I got up early because Aaron had to leave for work around 7:30am. After we had said farewell, I was alone in his apartment. It was a bit of a strange feeling. The flight was only at 7pm so there were some hours to be killed. After taking care of my blog, messages, logistics, and a nap, I called an UberXL around 1pm, picked up Rosinante at the bike shop, and drove to the airport.
Since I knew my way around from last time and had more than enough time, the check-in was super smooth and people at Toronto Pearson’s Airport were very friendly and supportive. Upon check-in, the lady at the counter even brought me personally to the oversized luggage check-in and would stay with me there until the bike box had been opened, inspected, and packed up again. Imagine that in Germany!
After boarding, Rosinante’s AirTag showed that she was also on board. A big relief.
The flight was smooth and uneventful. I think I got a solid 2 hours of sleep.
In Frankfurt, it took forever before the luggage was finally unloaded. Carolin and my daughter Kara were on the receiving committee. It felt so good to hold them in my arms again after almost a month.
This was it. My 7th fundraising tour was now officially over and I was about to get back to “normality”. Tomorrow would be the funeral of my mother-in-law Resi which I knew would be hard for me.
I knew from past trips that getting back into the normal swing of things at home always took a while for me. It is almost like resocialization after a very different and much simpler lifestyle that one has gotten used to.
One great aspect of this resocialization for me was the humility and gratitude that used to come with it. One has gotten to appreciate the fact that you had a roof over your head when a thunderstorm was pouring rain outside or that you could have a shower or a cup of coffee whenever you felt like it.
I was already looking forward to my next trip to Canada when I would explore the wilder side of the east coast with Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.
