Put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded the plane...

Well, blue suede shoes were about the only thing I did NOT have in my bags as I boarded the plane to leave behind all that I called "my life" for the past 4 years. I left behind a lovely bunch of...no, not coconuts, but the nuts on the left.

I surprised myself at how calm and level I was (that Rescue Remedy might have worked after all), but that didn't last so long. I had a typical Transilvanian delayed reaction and, as soon as I found myself alone, without the banter and laughter that had surrounded me for the last few days, I stopped in a duty-free shop, in front of a painting of a usual pohutukawa-on-the-beach scene, stared at it for ages and cried like an idiot.

Then commenced a long and interesting succesion of planes, airports, weird food and very little leg room. Overall the flights were really enjoyable: good company to chat with, good movies to watch, and a female flight attendant who was so hot even I wouldn't have said no!

Highlight of my flight from Hong Kong to Amsterdam? The dude from the Mitre 10 ads was on the same plane (with his equally imposing-looking wife). I really wanted to go up to him and say "big is good!". He is actually as big as he seems in the ads; I wonder if he had to pay for 2 seats.

I finally arrived at the scheduled time, for a tearful reunion with mum, dad and godfather. Finally home, after a long journey even Bilbo Baggins would be proud of.

I'm not very inspired or eloquent at the moment, so I'll let pictures do the rest of the talking. You should be able to click on them to enlarge them, but I won't guarantee it, I'm still learning the inner workings of this blog :)
Ice flowers on the plane window (talented photographer, aye?)

It was chocolate o'clock in NZ, so I thought I'd have my usual KitKat in the Hong Kong airport.

Porcelain socks in Hong Kong airport. Yes, they were actually made of porcelain! Modern art is just so beyond my understanding...

Toilet in Amsterdam airport. All the doors had scenes from paintings of Van Gogh, and there were gilded frames of various sizes on each mirror. I loved the quirkiness of it. That and the fact that there was an actual museum and art gallery in the airport made it all feel so at-home and european.

First view of the mountains (crossing into Transylvania), after a booooring drive through dead flat plains.

After crossing the mountains -Transylvania: the same green, red-roofed, becastled beauty.

Looking back at the mountains from the side of the road.

I've been home for 2 days now, met everyone, got kissed and hugged to last me a few years, but it still feels so unreal. I even get to vote today! Who for, I wonder...

Strangely, everything is so familiar, nothing in its essence has changed, and even if it is officially my home it doesn't feel like that much at the moment. I'll see how it feels after I get my head around the fact that I'm actually here.

Be good, think of me and recycle!