I was so busy last night trying to catch up on the journal that I see I really did rush yesterday's ending! How did we pack the bikes so quickly and enjoy a relaxed German dinner and final evening celebration?

We stayed at the Sheraton Airport Hotel, and they agreed to keep our bike boxes for the two months we were gone. I find this quite amazing, but very much appreciated. It means we can leave some things (like the pedal wrench) in the boxes, and we don't have to find boxes on our return. We tuck them away on a very high shelf, to make this as simple as possible for them, and they have always been so great. When we return, we simply drag them into the hallway outside the storage room, pack the bikes and put in anything that won't fit in one pannier. That pannier is our carry on. The other pannier goes in the bike box. Done and done 😜.

I checked in with Air Canada last night online and paid the 40 Euro each for the bikes which converts to about 60 Canadian dollars. It is 50 Canadian dollars the other way. Air Canada has always been fantastic about the bikes so I don't quibble about the difference.

This morning we went for our usual Frankfurt Airport McDonalds breakfast. They have great coffee and the price is right! Then up to the hotel where the most wonderful Sheraton employee ever helped us get the bikes to the Air Canada counter, which is helpfully right by the Sheraton. He raced Keith down to the counter...I was laughing the whole way. This guy could ride a luggage cart the way some people ride a skateboard.

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The bikes are in the system. We won't see them again until Victoria. That is always a relief. The young man at the check in counter was also terrific. He also made me feel less old when I asked him to print boarding passes for us. I told him it was probably my age, but I don't trust the electronic boarding passes. He told me he doesn't like them either! So we have dealt with the bikes, we have boarding passes and we are head to security in about a half hour. Ugh. More to come later.

Well, security was as easy as it has ever been. No dramas, shortish line up and we both made it through unscathed. The plane was on time and the flight uneventful...just the way you want flights to be.

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We are now on the ground in Calgary killing time waiting for our connecting flight. We have a longer layover than we would have liked and I had a chuckle at customs as they had a special line for people with connecting flights and we were through in no time. We didn't need the advantage, but we took it. We are sitting in a restaurant wondering how long we can string out the decaf coffee refills before we need to move on 😜. More to come.

The last flight was equally uneventful, on time and mercifully short. Our oldest son was waiting at the airport, we threw the bike boxes in his truck and were in the house by 9:30 PM. We didn't stay up for long. Just as an aside, it is a wonderful thing when your son owns a truck!!

We have been home a couple of days now, the bikes are back together and we had a good shake down ride with friends today. Jet lag is gone. Keith and I are going to write down our thoughts about this tour over the next few days and I will post them. I can tell you one thing though, from my perspective it was the best tour yet.