Day 9 - Finally back home!
I have to take back what I said about the Aerotel being a dump. I judged it prematurely based on what I saw, which was basically a simple, small, expensive room, with virtually no amenities. It also had no windows, which gave it a bit of a gloomy feature and no desk. The bathroom lacked a lot of counter space and there were no towel bars or hooks on the wall, though there was one on the door. Finally, the air was a bit stale.

I paid a higher price because I had taken a family room - it was the only one available when I checked in.

For the positives - there were 2 queen size very comfortable beds, the water in the shower was plentiful and hot, the temperature could be adjusted hotter or colder which is unusual in Europe, there was no airplane vibration whatsoever, neighboring rooms made no sound, and it was quiet other than the occasional guest walking down the hall. To work on my laptop, there was a library/lounge that was quite comfortable.

As far as my trip back, the flight left a bit late, but got back early. I also got to use my global entry which took all of 5 minutes to get through the passport line and I felt the $185 for 5 years was totally worth it.

Summary
As far as trips go, this was a pretty underwhelming one.  The best was spending time with Peter.  Hanni, his wife, pretty much left us to ourselves other than evening meals and Peter and I got to catch up and have a lot of laughs.

However, Nuremberg and Prague were a bit of a bust for me, compared to other cities I had been in over the last 11 months (like Dublin, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Stockholm.)  Maybe there is just too much of history and to me, boring buildings.  Maybe I had built up both cities in my mind (Nuremberg) or from what others had said (Prague.)  These old medieval cities seem all to have the same flavor.  Seen one, seen 'em all.

My favorite part was driving in Germany, going up to 200 km/h (120 mp/h), but the trouble about highway driving in Germany is the same as in the States - the actual countryside is hidden.  I did go off the beaten path once in Germany, but had to backtrack when I took the turns looking for a place to eat at that was open (they were all closed at noon during the week) and then again driving from Prague to Excalibur which got frustrating being behind trucks on a 2 lane road and going through one village or town after another. 

Anyway, it was still a cool trip though the next time I go to Europe, I may go back to visit some of my favorite cities. 

Something new, though not on the continent but still Europe is Iceland, which I'd like to visit - perhaps in May, 2024.