July 3, 1969 London, England to July, 4 Detroit, Michigan

Shar and I left Vienna and flew to London together on Qantas Air.  I still remember the stewards in their tuxes serving tea from carts with silver service.  Oh my.

In London, Shar headed home and I stayed to find George.

First I had to get to a hotel.  Not so easy as there was a transit strike.  No busses or underground.  The line for taxis was long and folks were sharing.  I do not remember where I stayed other than that all the restaurants in the area served Indian food.

I had George's sister's phone number and I was able to reach her and explain who I was.  She invited me to her home.  That meant finding another taxi.

George and I met and I explained what had happened.  He and I went out to a pub in the area.  Believe it or not, this was not just a ship board romance.  George eventually came to America, he and Shar married, and when I read her death notice from 2014 I saw that they were still together with their children and grandchildren.

The next day I flew home, July 4, 1969.  Detroit was in the midst of a horrible thunderstorm.  Our plane had to circle for nearly an hour before we could land. 

I had sent my parents a telegram telling them when I would arrive. Unfortunately, my father had gone fishing in Windsor, so my mother had to call a Windsor relative and ask them to go to the river to find him and tell him to go to the airport.  Somehow it all worked out and he was there when I arrived.  On the way home, not only were the roads flooded, but so was our basement when we arrived.  What a welcome home! 

Expenses for the last two days were $75.87.  Flight arrangements, taxis, hotels, meals.  It was an interesting end to my trip.

Aftermath to follow.