Day 62 Friday 22 July 2016

Awake at 3am from an Australian friend that did not know we are in Europe to wish me a happy birthday. A few more buzzes from the phone as messages were left on different medium during the rest of the night. A few pesky mosquitoes also kept buzzing in the ear all night so this morning when the alarm went at 6am I wasn’t exactly fresh & chirpy. We dressed & did the final pack & had our bags in the car at 7am, with a couple of more friends calling before breakfast. Gyorgyi had a fresh rose on the table for me at breakfast for my birthday as well as a fresh cup of coffee. How lovely is that? Again a very nice breakfast before it was time to leave so that we could beat the worst of the Budapest rush hour. Some very heart-rending farewells & we departed at 8am, with a refuelling stop on the way & dropping our rental car off we were in the terminal building at 9am. We were a little bit over anxious to make sure that we would be at the airport on time. We are keen to get home. We stood & waited for 2 hours before the check-in desk was opened, 2 hours before the flight was due to leave. We had a very well travelled sprightly 90 year old, she informed us that she was the same age as Liz (the Queen) entertain us with her witty encounters, unbelievable how well she looked, I think they must have secret well for youth at Nottingham. It was a welcome relief to sit & relax a little in the Platinum Lounge.

Once on the plane we waited in the plane for ½ an hour for a landing slot at Heathrow Airport in London before the engines started & we were in the air, at last. The flight was uneventful, Tereza slept a lot & I read the London papers, with a nice lunch & some glasses of red to celebrate my birthday & to ease the hunger pangs (serves him right for not eating much in the lounge). London was a little cloudy & wet when we landed & once through security again we spent a little time looking through the duty free before spending some time in the Admiral’s Lounge, a five hour wait for our next flight.

Our Cathay Pacific flight departed on time at 8.10pm & things were fairly bumpy for a while flying over Holland & Germany & it wasn’t until we were over Poland that dinner was served. Lobster tail & a very nice French Malbec, then marinated chicken, succulant pork & vegetarian dish followed by fruit of the season, lemon tort & a very nice cheese platter, washed down with a very smooth port. Then it was time for sleep, so push the buttons & change the seat, extend the leg rest out, flatten the seat, stretch right out, plump the doona & pillow & off to sleep. A long day travelling, not the perfect way to spend a birthday, but not bad. It feels good that we are on the way home.