Homeward bound

We set our alarm for 6am this morning and we were downstairs in the dining room having breakfast by 7am. I was sad to be going home and wished we had a few days longer to enjoy Berlin. We booked a taxi for 7.45am and it arrived as we were checking out. We hoped he would be a better driver than the one we had on Monday evening!

He certainly was, and very friendly as well, chatting about Berlin and driving with a lot more care and attention! We made it to the airport just after 8am and were able to drop off our suitcase almost straight away. Security was busy and after quite a long wait we made it through to Departures. The airport was very hot and, as usual, there were hardly any seats about, but we managed to find a row of four so we marked out our territory and Sophie and I went off to the Duty Free to stock up on presents. I bought a litre bottle of Jameson's for Keith and a bottle of Campari for my mum to thank her for looking after the house and the cat while we were away. I also treated myself to a bottle of Grant's whisky.

Before long we were called to go down to the Gate and as ever, the plane hadn't even arrived yet. Being herded into a small area with no seats was not pleasant but we amused ourselves by feeding euros into a vending machine and enjoying some chocolate and water. I was fed up with carrying my heavy coat and bags and just wanted to get on the plane and sit down!

When we were called to board, somehow Keith and Mike went on far quicker than Sophie and I and by the time we'd got to our seats there was absolutely no room for our cabin bags. Luckily my bag (stuffed full of litre bottles of alcohol) fitted under the seat in front of me but we had to ask a stewardess to find a space for Sophie's. Grrrr!

Finally, everyone was in their seats and we took off for the flight home. I dozed for most of it and was very glad when we landed at around 11.30am UK time! We made it through passport control and I used the e-reader machines for the first time. They do save a bit of time as the other queues were very long.

All too soon, we were on the shuttle bus, into the car and on the motorway heading home. The weather was lovely and sunny but not nearly as cold as Berlin! Under pressure from the kids we called into McDonald's on Riverside for lunch and the whole area was heaving with people and cars... the world has gone mad!

Our house was freezing and it took us the whole afternoon to get it warm again! Monty was very pleased to see us and we spent the rest of the day unpacking and putting washing on. Back to reality!

Mum and Dad called to see us later in the afternoon and had a cup of tea and we recounted our adventures. I think my Mum had been very worried about us in Berlin but we had had a really great time and we never felt afraid.

In the evening Sophie and I went to give blood but I mentioned I had a headache so I wasn't allowed to donate. I felt a bit relieved, to be honest, as I have a very busy couple of days coming up and needed all my strength!