The Journey Home

We made a few stops on our way home from Spain. Our first stop was a day in London where we were able to see the London Tower, the Sherlock Holmes museum, Big Ben, and Kensington Gardens before taking the train to Oxford.

In Oxford, we stayed with our friends, Chuck & Anita, who are missionaries working with Calvary Chapel Oxford. They took us to see the home of C.S. Lewis (The Kilns) as well as his grave site, the City Centre, and the Natural History museum, which the kids loved. The highlight for the adults was being able to worship at an English speaking church on Sunday.

From Oxford, we took two buses, an airplane, another bus, a train, and a taxi to reach Amsterdam. Our purpose there was to see the Beje- Corrie ten Boom's home/museum in Haarlem, just outside of Amsterdam. What a wonderful experience to wander down the Bartelijorisstraat, hear the bells of St. Bavo's, and picnic in a little public green where our Corrie lost a wiggly tooth over her ham and cheese. Seeing the places we have read about, and touring the ten Boom home was a real treat for our family. The Hiding Place is one of our very favorite books, and one we reread every few years. If you have never read it, we highly recommend it!

We also spent that same afternoon at the nearby sea side splashing our feet in the North Sea. And the following day, we took a bus tour north through the poulders, the land reclaimed from the sea. That way were able to see a little of the countryside, quaint fishing villages, and of course, windmills, cheese making, and wooden shoes.

Next, we stayed with our friends, Elaine and Geraldine, in Belfast. They toured us around their bit of the Emerald Isle, down country roads, to a recreated old-time Irish village, and to the breathtaking Giant's Causeway. We had a wonderful time with them.

We finally got in to New York, two weeks after leaving Spain. We visited with Andrea's sister living there in Manhattan, but being tired and over-traveled by this point, we booked flights and headed to California for some rest. We did manage to get up the Empire State Building and spend a sunny afternoon in Central Park, though. We'll have to save the Big Apple for some other time. Whew.

We are currently enjoying family and friends in California, looking back at our journey with fun memories, great fellowship, lots of pictures, and the new-found knowledge that our family has a two week travel limit. =)