Mediterranean Day Fifteen -- There's No Place Like Home

Our day began at 6 AM went to breakfast. Man I am going to miss this Iberian ham. I think I've eaten an entire pig by myself between our stay in Barcelona. Sadly I can't bring any home. Or any of the yummy cheeses we've had either. So the car comes to pick us up and it takes a lifetime to load the car there was so much baggage. So off to the airport. We got to the airport and we were delayed an hour because of the weight of the plane they had to use a different runway. But we took off and actually arrived at JFK 4 minutes early. That's when the trouble began.

We got off the plane, found our bags went through immigration and customs -- they didn't confiscate my herbs de Provence (phew) -- and then what. We were in Terminal 4. Our flight was in Terminal 2. So we are walking around the airport -- outside and through traffic with all of our bags -- and finally with sweat dripping off of us we arrive at Terminal 2. We find the counter to put in our bags for continuation and go upstairs. Our plane was at Gate 2. Which is in Terminal 3. Not 2. So we walk and walk and walk and finally get to our gate. They load the plane and we sit. And we sit. And we sit some more. Finally the plane pushes back from the gate and we taxi over to a taxi way. And we sit. And we sit. And there is lightening all around. Forked lightening. Streak lightening. Multiple lightening strikes at once. Except for the frustration of the delay we would have enjoyed the show. So we sit. And sit. And then they say because of new federal regulations we had to go back to the gate. So we taxi back to the gate. And they open the doors and everybody gets out. And we sit some more. Finally about 1.5 hours later they reboard the plane and we push back to the taxiway.

This whole time I am completely freaked out about the flight being cancelled. What do we do then. So the pilot comes on and says everybody is in the same boat and there are AT LEAST 30 flights ahead of us to take off. So we sit. And taxi. And sit. And taxi. And sit. And finally -- FINALLY -- we take off. Except for a little turbulence the flight itself was rather uneventful however we got back to LAX at 2 AM and poor Brett had to come and collect us. Poor thing. But we made it home but now are WIDE awake -- it was noon in Barcelona -- and so we unpacked and went to bed.