Long Road Back to Lund

Back home again after 70 days in southern India. It was a long trip home. We had to get up at 2.45 in the morning to drive to the airport. There was a long line outside (!) the terminal for the initial security check, and an attached conintgent of rich Indians trying to bribe their way to the front. Had I known what would happen during this summer (bombs, threats of terror) and the consequences for air travel to and from the UK I would never have booked British Airways. But most people stood patiently in line and eventually we made it inside. The check-in was congested too with the airline strictly enforcing baggage restrictions. Many of the passengers were NRIs (Non Resident Indians living abroad) going back to the US and the UK after their summer vacation, their bags filled with cheap Indian goods (and maybe gods?). Many had to repack and some even had to dump part of their stuff at the airport. A heyday for the airport staff! After another security check we were inside but the departure was delayed for more than an hour. Someone had run a truck into the aircraft before it left Heathrow and they had to bring the big X-ray maxchine to scan for hidden cracks. At about that time Alice came down with some stomach sickness and she more or less barfed and slept through the flight. I suffered next to a girl who was coughing badly and jumping around her seat. After about ten hours we landed at Heathrow with 30 minutes to get on our next flight. The airport was totally congested with extra security checks but we managed to slip into the fast track line. Contrary to the information given by British Airways they were enforcing the new carry on baggage restrictions. Whatever we were carrying had to fit into a narrow wooden box conspicuously placed before the X-ray machine. If the bag didn't fit its owner had to turn back and get it checked in. But we had no time for that. I quickly distributed some stuff in the childrens backpacks and crammed my bag (2 laptops and all) into the box while and whipeed it into the machine. In the security check at Bangalore Airport they confiscated our three bottles of Pepsi. Now they took our two small bottles of water and a pen sharpener. The big water bottle slipped through though. Having cleared the security check we sprinted across the terminal, overtaking a team of policemen, and managed to get on the plane five minutes before departure. As it turned out we had to wait for some time as the policemen were checking the terminal for a runaway criminal. Two policemen searched the cabin, taking the opportunity to scrutinize the passport of a Pakistani looking young man. It's a weird world these days. He looked perfectly normal. Why didn't they check the crazy looking European guy that travelled in a traditional Tibetan khampa outfit? After another two hours we landed in Copenhagen. Of course, our bags were left behind somewhere on Heathrow. But it was actually a releif not to have to carry them home. We got on the train and about 45 minutes later we were in Lund. The house looked fine as did the car (and it worked too). I had to update the satellite access and restart the network gear. The kids ran around squeezing their toys, and Esbjörn tried his Playstation. The jet-lag was not a problem since it only felt as a very long day. I went to bed at my usual time and woke up about 7 the next morning (today). To be honest, when I smelled the smells of the Swedish summer, especially the way a shower of rain brings them out, it felt strange to know it was almost over and we missed it.