I have been home from my trip for almost a week. The journey back went smoothly. I woke up on Sunday at 4 am and took a quick shower. My bag was already packed from the night before. I lugged my suitcase down all 77 steps of Lora's apartment (better than lugging it up!) and walked to the train station, where I hopped on the 4:51 leg to the airport. Once there, I checked in and had plenty of time, so I bought more chocolate. I had more euros, so I figure I might as well put it to good use, because I'll never get a great rate when exchanging them back. 

The flight from Brussels to Istanbul was three hours and went quickly . I was a little concerned as my layover in Istanbul was only an hour and 10 minutes. Luckily, we arrived a little early and my connection gate wasn't too far. This time I was in the upper level of the Istanbul airport, and that was even busier than the lower level. It was crowded, hot and just not enjoyable. After checking in and going through screening to Chicago, I sat down next to a woman who was in Israel and heading back to Chicago. She had missed her connection from Tel Aviv the day before and told me that Turkish airlines wanted her to pay $900 for that day's flight to Chicago. She said her flight was late leaving Tel Aviv. She spent the night at the airport. (yuck!) I couldn't believe it, but I was happy to hear she refused and they gave her the ticket. She said everyone at the airport was rude and not helpful, which I had read about. I'm so glad I made my connection so I didn't have to go through that experience. It might be something to keep in mind if I fly Turkish Airlines again. Although if I were stranded in Istanbul for a day, I would probably find a cheap hotel and go explore instead of hanging in the airport, if possible . As far as Turkish airlines, I didn't have any issues with the actual flight experience. The food was decent, the attendants were pleasant enough, the entertainment was fine, and I liked the little slippers they gave us.  

The almost 12-hour flight to Chicago felt very long, and by the end I really wanted off that plane. I watched three movies and tried to stay awake so I could sleep once I got home. The time just dragged. The air felt stuffy. I was so happy when we were under our final hour of flight time. Customs in Chicago was fast, I got my bag and then took the shuttle to Milwaukee, where Emily picked me up. By the time we picked up Bailey, it was 11:30 pm, but I crashed right away. I was tired this week, but it went better than I expected. I'm usually always a bit tired when coming back.

Once again, I don't have any complaints about the trip. I never felt like I was in danger or had anything stolen. Flights and trains were on time. The worst part was probably not feeling the greatest, but I think that is minor. Belgium and it's awesomeness actually surprised me a bit. It's a beautiful country with some amazing cities. Romania did not surprise me at all. It was everything I thought it would be and more.  

 I wanted to share some pics of Peles Castle, as I was unable to upload photos from my camera when I visited. It was a truly amazing place. I have never seen anything like it. I also wanted to share some of my souvenirs. 

In the meantime, it's back to work, to life, to Bailey the dog.
Thanks, as always, for reading and coming along with me!
-Jamie