A few last words:

‘I was up at 6:00 AM, Zurich time, 9:00 PM , CA time and I went to bed at 9:00 PM, CA time last night. That was 24 hours of being up and on the go. My ride from LAX to my house got home in time for me to see my college football team, Indiana University, beat Ohio State to claim the Number 1 spot in the nation. The last time they did that was in 1967, just after I graduated. Now they’ll play in the Rose Bowl and I will watch it from the comfort of my recliner!!
On my return trip, I booked an Uber to take me to the airport. I thought he was late because I didn’t look at my Uber app. He had texted me he was there but he was parked next to a big van which blocked him from view. He was very upset and gave me a lecture about being late and his losing the fare. he was quiet a couple minutes. Then he turns around, smiles at me and said “Good morning, how are you?” Guess he realized there would be no tip if he was not nice! We drove through the rain and he dropped me off at Lufthansa. I was trying to figure out how to get luggage tags when a nice lady asked if she could help, which she did. I said I wanted to get wheel chairs at all airports. I’ve surrendered my pride for ease of getting around!. She directed me to the Assistance desk where I checked my bags. got boarding passes and was told to wait in a special area. Soon a man in a cart came to get 3 of us and drove us through security, no waiting in line. Then he took us to another waiting area. It seemed to be for handicapped and families . It had cheaper water and drinks than the shops, another perk. After 15 minutes or so another woman came for me and an older gentleman. She took us downstairs to a car. Seems our planes were the kind where you get on a bus at the gate and ride out to the plane. She drove us out to where the planes were parked. She took him to his first. My plane wasn’t there yet so we waited a bit. It showed up and I was the first to board the plane. Pretty good service. It was a short 45 minutes to Munich where I walked down the stairs into the building where a very good looking young man awaited me. I got in the wheel chair and off we went. I had to go through German security, again, no problem with a line. Then we had to go down to a tram to go to another terminal. I never would have figured that out on my own. He said he was coming to US next year with his dad to watch Croatia play in-the World Cup. He was happy to get my tip in US dollars! At LAX I was picked up by another young man with a wheel chair and whisked through immigration very quickly. We waited forever for my bags, to the point I was searching for my receipts. I think because I wasn’t standing up to see the bags, I missed mine. Finally I saw the small one and he found the big one.. Then we went to look for my ride.-another problem. My phone was on sleep because of time changes and my driver couldn’t reach me. We finally connected and I was on the way home, a tired but happy camper.

Now a few words about the trip. We visited Christmas Markets in Paris, several cities in Germany and in Zurich. Although our trip wasn’t focused on the Markets we saw them at every stop. I went on a Christmas market cruise in 2020, just before the world shut down. We were on the Danube River and visited Budapest, , Vienna, Salzburg and a couple stops in Germany. I found the markets there to be more artisans who were selling their handcrafted wares. There were a few food and wine stalls but mostly shops selling things. So if you’re in-the market for Christmas Markets, go on the Danube. I’m hoping they haven’t changed since I was there.. The markets on the Rhine were more about food and drink than merchandise, and what was there was not handcrafted. I’m glad we got to see them and the cities we visited, as well as spending time with my friends, Betty, Rudy and Verna. Poor Rudy had 3 women to look after and boss him around. He loved it!!.
‘I have a few photos to share. As we were getting ready to board in Munich, Father Christmas showed up. There were several kids on the flight and they were thrilled. I also have a couple photos taken when we were on the tarmac, a rainbow and a plane taxiing for takeoff very near us. I took one window shot of Switzerland and another over Northern Canada. It’s the one with snow.
Au revoir, mes amis. It’s been fun writing this. I hope you enjoyed our adventures.