A Long Overdue Wrap - Part Two

After a dodgey start in a dodgey taxi, we quickly found our way to our final hotel. And when we walked in, we nearly walked straight back out - surely this wasn't the right place?? It was quite amazing and looked somewhat out of our price range - but I'd pre-booked back at the family's and had a reference code, so let's just see...

Turns out we were in the right place and as we made our way up to the 16th floor, I was quite excited! We opened the door and I felt like someone 'upstairs' was making up for that stupid journey from New York to Mark and Tracy's house. We had a view straight over the Chicago River and had a couple of the most comfortable beds we'd had the pleasure of sleeping in across the country. (Bar The Jensen's of course!)

Everything was pretty perfect, apart from our stomach's telling us they needed something to satisfy them, so we went off in search of food... and after finally managing to find our way out of the mall that the hotel was attached to, we found something to eat and skated home.

And this is where I tell you the secret we've been keeping from you since Washington D.C... we changed our flights home and are leaving America for England a good 10 days early, which means we're going home the day after tomorrow! Nobody but my obedient brother knows (someone had to pick me up from the airport!) and I am so very excited!

So, last full day, I woke up relatively late, Cal had gone for a swim (The only indoor heated pool and I sent my swim wear home in that box back in Jacksonville, Florida!) and I got ready for a bit of sightseeing-come-shopping. Unfortunatey it started to rain, but we perservered and took in the skyline of Chicago. We meandered our way through the crowd on the Magnificent Mile, bobbing in and out of Crate And Barrel, The Disney Store and a few souvenir shops for those final presents for home, and took a walk down to the shore of Lake Michigan. But then the rain picked up and then so did the wind, so we headed back 'inland' and agreed we'd seen enough of Chicago to deem it fit to go and sit in the cinema out of the rain! Along the way we saw the stereotypical jazz clubs, the blues clubs and the... English pubs! And after taking in our final film of the travels, we headed back to the hotel for a spot of packing and our final meal!

I had such a mix of emotions running through my head whilst packing for the last time, I was so very excited to go home and see the faces I love and had missed; but I in no way wanted to end the adventure.

We splashed out a bit then on one of the best meals I'd had in America...just to ease the emotional rollercoaster, of course! We took a table in the hotel's own restaurant and felt like part of the Belagio crowd as we were waited on. A few drinks later, a few perfectly cooked scallops later, and a few more dollars down later, we went back to our room and ordered room service!!! Something I've never done before and something I'd never do again! But at that point, I didn't really mind that it took 45 minutes to bring an incorrect order and then charge 50% more than a normal glass of wine and bottle of beer usually costs... but never mind, we were celebrating the end our our American journeys and the start if those that would take us home.

6 am came with a hangover as did the rather brash alarm from my phone telling me to get out of bed and go back to England! So that we did. We got to O'Hare airport, me, again having to pay a ludicrous amount to make up for the fact that my bag now equalled Callum's weight. Not Callum's bag, but Callum himself.

After O'Hare to Newark, we had a four hour lay over, easy peasy lemon squeezy - we'd waited before, this was child's play - we were pro's at waiting! We grabbed a bite to eat, read a little - you know the drill and then Continental Airlines welcomed us on board.

As we took off, it was amazing to know that in six and a half hours, we'd be landing in Manchester to see my brothers face and Cal's dad's. Six and a half hours was again, child's play! We'd travelled for much longer in one day when we were on the road. We left each other to it, and watched a few films. Callum laughing at me, as for some reason, I'd elected 'Philadelphia' as my film of choice - and every twenty minutes or so, I'd be blubbing and weeping and sniffing and generally making a bit of a show of myself!

And then we arrived. And although I know my brother loves me and had missed me, I knew he didn't love me at that point as it was early, and he'd had to leave his house a lot earlier, and he was tired!!

So Callum and I said goodbye, I got in the car - on the wrong side, of course and I went home. And that, my friends, was the end of the trip.



So...

Miles travelled in Car - 5558
Miles travelled on Coach - 2172
Miles travelled on Train - 564
Total Miles Travelled - 8294!

Cars Hired - 4
Buses Taken - 9

Favourite Place - Utah/Captiva/Traverse City
Worst Place - Miami Beach
Favourite Moment - Getting to America, Driving through the desert, Arriving in Captiva, Christmas
Worst Moment - Cancelled Buses in Detroit

Number of arguments - 3
Number of laughs - Too many to count
Number of films seen - 18
Number of films seen in the Kodak Theatre, home to the Oscars - 2
Number of Western Saddled Horse Treks with Genuine Marlboro' Man - 1
Number of Al Capone's Houses seen in Michigan (That I didn't tell you about) - 1

Scariest Place - New Mexico/Washington DC
Scariest Moment - Taxi Drive in Detroit

Alcohol Units Consumed - Many
Dollars Spent - Many

Bag weight at start - 45lbs
Bag weight at end - 65 lbs

Good time - Yes
Do it again - Yes
Anything different - No

Thanks for reading guys!

Jen