And We're Home...

Didn’t keep the pact last night…I dozed off around 3:30 and slept for about 45 minutes before everyone got up and showered to prepare for the long day ahead. Chris, Bert and I loaded our stuff and made it downstairs around 5:15 as we were to head to the airport around 5:30 am…Yes A.M. The girls arrived and we all checked out and were presented with breakfast boxes full of all kinds of goodies. Not wanted to carry anymore bags, we all consumed the contents immediately and threw some of the leftovers in other bags. Around 5:45, Bert started pacing because no one had arrived to take us to the airport. Catherine called Juan Jesus who was already at the airport waiting for us and was highly upset because the bus he arranged was supposed to be out in front of the hotel at 5. We all began to wonder but sometime around 6:30 we found a bus driver wandering around in the vicinity of our road…Yes our flight is supposed to leave at 8. Finally we make it to the airport where Juan Jesus is standing with his hands folded across his chest (he was not happy). He puts on a smile for us and quickly moves us to the line for check-in. Everyone gets checked in but Tong and I get caught in a line with a guy at the counter who must have been in training because he took forever even when his boss was standing watching over his shoulder. He took what seemed like twelve hours before he finally got us checked in for the flight and we took off running to make it through the security checkpoint. When we cleared security, we learned that Catherine had been caught with a bottle of rum in her carry on baggage and had to throw it away. We gave Juan Jesus a hug and thanked him for the entire trip and promised we would all see him soon. A four hour place ride to Munich was very uneventful as we experienced a smooth flight. We passed through passport control and headed to the flight counter to check in for our next flight. Carla and I did some last minute shopping and when we returned the group had already boarded the place. Chris, Bert and Catherine were upgraded to business class and as the rest of us boarded the plane we found them sitting in the “nice seats.” We settled in for the eight hour flight and most of us slept the entire ride to DC. We arrived in Washington, the land of cell phone usage, cleared customs and headed for baggage claim. Everyone got their luggage except for I was missing one bag which the guard assured me would be delivered to my house by fedex tomorrow morning…we will see if that happens. A two hour layover went by quickly as we all experience a little bit of American food…nothing like it…and finally boarded the plane around 9:30. After a final video of us boarding the plane, we sat and enjoyed the tranquility of the thought of heading home. We arrived in Greenville about an hour and a half later to greeting from family and friends. There’s no place like home...maybe Tenerife…

Last day of Island Life...

A late morning began at Suzie’s house where I met Carla and Tong for breakfast after I had made sure that all of my stuff was packed. We loaded into the car and headed down town to start our day at Casa de Colon (Colon is the Spanish word for Columbus). When we arrived, we learned from Catherine and Marian that Alfredo was running late because of the strike that his company is dealing with by the emergency vehicle workers on the islands…He was to bring Chris and Bert but has not been able to get away from the office. We decide to walk down and find some coffee and as soon as the drinks arrive, the rest of the gang shows up. They join us for café and Alfredo runs back to work as we make our way to the house that Christopher Columbus built. Through the different diagrams in the museum, we learn that Columbus stopped in the Canaries in 1492 before he sailed the ocean blue. After his maiden voyage and much success, he stopped here on each trip thereafter. This house is full of interesting information as well as artifacts. We tried to take pictures but were each fussed at by the security guard. After the tour, Suzie walked us through the streets of the old part of the city. We stopped at several shops and enjoyed the beautiful day while we took a leisurely stroll through town. The time passed quickly and soon we were met by Manolo who led us to the Canario Museo where we saw many relics from the aborigines who inhabited the island and lived in small caves throughout the islands. Over the past four weeks, we have seen a lot of this and could probably teach a course on the Guanches and their lifestyles in the olden days. When we had seen all of the mummies and the clay pottery, we followed our leader as he meandered through the streets and into the shopping district. Nobody purchased anything except for ice cream…of course we needed ice cream.
It was getting late, so the team went separate ways to have lunch and get their bags transferred to the hotel. Suzie took me, Carla and Tong while Bert, Chris and Catherine went with Manolo. After we made our last effort to fit more stuff into our already overweight suitcases, Suzie treated us to some tapas at a local restaurant. We enjoyed peppers, potatoes, croquettes and a nice little dish that included eggs, potatoes, cheese and sausage. Once the food was consumed, we grabbed a cab and loaded all of the luggage (half in Suzie’s car and half in the cab…yeah that much luggage) and headed to the hotel. We checked in and were met in the lobby by Manolo who had set gotten us tickets to the Futbol game in town at 5:30. Of course we were in VIP section in the shaded box seats where we met Farzad (an old friend from a couple of days ago) and sat down to watch the game. The crowd was loud and we understood why after we learned that they have had a bad season thus far and if they were to lose this game they would be bumped down to a lower level league (as the worst team is sent down a league each year to keep the competition going). We must have been good luck charms because within the first ten minutes of the game, Las Palmas had scored two goals and held the 2-0 lead going into halftime. Sometime during the second half, the red team scored a goal but our home team (they wore yellow and blue) held on to win, even scoring a third goal in the final minutes on an amazing goal that barely made in it.
We followed the 18,000 plus people out of the stadium singing and cheering all the way up the hill. Since there were not any taxis available, Manolo suggested that we do some shopping in the mall for a little bit before we headed home. Catherine and I stayed and got a few items for people back home and we all agreed to meet at Manolo’s house on the beach for dinner at 9. We had all made a pact to stay up all night because we were to leave for the airport at 5:30 and there was really no point in going to bed…As we walked into the beach house, I realized that the majority of us were not going to be able to keep the pact. Our bodies are completely worn out and as we ate some dinner, everyone could tell that we were dragging. We enjoyed a wonderful final fiesta with our friends from Gran Canaria including Alfredo, Argirios, Suzie and our host Manolo and his wonderful wife Donna. After many hours reliving our experience and talking with all of the new friends we have made, we each left and headed back to the hotel…some earlier than others. At this moment it is close to 3 am and I have made the decision to keep the pact but it looks as if no one else is joining me…