---

LeHavre, France, 13th July, 2010.

Well, the journey is almost over. I am takingh it easy in LeHavre whilst Lyn is in Paris with friends. I decided not to make the blood clot any worse by walking around a city I have no real interest in.

I am really looking forward to England tomorrow and seeing the family, visiting my old stomping grounds and most importantly, visiting the grave of my Dad as I have not had the chance to since he passed on. That will probably be a very emotional time for me.

I shall most certainly miss the fantastic freinds we have made on this cruise. They have made the boring days at sea a lot more enjoyable. I was once told that life is like a train journey, you start off on that journey with a number of people on board the train. Along the journey the train stops at stations and some people get on the train and some get off. At some stations further down the track a few of the ones who got off some time back get back on again and continue the journey with you, but they are few and far between, some passengers stay on the train with you for the whole journey. I have a feeling that the friends we have made at this particular station will be on the train with us for a long, long time. I hope so.

I am finishing this blog on a philosophical note as that is the mood I find myself in. I have seen some fabulous sights on this cruise, places I never dreamed that I would see, some of them I would certainly visit again if I ever get the chance. I have seen different cultures in their natural habitat and have seen first hand the 'dreaded bogeyman' the Moslem in all his/her glory and all I can say is I have thoroughly enjoyed their company, hospitality and their way of life. I only wish some of the ignorant people we have in Australia could do the same.

One thing has really brought home to me just how different, yet the same, we are. Whenever we went to a Moslem Mosque we were all warned via the authorities to wear no shorts, women to cover their shoulders and ankles etc etc and most of the Aussies onboard whinged that tis was typical of a repressed, backwards people and religion. When we reached Europe for our tours of RC, and Anglican Churches and cathedrals we were warned by the Auhorities 'Not to wear shorts and women should have their shoulders covered and wear appropriate clothing'. Am I missing something here ?

This journey has also re-established in my mind just how lucky we are to live in Australia and New Zealand. Our lives are so different compared to others and, again, I wish that some Aussies would take the time to go abroad and learn to appreciate what we have got here.

I have loved the places and sights that I have seen, but would not swap any of them for my family, friends and home(s) in Aussie and New Zealand because that is where my world is.

Maybe along the way I might post a few notes on the UK visit and try to add photo's to the other blogs so folk can see where we have been. Thanks for sharing the journey with Linda and myself.

---