Goodby London

We landed into London Heathrow airport way back on January 15 and now on May 1st we are waking up to our last day in London. At the end of this day everyone has to be out of the Daniel House and Tom and his wonderful handyman/cleaner, Wilbert, would be working mightily over the next several days to have things ready for the next group coming in for a few weeks in May. I was able to get one more glorious walk in as the sun rose in Kensington Gardens. It was so relaxing and so nice to be able to do it. One of the students had to leave in the early morning for her flight out. Most of the other students would be loaded up on a big coach bus to head to the airport for a variety of flights back to the US. A couple students were meeting up with friends or family and would be continuing to travel either in the UK or other European cities for another week or two.

As 9:30 drew closer and the time for the coach to head out there were tons of hugs, tears, and goodbyes. It was so wonderful to see how much this group of people had come to love and support each other in the months we had together in the Daniel House. We know we will see each other on the Samford campus in the fall, but the experience will never be the same. We have all changed each other and that goes big time for Becky and me. These students have changed us. Tom and Joe have changed us. London has changed us.

Finally, the bags were loaded, the students were loaded and the bus pulled away. The students who were staying in London or off to other places slowly made their way off. We would be taking a train out of London at 3:30 and so Becky and I headed to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. It was a beautiful 70-degree day with full sunshine. We stopped at a couple of the cafes in the parks and relaxed and enjoyed the warmth and memories. We had first walked these areas when it was bare and cold and damp, now it was full of life and energy. So different.

We then got back to the DH, hugged Tom and Jo and then into an Uber for the ride to London Kings Cross station. We then boarded a train to the Royston station where Mark’s stepfather, Perry, met us and brought us to his home. Perry and Mark’s mother Fiona were the perfect hosts after the experiences of this day. They let us dump and ramble on about what we were leaving, and we all enjoyed a gorgeous evening at their country home. We watched a marvelous sunset over the farmers’ fields. Such a far cry from the hustle and bustle of London. Now on to the second part of our travels this spring.