1980 Going Home (8/25/1980)

Monday, August 25, 1980

Awoke at 07:00 to watch the busy ticket counters (about five passengers for a flight to London!). Then tried to figure the rest of our money to see if we could afford both breakfast and Belgian waffles. I went downstairs to change the French coins which they did, so that we could afford both. Terry and Kathy went to buy our breakfast of orange juice and croissants. Then Terry and Kathy went to explore the upstairs gift shops. At about 10:00 we joined the lines at the Capital ticket counter (really busy!). I got information as to what to do, and had our previous reservations cancelled. Terry got in the standby line, and I gave her our tickets. She checked my big suitcase and got us standby numbers of 7, 8, and 9.

Airline ticket jacket

Checked bag ticket

Luggage tag

Standby luggage tag

Boarding pass

Terry decided to buy a couple souvenirs, so first went to cash her last travelers’ cheque. She bought a couple china Dutch shoes. We then decided to go downstairs, passing through customs. Downstairs we explored all the duty-free shops, and Terry and Kathy got a few Belgian lace butterfly pins. We found a luggage cart to push our bags around in, but left it when we went in the “tearoom.” There we had a brunch to taste Belgian waffles -- a thick waffle shaped pastry with sugar lumps in it. Very heavy. We also got some sandwiches packed with stale potato chips. Kathy had salami, ham, and a beef salad in her sandwich, and Terry and I shared one with tuna, shrimp salad, and egg salad. We also had a bag of less stale chips. We went to spend the rest of our Belgian change on a couple candy bars. By 12:30 we were waiting by the gate check-in desk having passed through the X-ray machine. We could see what our bags looked like in the machine. At 13:00  they were still checking in the regular passengers, and I finally realized they were also collecting the standby tickets. Fortunately they were put in number order. The plane was scheduled to leave at 13:15, but it was then that they started calling standby numbers. We managed to get the last three seats in the non-smoking section. We boarded and managed to squeeze our bags under the seats, and finally took off at 14:00. Dozed most of the flight, and ate when not sleeping. Had cocktails (7-ups) at 14:30, then lunch at 15:30 or so. Terry and Kathy got the chicken with boiled potatoes, and corn and peas. I had a roll of beef with cheese in it, rice and peas, and string beans. We all had salad and rolls, and a piece of cake, and tomato juice to drink. And at 20:00, or 14:00 local time, we had a snack of a ham salad sandwich, a cheese sandwich, and a sweet muffin. I had milk, Terry had tomato juice, and Kathy had Pepsi, then later tea. Saw a bit of land through the clouds, also saw the ocean for a while, and a couple ships. It was freezing cold in the plane, and several people complained when their blowers couldn't be turned off, so they covered at least one with paper towels and masking tape. The plane is a DC-8, but the ride has been very smooth. No movies or music. Arrived at JFK airport before 15:30, but had to wait for the "planemates" – the mobile passenger loaders/unloaders -- to take us to the terminal. At the terminal, a fellow with a foreign accent directed us past the customs agents since we were U.S. citizens. We waited a long time for our suitcase, and watched the luggage traffic jams and "accidents" on the moving luggage rack. Finally retrieved my suitcase from an especially bad jam, and ran to join Kathy and Terry waiting in the customs inspection line. Most of their questions were about our being sisters. We handed in our joint customs declaration (only $60!), and walked out into the crowded terminal. Terry went to change the rest of her Belgian money, while Kathy and I went to find the bus to the train to the plane. It pulled up, and Kathy went to hurry Terry. Managed to hold the bus long enough for us to board. The driver had a heavy accent, and when his way was blocked by a driverless bus, he hopped out to fetch a policeman to straighten things out. We finally arrived at the subway to immediately board a train. On the train we paid our $4 each fare, but a couple of fellows tried to use old tickets. The two conductresses and a policeman had quite a conversation with these two guys, and they were put off at the first stop.

Train to the plane (or reverse) ticket

Another passenger got off the train without his duty-free liquor bottles, and the policeman was sure that if the conductress handed these in to her superiors, they wouldn't go far. We got off at the Chambers Street stop, and took the long hike to the World Trade Center. At the Path Square, Kathy immediately hopped on the long, long escalator going down while Terry and I stopped to read a poster about the Path strike. Kathy came up a few minutes later saying it was OK, that there were money-changing machines, so it didn't matter if we didn't have exact change. But we pointed out to her that they were still on strike. So we dragged the big suitcase back to the subway, paid the increased fare of 60 cents, and took the E-train to Port Authority. The subway had the rush hour crowds, and we weren't sure which side of the car to stand, so that we could easily hop out at our stop. A commuter helped us out in that direction. In Port Authority (not at all looking familiar!), I ran to get bus tickets while Terry and Kathy went up to the gate.

Bus ticket for Mahwah

We arrived just in time to miss the bus, but immediately got seats in one arriving a second later. We asked to put the bag under the bus, but the driver said there was plenty of room up top. Not really, but we squeezed the bag in, and I sat half on top of it to take up only my one seat, since the driver filled the bus to seating capacity. He left at 18:40, five minutes after the one we missed. On our ride back, we noticed the crowded roads, low mountains, and cheaper gas prices. Arrived in Mahwah about 19:30 and walked into Suffern. Home again!

Thank you note from Terry and Kathy

Backpacking in Europe 1980 scrapbook cover

Eurail Map marked with our travels

We visited 12 countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, W Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland), 1 Duchy (Luxembourg), 1 Republic (San Marino), 3 principalities (Andorra, Liechtenstein, and Monaco), and 1 City State (the Vatican). We visited all their capital cities except in Germany.