Bright and early the next morning, we loaded up the Mercedes and headed for London. Everything was going according to plan, that is, until we passed Boroughbridge where the M1, the highway we were on, forked into two roads — the A1(M) and the M1 London.  At this point, Paula nervously asked me which way to go.  Without looking at the map, I quickly said London.  It seemed logical since that’s where we wanted to go, right?  Wrong!  The M1 London actually heads toward Manchester, taking the long way around, before merging back with the A1(M).  I missed American highways where a sign for “Austin” means you’re going to Austin — not taking a side trip to San Antonio first!

Several hours (and numerous roundabouts) later, Paula proudly returned the Mercedes to Hertz in perfect condition.  As we left the rental car office, she let out a sigh of relief. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders.  She’d managed to drive on the left side of the road for two weeks and we’d survived — no going over a cliff like Thelma and Louise, no hitting a pedestrian or a horse or a sheep or a spicy kebab man (not that I know of), no accident of any sort, no heart attacks and no major arguments.  Miracles do happen.

Soon, we were on a courtesy shuttle bus headed for the airport.  The only thing that would have made the ride more courteous was if the driver had dropped us off at the right terminal.  After a mile of walking and dragging our luggage, we checked-in.

On our way back to the U.S., I reflected on our trip and what I’d learned.

1.  Paula and I are a bit like the odd couple.  She likes to plan … I go with the flow.  She spends over an hour getting ready in the morning, I’m done in half the time.  She kept her suitcase perfectly neat and tidy the entire trip … I did not.   As friends and travel companions, however, it works.

2.  When hauling 50-lbs. of luggage, hotels with elevators are better than walking up flights of stairs to reach the third floor of a B&B.

3.  Things in Ireland and England are just a wee (as the Irish would say) bit different from the U.S.  For example, their bacon is more like our Canadian bacon, their McDonald’s Egg McMuffin has no Canadian Bacon, their ham and cheese sandwich is served with the cheese on top of the bread, their road sign for “curves” is “bends” and on and on.

4.  The people are friendly, the architecture’s lovely and the food is really good.

5.  What was my favorite part of the trip?  Everything!

Until next time …