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Published: October 8th 2011
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After six wonderful months of exploring parts of the world we have only read about, today we finally headed home. Back in April it was a really exciting feeling as we buckled ourselves into our seats at the start of our adventure. Today the excitement was for a different reason, we were going home. We needed the alarm today to wake us in time to prepare for our 6:50 am flight.
It has been the trip of a lifetime with such wonderful memories. Someone recently asked us to name the top two highlights. This was an almost impossible task because there were so many. Perhaps it was the art such as the statue of David or The Last Supper. Maybe famous palaces: the Ahlambra or Hampton Court. We visited churches in many cities, finding Gaudi’s church in Barcelona left us overawed. The Gorges of Verdun and Tarn, Lake Bled, Plitvice Lakes, Matterhorn, Cinque Terre, and the Adriatic could be on the list. Perhaps the bridges we crossed such as the Millau Viaduct, the bridges in Ronda and Mostar or the little stone bridges in Scotland. Discovering San Marino or the little villages in France left us excited. Islands such as Skye, Mull and Iona were quiet havens far from crowded cities. Then there are the people we met on our journey all trying to communicate in a language quite unfamiliar to us. Our visit to Poitiers and staying with a friend whose hospitality was incredibly generous. We could go on...
Other highlights of course were meeting two of our daughters in London and having wonderful times with them in April and again in August and September. The laughter and sharing of experiences were certainly moments to remember. We really appreciated being looked after in the big city. We thought our daughters were being very caring but deep down we thought they were probably scared stiff of what their parents were letting themselves in for. Staying with our daughter and son-in-law in London gave us a great chance to relax and have the comforts of home, something we really appreciated. Our youngest daughter looked after us in Manchester and planned a wonderfully relaxing sightseeing tour of the city. Back in New Zealand our other daughter was looking after our affairs, especially checking our mail and arranging appointments for us on our return. She did a fantastic job as well as looking after active 15 month old twins and a very busy 3½ year old.
Arriving back in Christchurch our kind neighbour was there to pick us up and take us home. What a feeling as we arrived home. The spring flowers were blooming, the lawn neatly trimmed and the garden had recently been tidied. The neighbours who had looked after our home had done a wonderful job, far beyond our expectations. It was hard to express our gratitude and feelings at that moment. We hope we can return the favour one day soon but they have set such a high standard it will be hard to measure up.
This is our last blog entry. To all who have read our blogs we hope you have enjoyed following our journey and been entertained. Thank you to those who have commented on our blogs. We have enjoyed sharing our trip with you. Thanks also for the emails and skype calls that have kept us close to loved ones while away.
What a wonderful feeling to be back in your own home after such a long time. No more suitcases, no more hand washing in bathroom basins, no more hotel or restaurant meals. We are home.
It is great being home but somewhere the seed of another trip may be developing. Tonight, however, we are looking forward to a good sleep in our own bed.
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