AND SO IT IS

Marcy, Al, Zan & Becca finished their last full day in London together with Elaine, Howard and Reno, and new friends Lydia, Maximillian and Luciana with a visit to the "Buck" house. Every year for only 8 weeks, the Queen throws open her doors (19 of them to be specific) so that the commoners have the opportunity to see what it's like behind the gates of Buckingham Palace (sorry no pictures allowed inside the palace.) So after experiencing the changing of the guard, we entered into the palace, and it was truly awe inspiring and extraordinary, the art the architecture and you wouldn't believe where Liz hid the secret door. Our last evening found us seeking re-entry as we dined at Orso (the London branch and another d.i.s.h. worthy meal) and then it was off to see Oliver as Elaine and Marcy re-lived their elementary school thespian moments. Elaine was the Artful Dodger and Marcy a member of the ensemble. Yes, they sang every song along with the extremely talented cast. As we write this we have just bid farewell to the Behnken clan who will stay an extra day to help celebrate Claire's birthday, we are zipping up the suitcases and preparing for our 6:45 am trip to Heathrow. Wow what an experience we have all had. In addition to our new friends, new food, and airport frisking, we learned so much. We each in our own way have a new appreciation for what we have in our lives, and know that as we close this chapter, a new one begins! And so it is.

Back to Visit the Queen

We have left Africa having experienced tremendous exilheration and witnessed remarkable beauty and awesome experiences. Flew all night and hit the ground running. Elaine and Marcy couldn't pass up the opportunity to cross the most photographed crosswalk in all of Europe so off to Abbey Road we went. They met London P.D. Officer Andrew who shared the address and locale of Sir Paul's digs. Unfortunately he is out of the country touring or they would have showed up at his door too. Next the London Eye and a bird's eye view of the entire city and all of the most famous sites that London has to offer. After touring us around the city our driver Howard introduced us to the greatest beigel with salted beef and hot mustard (d.i.s.h. worthy), followed by a visit to the oldest pub in London. We can't be too far away from our Jameson. This evening was a chance to visit with family and friends. Howard, Elaine and Reno are staying in Canary Wharf with Claire, while Marcy, Al, Zan and Rebecca had dinner with cousin Amalia an ex-pat who is spending time with her beau Florian in London. Tomorrow we have our appointment to visit Buckingham Palace to see what all the hoopla is about. Till then....cheerio and mind the gap.

We Have Made it Out of the Bush

We are writing to you from Cape Town having finally gotten back on the grid with reliable internet connectivity. We successfully negotiated our way to Pretoriuskop Rest Camp where we stayed in a compound that could accommodate 16. The hippo's kept some of us awake at night and we succesfully braai-ed (pronounced bry) our version of a bbq. From there to Olifants a 7 hour drive where we witnessed our very first dazzle of Zebra. Two days of baboon road blocks, Africa's version of a sig alert on the 405, and then back down to the airport in Nelspruit for our flight to Cape Town. Wow, another international incident when Elaine asked Zan to carry the cooler thru security which just so happened to have a long sharp object not to mention a cork screw. Even in a third world country they don't take kindly to carrying concealed weapons. Howard sang them a song, received marriage proposal #2, and off we flew to Cape Town. Re-entry into civilization took us from Shanty Town near the airport where a 5 x 5 corrugated steel building with no power, water or sewage is considered home to a family of 10; to our digs, which could only be described as over the top by our standards. With views of Table Mount on one balcony and the waterfront on the other, we are surrounded in beauty which helps soften the blow of re-entry into civilization. Spent Monday with the penguins on the way to Cape Point, who knew that you could see penguins and not be cold. We are here in Cape Town till tomorrow evening and then overnite to London. Today we shop and walk and.....???? and come what may we hope that we can stay clear of another international incident, and oh by the way... the men all have their passports, or at least we think so.