Our epic race journey came to an end today. We were up before 5:30 AM for our final bus ride. At 9:30 AM, with bags checked and boarding passes in hand, we were eating at the Narita Subway. It was the best Subway sandwich I have ever eaten and unlike McDonald’s, I actually have a basis for comparison. In retrospect, it would have been smart to purchase a second one to take on the plane. Our flight was airborne just after noon and it turned out to be much smoother than our departure, up until we landed. Sadly, the food wasn’t much better but this time I had a few granola bars and a pack of peanuts instead of just candy bars to stave off the hunger.
We arrived at O’Hare right on schedule and went through the scariest landing I have ever experienced. For a few seconds I was convinced the pilot would roll the plane or at least hit the ground with one of the wings. As we exited the plane, all of the flight attendants cheerily wished us goodbye and invited us to fly ANA again. NOT IF YOU PAID ME. I promise to never complain about a Delta flight again.
Of course landing at O’Hare wasn’t the end of the trip. We still had a 3 hour layover and our final flight home. Fortunately the Delta Sky Club at O’Hare is lovely and since it was morning I was able to get a bagel with peanut butter. Our flight to Minneapolis left on time and was short and uneventful. Sadly, we sat on the ground at MSP for nearly 30 minutes because our gate was occupied. (I promise not to complain about Delta. I promise not to complain about Delta) There’s nothing more frustrating than being so close to home and still being stuck on an airplane.
We managed to stick it out until just after 8:00 PM, when we crawled into our heavenly soft bed for what turned out to be a nearly 15 hour sleeping marathon. It’s nice to be home.
Here’s one of my photos from our day of wandering in Utsunomiya: