Costa Rica: N P & T F Day 13

Day 13 - Tuesday, December 25, 2012 - Fly from San José to Atlanta; Connect with a Flight to Denver; Drive Home in the Cold and Snow

Our alarm went off at 4:45; it was a short night! Gennie checked our flights one more time and wrote a note to our son before shutting down our computers.

We took our bags to the lobby and met our OAT driver at 5:00. There was no traffic on the road to the airport so we made great time.

Eddie had informed us of the departure procedures last night so we knew just what to do. We paid our departure taxes of $28 per person and then proceeded to the Delta Counter.

After we had our bags checked all the way to Denver, we were on our way through the next hoop. We were one of the first passengers through security so it was not crowded.

We were at our gate at 5:35. From the time we left the hotel to the time we were relaxing in the gate area, it was only 35 minutes!

The agents doing gate security were not ready so we waited until they were organized and then we had each of our carry-ons searched thoroughly again. The plane boarded at 7:15.

Flying first class made things very easy and comfortable. We took off in the rain, but it was not too long before we flew above the clouds and could see the lush green countryside of Costa Rica below us.

Breakfast was served and Gennie began to type the journal. We are finding this new iPad Mini to be very easy and convenient to use.

Our flight attendant introduced us to a new iPad game called Bejeweled - probably we could get hooked on this one! As usual, we had great service with our Atlanta based crew.

We had about 90 minutes when we arrived in Atlanta. The layover time was much longer than we expected because there were no lines in immigration and customs - we just stopped long enough to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

The Delta Lounge was very close to our gate so we spent the time catching up on our mail. The TV screens were showing bad storms, but our flight was still predicting an on-time departure. At 2:30 we walked to the gate and just as soon as the arriving flight had deplaned and the crew did a little cleaning we found our seats.

The flight to Denver was less than three hours, arriving about 30 minutes early. After we received our bags we hopped on the Pikes Peak Shuttle. The temperature was only six degrees and the sun was going down quickly.

The driver kindly took each of us right to our cars because he did not want anyone to freeze in the parking lot. It is always surprising to hear that some people cannot remember where they parked.

Our Honda CR-V started up right away and we were on our way to Castle Pines for our usual grocery stop at Safeway. Remembering that it was Christmas and that they might not be open, we went on to Castle Rock and bought a few groceries for the next day.

It was 6:15 when we pulled into our driveway and found that Tim had shoveled and plowed so we could get into the garage. Our cat Buddha welcomed us at the door and followed Vic around for the rest of the evening.

Our journey to Costa Rica was a warm and wonderful experience and those sunny and humid days will be remembered all winter long. As we opened our Christmas cards to each other, we thought of all of the people who worked yesterday to get us home safely and on time on Christmas Day.

Meals: B and Flight

To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

Welcome back! I just got caught up on your trip. We have been puppysitting Reid and Tifah's dog and have not had time for much else. Such a cutie, though. You have gotten to see so many animals and birds. I envy you!

Glad you made it home safely to our subfreezing weather! David is now busy planning our trip to Costa Rica!

Day 10: Mediterranean Navigation

Antonio, Our Guide

Gardens at the Alcazaba

Roman Theater

Visiting with Picasso

Gennie & Vic, Malaga 2004

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