Every end holds a new beginning...

The end of vacation comes as suddenly as Christmas, wedding anniversary or wife's birthday! No one thinks about it, and suddenly it's there!

Just a moment ago we were whale watching, and now we're packing our suitcases and backpacks into the car, entering the airport into the navigation system, and the nostalgia begins...

To avoid falling into vacation-ending depression, we decided to go to the beach one last time before returning the rental car. Since our flight wasn't until 8:00 PM, we had plenty of time.

So my navigator entered the coordinates of a beautiful beach in Boston, and off we went.

We bought our lunch in a supermarket between Cape Cod and Boston, then we visited a Walmart to buy a luggage strap (we were afraid Aaron's fully packed suitcase could burst), and by 2:00 PM we were at the beach.

There we could recharge our energy for the long flight across the pond...

After two hours, we packed up and started our last leg of the journey: from the beach to the airport!

Once there, we returned the rental car, jumped on the shuttle to the departure terminal, and soon we were at the Lufthansa check-in counter. Checking in our luggage unexpectedly went smoothly. We maximized the allowed weight limit down to the last milligram. To save weight, we wore all four pairs of pants and five shirts. Aaron was so dressed up, we could roll him through the airport.

But it was necessary to dress so warmly. It seems that the airport in Boston is operated by Eskimos. The air conditioning was set so cold that instead of selling cold cola, they sold mulled wine.

We saw an American family with Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops, frozen stiff while waiting for an elevator. They must have been frozen there for quite some time, as the son was wearing a Walkman with a cassette, and the daughter had colorful ankle warmers. It was so cold that the American dad probably wanted to light a cigarette before being shocked by the frost, but even the lighter froze...

We were searched at the security checkpoint because the security personnel thought we were smuggling pants. But after ten minutes, we cleared this last hurdle as well. After some time, our plane appeared...

...and we took one last look at Boston...

And in the blink of an eye, we were back in Good Old Germany!

Well, first back in Bavaria. The plane was changed, and an hour later we landed in Düsseldorf.

At the baggage carousel, we got a shock! Aaron's suitcase looked like the polar bears at the Boston airport mistook it for an albino seal!!!

Since we bought some canned food, it probably made him look suspicious and it was detonated.

At least, that's how it looked. In reality, the faces of the Homeland Security opened it, searched it, and didn't close it again. Instead, it was wrapped with kilometers of tape and sent on its way. Fortunately, except for two small candy tins, nothing was missing...

Our dear neighbor Frank picked us up with his huge station wagon, and by 2:00 PM we were back in our house.

Our cat Filou didn't believe that we didn't bring any cat food and checked for himself...

We were naturally extremely tired. To prevent us from all lying asleep on the parquet floor at 4:00 PM, my dear sister Claudia and my favorite nephew Hendrik came with grilled meat and kept us awake until evening. Then it was time to lie down....

So what is the conclusion of the past twenty days?

Great weather, breathtaking landscapes, wonderful cities and villages, as well as new acquaintances with kind and nice people.

We traveled about three thousand kilometers by car, and 380 by ferry.

We consumed about 15 liters of beer, ate 17 lobsters and half a cow, and ten chickens were slaughtered so that we could eat their wings and drumsticks. Although, technically, they were only their legs and wings, they could still be alive.

We didn't meet Donald Trump, but we met plenty of people who trust an amoeba to have more brain cells than him.

Those were wonderful days! Already on the return flight, we knew: the next flight will go to Halifax!

And when?

...we'll see...

But one thing is certain: I will continue to bear witness, to educate, inform, and awaken!

So check back every now and then, maybe we'll be back over there faster than we believe ourselves.....