The Trip Home

Monday, August 21, 2017:

Travel day had finally arrived and I still needed to do a few things before boarding my four hour flight back to Los Angeles.

Thus I went across the Anillo Perferico road bridge in front of our hotel to the shopping mall to look for a suitcase strap.

I had packed early for once and thought that my suitcase might explode due to all of the additional clothes I was taking home thanks to the goodies that the Europe Warriors experience had provided.

I got there at 9:00 a.m. only to find that no shops would open until 10:00 a.m. except for one . . .

The establishment that Laurie

and I grew to love during our 1971

honeymoon in Mexico City

We had one of Sunburns numerous Mexico City stores across from our hotel back in 1971 and discovered their caramel or cajeta crêpes the first day we were in the city.

We ate them for breakfast for seven straight days before heading to Taxco and Acapulco for the rest of our honeymoon.

I figured that it was finally time to have an order after all of these years.

 I sat at the counter for

faster service

I got coffee first

Who is that man in the mirror?

Esperanza my colorfully

outfitted server

I couldn't find the cajeta crêpes on the menu so I asked Esperanza about them and she said that they no longer serve them.

The honeymoon magic was gone.

Still, I felt that I was in too deep to just leave after paying for the coffee so I followed her suggestion and ordered the cajeta pancakes instead.

 So close

The cajeta crêpes were O.K. but they were definitely not the cajeta crêpes of memory.

I would also get an excellent hair cut and beard trim later in the mall by a young man named Gustavo. For once, the price was about the same for this service as it is in California.

 FIESTA!

The Radisson Paraiso

should be a happening spot

El Grito marks the start of Mexico's War of Independence on September 16, 1810 in the small town of Dolores Hidalgo near Guanajuato.

It was Father Miguel Hidalgo, whose statue we saw in the plaza named in his honor in Coyoacán on Sunday, who cried out against Spanish colonial rule rallying mostly poor Indians (Native Mexicans?) to fight and change Mexico forever.

 A final adios to Rickey and Jesús

I love these two men who were a big part of my life for the last 17 days in Mexico City.

At 1:00 p.m., I hopped into Europe Warriors RB and Mexico City native Irving Alamilla's car with Sandro Da Silva and Alberto Pardo for the ride to Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport.

Sandro and Alberto who both play for my former club, the Osos Rivas, were heading home to Spain after spending the past week training with the UNAM Pumas to hone their American football skills while I was headed home to Los Angeles.

My four hour Alaska Airlines

flight was on time

Thus it was time to say a cheerful

goodbye to wonderful Mexico City

 What the . . .

Seat 10C had LOTS of leg room and was comfortably wide enough to boot!

Four hours of comfort flying home it was then.

The only negative was the snack meal they served us, an extremely average, foil wrapped bean and cheese burrito.

After the incredible Mexican food we had eaten for the past 17 days?

Really . . .

 Back in the USA

I was a bit taken aback that it wasn't a picture of President Trump put there by one of his Executive Orders of course.

TRADITION

Before and after every EuroBall adventure, we eat something at Camarillo's premier sports bar, Cronies.

It was almost closing time when we got there tonight but they still made me a club sandwich to properly complete EuroBall X.

Again, many thanks to Jesús Sánchez and Bart Iaccarino for their amazing efforts in making the first edition of the Europe Warriors an amazing 100% first class success.

Europe Warriors II/EuroBall Adventure XI anyone?

LIFE IS AMAZING!