[37] Auntie Em Was Right!

510 W Sunset Ave - Looks just like when we left.
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[37]

After leaving Paris, we made a list of things we hadn’t done in four months: driven a car, cooked a meal, watched TV, We began to think of bacon and eggs for breakfast and a thick steak. When the weather turned cold, I visualized myself in front of our fire and sleeping in my own bed. On the other hand, we knew we were going to miss the sidewalk cafes, the art, the architecture that had become an expected part of our day. Ralph said that ideally it would be great if we could be at home, but miraculously "appear" on a small European street two or three times a week. Alas, it cannot be and it was time to go home.

The official weight loss was . . .

Part of the mail pile.
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We went back to Mechelen to spend the weekend with Ralph and Ria and re pack our bags. Saying goodbye to these two was one of the hardest parts of going home. We so enjoyed our time together and it’s painful when you don’t when you will meet again. We promised that it would NOT be another 26 years! Saturday, November 11^th was a holiday (no super sales in Belgium; they actually honor the memory of the Armistice). Sunday, Ria had tickets for a concert of Mozart’s Requiem with orchestra and choir and I was lucky enough to go with her. After all the beautiful churches and cathedrals we’d been into, it was a thrill to attend a function in one of them. The performance of Mozart’s music in that beautiful baroque setting is something I’ll never forget.

Monday morning we left Mechelen for Brussels and the Eurostar that took us back under the English Channel and to London. Our last day on the train. Another long taxi ride to Gatwick Airport where we spent the night. Tuesday, we left London for home.

Traveling west, you "follow the sun." We left London at 1:45 P.M. and made it back to Appleton that same day at about 8:30 P.M., local time. You do the math. It’s too much for me. Needless to say, it was an exhausting final day.

As you can see, our home is still here and in great shape thanks to Jackie and Lyle. After we had dropped the bags and walked through the rooms (I made the beds), we met in the kitchen. We looked at each other and confessed that it felt as if we’d never left. Or that we’d only been gone a couple weeks. Of course, that was before I found the grocery bags full of mail. Two days later, I was still going through it.

Since this is our last journal entry, we’d like to thank all the people who have helped us in so many ways: Jackie and Lyle, of course. I don’t think we could have done this without their support from home. Ralph and Ria in Mechelen gave us a home in Europe and were also a fountainhead of support and help for us there. Bonnie and Barbi, as well as Jodi and Kylee, brought us items from home that we couldn’t have done without. We’d also like to thank every one of you who sent us comments and gave us encouragement throughout our trip. We were a long way from home for a long time, it was important to know that we had people in the world who cared about us and were interested in what we were doing. We’ve discovered what so many have learned before us: Nothing makes you appreciate your home like travel.

We had an amazing adventure that we’ll never forget. Our biggest treasures are the memories and the hundreds of pictures that spark those memories. We only sent a handful of those pictures in our journals, so my next project is to try to make a cohesive collection for a CD. I say this because we’ve had some requests for pictures. Just don’t look for it this Christmas!

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

-30-

PS - The official weight loss was 10 pounds. It would probably have been more but for that last week in Paris.