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on the road

I leave for London, England tonight at 7:50 pm. Dean (whose flight leaves tomorrow night after work) and I are going to attend the wedding of a good friend on Saturday in Egham. I am still amazed at how the plans have come together for this trip. At times all the details and flights and arrangements seemed almost impossible to untangle, starting with our not able to fly together due to one flight being through Aeroplan and the other one the most convenient for Dean's work schedule. It is also a challenge to try to see London and friends in neighbouring cities without a car and within a limited Canadian budget.

In the end, everything has worked out better than I imagined. We are going to be moving around a lot, traveling to 5 different locations and meeting up with friends every day, going to places I would never have thought to include in our little trip. Unexpected delightful detours! Through the helpful suggestions of various people, we now have a self-directed walking tour we can follow during our 2 days in London, and the hotel we are staying at happens to be a 23 minute walk from Westminster Abbey, so we will try to catch the Evensong service there on Sunday. We always like to take in a church service on our travels when we can - it is interesting to worship the same God in a different setting than we are used to, n'est pas? And come on, one just has to go to Westminster Abbey while in London, right?

Today I am packing and wondering again at what an amazing world we live in. I count it a privilege to be able to travel to other countries and connect with old friends again. It is always a learning experience to see how others live. One of the greatest honours we have in this life is to be able to stay in someone's home, because for a few days we become part of their family and those times remain among my most cherished memories. I don't know exactly what I will encounter on this trip, but I know that I will be a richer Matte when I return, even if my bank account may beg to differ.

This is Dean walking along a country road near Digdeguash, New Brunswick.
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