Return to USA

            Saturday, 25 May 2013 – We sat our alarm for 5:30 AM, finished packing, and took a taxi to the airport.  The taxi cost us 25 Euros (about $33.00 US), but we couldn’t fathom navigating public transportation with our luggage that time of morning.  The first flight, from Hamburg to Amsterdam was delayed by 20 minutes due to a mechanical failure, but we arrived in plenty of time for our flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.  Security at the Amsterdam airport is very tight, so we were both scanned and patted down twice before boarding the plane.  We both watched a couple of movies to pass the time and to drown out the noise of the crying children sitting near us.   We also had a couple of good meals and a couple of glasses of wine.

            We had a four-hour layover in Detroit.  We were both very tired by then, but we worked on filing e-mails on our computer, which helped to pass the time.  We were able to access the internet and read the recent postings on Facebook.  We also completed reviews of our hotel stays and the Costa Cruise.  Of course, we complained about the Costa staff confiscating our wine!  Except for that, all of our ratings were pretty favorable.  We had a really good cruise.

            Marge was waiting at the Moline airport when we arrived, and drove two very tired travelers back to Bettendorf.  We hate to end this trip on a bad note, but this afternoon we heard some very bad news.  Apparently, our friend Marge fell down some stairs, broke her neck, and passed away yesterday (Sunday, 26 May 2013).  She was such a good friend and we will miss her dearly; but we are sure that she is now in a better place.  Please pray for the rest of us, Marge!

THE END