Heading Home - Nothing Beats Sleeping in Your Own Bed

 

Leaving Athens early in the morning - when the full moon is setting

Thursday, July 14 - Trip Day 15

Today it's time to go home after a beautiful, exhilarating and relaxing two week vacation.  We had to get up at 2:50 AM to check in for our 6:30 AM Swiss Air flight.  It seems a bit early to us, but the travel agency had arranged for a 3:30 AM pick up - and we were at the Athens airport by 4 AM.  And the Swiss Airlines counter wasn't even open yet!

It's 3 AM and the Honor Guard is marching in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Taxi dropping us off at 4 AM for our 6:30 AM flight from Athens

By around 4:30 AM, the Swiss Air Lounge was open, and we had some coffee and tea. Our  flight to Zurich would be about 2 and a half hours long. The best part of the morning was watching the full moon set in a pastel pink and blue sky as we took the bus to board our airplane.

Moon is just about ready to dip behind the western hills near Athens

Coastline near Pireus and the Athens airport

Croatian coastline and the new Peljesac bridge that we had seen less than 2 weeks ago

Flying into Zurich - the Limmat River

Hay bales always make me happy

We had a three hour lay over in Zurich, before our flight to Chicago departed at 1 PM.  We found the Swiss Air Lounge, and it was fantastic - perhaps one of the nicest airline lounges we've seen.  They had a cook to make your orders for breakfast,  They had automatic doors, so you don't have to touch anything.  AND, they even had a Whiskey Bar.  The main corridors of the Zurich Airport were also filled with interesting shops and little restaurants.

A cat nap in the Swiss Air lounge in Zurich

Chocolates and pralines at the Luxembergerli store

Orange and dark chocolate macarons -  but they look like little Wimpy burgers

I need  to take a few of these boxes home, don't you think?

The Whiskey Bar at the Swiss Airlines lounge

Some Taleliskir single malt whiskey

Cheers for landing at ORD after a 9 hour flight - and sleeping in our own bed!

All went smoothly and we made it to Chicago around 4 PM; back to Middleton by 9.  We ran into a 2+ hour wait at customs to reenter the USA at ORD.  How crazy!  Never have I seen it like that before.  I guess it's time for Global Entry.   And hopefully before our next trip - our Disney Cruise in Scandinavia in August.