aurora, huh? Where exactly is that?"
Me: "In Ohio, near Cleveland."
Customs: "Yeah, I know that, but where is it exactly?"
Me: "It's about 24 miles from downtown, near Solon and Twinsburg."
Customs: "Oh, right. I have an aunt who lives in Solon, but I am from Mentor."
Me: "Did you go to Mentor High School?"
Customs: "No, Mentor is way too big. I went to Benedictine."
Me: "Oh really? So you must know know Matt Patton?"
Customs: "Yeah, that dude is a punk."
Me: "Tell me about it."
Talk about a small world!

Bryan and I parted ways with Ryan in the airport who flew to Columbus later in the evening. Due to the ridiculous amount of air traffic generated from the New York City area, our flight was delayed for 2 hours on the runway. I was not too upset about the delay; however, I was concerned for Bryan who was in serious jeopardy of missing his flight to Kansas City. The one hour flight was painless, but Bryan was officially going to miss his flight... or was he? Upon landing in good ol' Cleveland, Ohio, the stewardess informed the passengers that all flights had left the airport for the night, except one. As it turns out, the flight to Kansas City was delayed for some unknown reason, which worked to Bryan's advantage. He was so excited about the news that he ran off the plan to the gate, ensuring his seat. In his excitement, he neglected to say goodbye to me, the individual he just spent nearly 7 weeks of his life with. Bryan sent me a text later in the night, so I guess that is just as good?

Waiting an eternity for my bags, falling asleep standing up, clothes tattered, and exhausted, I see my little bro pop up from the crowd of bystanders. I snatched my bag and went off with Chris, and I reunited with my family. We talked the entire ride home about my trip and the blog. I told them there would be a quiz over my trip, and they were all required to pass. I was happy to be with my family, again.

This concludes my European adventure; however, I ask that you please continue to read the blog for my final thoughts on the trip and the exciting future plans for Mis Viajes!