Going Home

We woke up at 6:45, packed, and caught the 7:39 Hoppa bus to Heathrow Terminal 3. Our Virgin Airlines flight was scheduled to leave at 9:20.

We checked ourselves in, and got through passport control.

In duty free, we found something amazing. Zubrowka vodka, the bison-grass vodka we had had yesterday at Šašlik. It was also far cheaper than it would cost in the states. We wanted to buy two apiece, but we found out that USA restrictions say 1 liter per person. We got one each.

On the plane, there were only 10 or 15 seats open. One was on the aisle next to my dad and my two middle seats (fortunately). And there were two more in the row in front of us and on the right two seats. I snagged one of those for the simple reason that it was the first row not in first class, and thus had massive legroom.

Up in that seat, 31G, I started talking with an English girl on her way for a five day vacation in NYC. Victoria was very excited to finally have reached the "absurd" 21 year old drinking age that would allow her to legally drink in the USA. We chatted on and off for the entire flight, interspersed with movies. I watched Despicable Me and the first episode of Boardwalk Empire.

I started thinking about this vacation too. We visited some very distinct places with fascinating histories. So in an effort to simplify my conclusions in the interest of time, I'm going to rank each country in terms of several very important aspects, based solely on my experiences in this short time.

Accommodations
1. Finland
2. Estonia
3. Latvia

Sightseeing
1. Estonia
2. Finland
3. Latvia

Girls
1. Estonia
2. Finland
3. Latvia

Chocolate
1. Latvia
2. Estonia
3. Finland

Food
1. Finland*
1. Latvia*
2. Estonia
* between Lodi in Riga and Šašlik in Helsinki... There is no way to choose without insulting the other.

Beer
1. Estonia
2. Latvia
3. Finland

Coffee
1. Estonia (Barista champ)

Prices
1. Estonia
2. Latvia
3. Finland

Quality of life of locals
1. Finland
2. Estonia
3. Latvia

But overall, I don't see a way to easily choose a clear winner. I'd like to go back to all three. I'd like to explore more and see more of the countryside. I'd like to not get yelled at by cops or receive fines for speeding. But this is life. I'll come back, but this trip was a fantastic journey into new languages, new cultures, new histories, new foods, and new experiences.

Until then, though, back to school.

We landed just past 1pm. I said farewell and bon voyage to Victoria and gave her a few recommendations for while she's in the City. I met up with my dad and we got a shuttle bus to La Guardia, where we were to meet my mom, flying in from Chicago, and where I was to fly from to La Guardia a little while after.

I met mom at La Guardia and we chatted for an hour until 4:00 rolled around and I needed to check into my flight and head towards the gate.

Got through security and to the gate just as they were boarding my group. I got on, we took off.

We landed just after 6pm, St. Louis time. I got my bags from the baggage claim and took a cab to school.

As I write this, I'm sitting in my dorm room once again, as Finland, Estonia, and Latvia fade into memory, sadly. 8 days spent trying to learn three new languages, and tomorrow I have a Chinese test.

I'm Finnished.