Our return trip home began with a 6:10 am flight.  The alarm went off at 4 am and we were walking the 300 meters to the airport terminal by 4:20 am.  The terminal was busy with long lines at British Airways.  The Lufthansa line only had 3 folks in front of us.   Check-in was easy.  The security line was quite long and took us a good 20+ minutes to get through.  We grabbed some hot Chai teas and a pastry and set off for our gate.  In a timely fashion we were on our airplane and the AirTags indicated all 3 pieces of luggage were on the plane, too.

We had a 3 hour layover in Frankfurt which gave us plenty of time to pass through passport control and find some breakfast.  The flight to Toulouse was just as uneventful as our first flight.  When we boarded, we noticed that all 3 bags were with us once again.

Our arrival in Toulouse at 2:10 pm was hot - 35C.  We jumped onto the shuttle bus that took us to the train station and caught the train to Foix.  Our friend picked us up at the train station at 5:00 pm.  We were home shortly after and then went out for dinner instead of heading to the grocery store.  That chore can wait for tomorrow along with laundry.

Recap:  This is our 4th multi-day cycle touring adventure.  All three before have gone very smoothly with the occasional flat tire/broken spoke problem, and the typical lost bag.  This trip was quite different with unusual travel issues.

1.) We learned a lot about travel and touring on this short trip.  We've never experienced a canceled flight . . . learned that a person doesn't need to get upset as it will all work out eventually.  With a clear mind, one can rearrange as necessary.  The airline was apologetic and they put us up overnight and fed us.  They rebooked us and when they understood our time constraints, they worked with another airline to get us where we needed to be on time.  We were double charged for the extra bag - refund is being processed.  We had paid for our hotel in Glasgow for the night the airline put us up in Toulouse - refund is being processed.  We were thankful we had an extra day built into our schedule in Glasgow.  The only thing we missed out on was taking the bus from the airport into Glasgow and having a chance to look about.  We'll save that for another time.

2.) When you change countries to one that has a different currency - find the ATM machine and get some cash right away before leaving the airport.  We sort of forgot that Scotland is a pound country and not euro.

3.) When one of your bags doesn't arrive at your final destination, find the desk to report it.  We are well-seasoned with this particular problem and we try very hard to not fly through Heathrow Airport.  It happens to us every time.  That's why I booked with Lufthansa instead.  But the canceled flight situation ended up putting us onto British Airways.  Sigh!  Anyway, we were so surprised when they told us it was already on the next flight and would arrive within 2 hours.  Normally it has taken us 2-3 days before we see the bag.  This is why we build in extra days into our schedule before setting off to ride.

4.) Flat tires are a way of life on a bike, especially when you are riding urban cycle paths.  We typically ride tubeless at home, but with touring we opt to use tubes with wider tires.  It's easier when traveling because one doesn't have to deal with the sealant and getting the tires to set on the rim.  Just make sure your hand pump is still in good working order.  It might be time for us to overhaul or replace ours.

5.) Locked gates on a roadway.  Believe it or not, you can still go forth.  Take your luggage off and heave the bike from one side to the other.  Two people are necessary to make the work easier.  I'm sure single bikes are much easier than a tandem, too.

6.) Canceled ferry.  Well, that was a new one for us.  There was a text message and an email from the ferry company alerting us to call in and make arrangements for rebooking or refund.  Well, we needed to rebook.  Again, we stayed calm, called in, and were put on the second ferry of the day (there's only 2 per day).  Since we were walk-on passengers, there wasn't a problem.  Those with cars had issues.

7.) Stormy days.  When you have to ride, you have to ride.  We've read time and again that it isn't bad weather, it's just bad clothing.  Over time we have improved on our clothing and it's made riding in inclement weather much better.  However, we will be replacing our waterproof socks - they are waterproof up to a point.  They keep our feet very warm and dry in light rain.  But in the downpours that we endured, our feet were very wet.  Guess we'll look at those Sealskins after all.

8.) Wet clothing.  Wring everything in your chamois.  Get as much water out as you can.  Then hang it all to dry and pray that overnight it will dry.  When we rode through Ireland, it would take 2 days for the chamois in our shorts to dry, but all other clothing dried nicely.  Our wool jerseys dry quickly overnight and we feel they are a must when touring in wet climates like Scotland and Ireland.  We've also been taught to ask the B&B hosts if they have a "hot press" or a "hot room".  Most do, and clothes dry very well in them overnight.  Stuff paper or rags in your shoes for an hour or so, then take out the soles and open them up as much as possible.  If your room has a blow dryer, it can be helpful, too.  We are not sure what we will do when we can't find newspapers anymore.  One hotel in Ireland told us that they don't have newspapers in their area.  They were very helpful, however and provided us with plenty of old towels to stuff in our shoes.

9.) If you can't get to a specific place by a specific time, call a taxi.  Make sure you get a big enough taxi.  Our situation was a change in ferry schedule, so the town we were staying in was 28 kilometers from the other terminal and the ferry left at 9:45 am.  We thought that we would leave at 7:45 to get there by 9:15 check-in time.  For us, that's a really early start time.  Then the weather forecast became really ugly.  We called 3 taxi companies and only 1 could help us.  Tuck this idea in your cap and use it when you think it might be necessary.  But call the taxi company as soon as you know about the situation; don't wait until the last minute.

10.) Multiple flats in one day with midges.  Put the damn bug spray on first.  Maybe even consider putting the head net on, too, so that you aren't swatting at the little buggers constantly.  

11.) If it's on your packing list, then pack it!  It's on the list for a reason.  Update that packing list after every trip, too.  It's valuable information.

*****

Overall, it was another delightful exploration of new-to-us country.  We hope to see more of Scotland at another time.  What we saw and experienced was beautiful.  Was this the best trip ever?  No, however we experienced some interesting challenges, persevered, and learned a lot.  We kept reminding each other that we are new to this bicycle touring business and this trip taught us a lot.  It taught us to be prepared for the unexpected and figure out a way to deal with it.  After all, it just adds to your story.

So, if you're thinking about touring . . . go do it!  It's an amazing feat!  And it is so freeing!

Where should we go next?