All things considered, the trip went smoothly. John Gold, our travel agent, had arrived at the airport early to make sure everything was in place. Rod used his electric wheelchair right to the gate and it was taken down, crated and put in the hold of the plane. It was so good that I was able to sit beside Rod in business class -- to help him turn/get comfortable, eat, meds, and stay hydrated as well as "de-hydrate" ... The seats could stretch into a fairly flat reclining position so Rod could be on his side with his leg pillow in place. Rod was really rateful for the wool body pad that our friends, the Kroeker's, made and sent to Rod. They own Shepherds Dream (click to read abou this cool bedding)
We arrived at 8:30 am on Sunday and were met by my Tante Tobia and her friend Corinne. They drove us back to Apeldoorn in an accessible mini bus. when Rod finally lay down on his bed, he was so exhausted and grateful to be laying down again. His body is not used to moving around this much. Tante Tobia bought us groceries, had fresh tulips on the table, a bottle of red wine,...and the couple who owned the cottage had just set up wireless internet so that we could access it. SO COOL