Back to earth...

The gods of travel smiled on us today. While seemingly 90 percent of the flights out of Bordeaux this morning were cancelled due to the annual French Air Traffic Controllers' strike, our flight to Dublin made it out - and with only a one-hour delay.

It was a fittingly smooth end to a great trip. Our only complaint can be that it ended too soon and we'd have liked to spend more time with our friends, but hey, you can't have everything.

Our easy trip home made a nice change from our previous experiences with the French ATC industrial action. Living in France for five years and commuting back to Ireland regularly meant it was impossible to avoid getting caught up in the strikes. On one occasion, Mme Tepeka, the kids and I were even forced to drive from Toulouse to Gatwick so that we wouldn't miss the connecting flight that was taking us on holiday. And there's nothing as much fun as arriving back at the airport two weeks later and realising you've a 14-hour drive/ferry journey home.

Anyway, we're home safe and sound now. Time to start planning our next trip...