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Day 16 - Day of return.
Its a leisurely start to the day and the first time in over 2 weeks we've slept past 8am. ( still only 4.5 hours sleep due to the 3.30 am finish the previous night).
Breakfast is a simple affair but the coffee could take the paint off of a battleship. We elect to order a taxi for midday and head off in search of something interesting to do. The place is packed with tourists (mostly American it seems) and its raining slightly. The North African hawkers who were selling selfie sticks last night have restocked with umbrellas and ponchos with the same amount of limited success it seems.
We see a couple of churchy/cathedral type things and take a few pictures before a meander back to the hotel. From here it transpires that taxis can't be booked unless its evening and currently they are as numerous as germs in a domestos factory. Mild panic sets in as we find out possible bus routes and we scurry off to find an elusive airport express bus or a taxi. We just miss a bus and the taxi queue is long but moving thankfully. 20 mins later, we're on our way with blood pressure settling to normal levels.
Slash has no trouble checking in his very suspect top box wrapped in bubble wrap and we're off for coffee when the delays start to be announced. Long story short - we're delayed for 2.5 hours and feeling grumpy! Even after getting on the plane we sit on the tarmac for another 30 mins. On the plus side, we do get the last of the available sandwiches on sale.
Gatwick is easily dealt with and Warriors wife Cheryl is there to pick us up. A quick cuppa back at hers and then we're off to pick our way through the myriad of accidents, roadworks, and road closures that a bank holiday Friday has to offer on the M3, M4, M25 and A303 - its now 7.30pm. Slash knows some good rat runs and he's safely delivered back to Charvil by 8:45 but I don't think the goatie he's grown over the last 2 weeks has much longer to live.
I set off for what should be about 2hrs 15 mins of travel. I finally arrive just before midnight after a detour via Wokingham and a long delay at Stonehenge even at 22.30 at night! A "Welcome Home Dad" sign greets me on the front door and that truely does signal the end of what has been an exhausting but forever memorable trip.
Warrior and Hawk have made good progress today apart from a brief 2 hour layover somewhere in Switzerland due to high winds, snow and 4 degree temperatures. They look on course to make it back late on Saturday (day 17).
The bike still needs to be retrieved from Maidenhead when its shipped back from Florence but that'll be a simple undertaking compared to the exertions of the previous 17 days.
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