Happy 60th Birthday ! What a trip it has been. Here is a reflection from the blog of the trip.Dear fellow travelers,
I have been thinking back over the last 2 weeks and thought I would write my reflections.
Looking back at the past 17 days, its amazing all we have done and all the places we have been. I have been inspired by the beautiful scenery, the interesting history we have relearned and experienced, & the incredible architecture we have seen in Europe traveling from country to country. Experiencing different languages, food, people have all been part of the experience. Most importantly are the people we meet. First of all, Rachel and Johan, Dorian and Fred hosting us in Den Bosche. Their kindness and hospitality was so thoughtful and we really enjoyed being with them. My birthday was extra special because they celebrated with us. Even Johan’s Grandma was with us. Fred and Dorian are wonderful chef’s. We had wild boar and homemade pasta, bolsa balls ( sp?) and a wonderful traditional cake make by Dorian. Riding bikes the next day to a castle for lunch was heavenly. What a special weekend I was able to experience. I had a very memorable birthday for sure.
Next, in Ghent it is always a priveledge to spend time with Anne and Francois, Denis and Colette and Diana. This family has been related to my family for 4 generations. Their mother Michette was friends with my mother Yette. My Bonne Mama was best friends with Michette’s mother, and their fathers were friends back to the late 1800’s. So 4 generations now with Dianna and Rachel and the next generation #5. Ghent is such an amazing town. I loved being here. Since the last time I was there, I dreamed of coming back again. Riding bikes on the cobblestones through back alleys and interesting places unknown but to the locals was a highlight too. As I have been working on Bonne Mama’s book, what she has written comes alive for me. I am motivated to finish the editing so that our children can understand the special heritage the Lord has given us. The Scribe family memories shall live on.
Our trip on the Insight tour brought in a whole another world for us. Meeting new people from all over the world -- Australia, Singapore, England, Canada, Colorado, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, California and more. Connecting with them, sharing our days with them. Experiencing the new places, traveling so many miles together was really special. We were together 8 days all together. Very short for a tour. This morning, our 9th day, we said so many goodbyes. I hope to meet each person again. Each was special and unique and I treasured the new friends. Thank you to Vera and Noel, Homai and Boman, Richard and Linda, Ron and Gwenn, Peter and Lynn, Andie and Vincento and so many more for making this trip memorable. I hope to see you all again in our journeys or in California. We were truly blessed by the Lord to have such a special trip.
As I write this we are flying back from France. Need to land in Dallas and get through customs, immigration lines, etc etc. We have a tight connection........ so here goes .....
Whew! we made it. We barely made it really to our next connection. Thank you to some of my prayer warrior friends out there on facebook. Since I had brought back tulip bulbs, of course I mentioned this on the form you have to fill out. I figured if it is not allowed, they would tell me and I toss them. NOPE! we had to do through another very SLOW long line for Agriculture with only 2 people working. Most of the line were people bringing in a lot of stuff from other countries like Vietnam, Mexico etc. We thought we missed our plane for sure.
Thankfully it was delayed by an hour!... With a special service cart, we were driven to the gate and made it on before they closed the door. And we got a first class seat! That means we could lay back and sleep! We were exhausted having been up almost 24 hours already. We flew to Albuquerque and then made again an instant last minute connection to Los Angeles. Our final leg then was to Santa Barbara. On board was a friend I knew from church and SBCS, who took us home afterward. Ahhhhhh! its good to be home. Thank you Lord for the USA and family and friends all over the world.
Next I will write out the 60 new things we have learned on this trip -- my final reflections. They are hand written right now. ........ Hope you find them interesting and funny too.
More later.......... to be continued. .......
All my love, Lorette
