Three Weeks Later

We're at Heathrow again, this time to head home. And after three weeks and nine beds, we're looking forward to home. The train ride south from Glasgow to London was smooth, comfortable, and a couple of minutes early. It's nice being in a country where train schedules are more than a vain hope.

Our last night here was spent enjoying a riotous dinner with my nieces Den and Carol and their husbands Mark and Grant. It was another reminder to us that people are a major part of our travel joys and memories. (You can check the pictures Carol posted on Facebook.). Please remember, guys, that I'm not responsible for anything I might have said at dinner except the sincere hope that one of these days we'll see you in the Pacific Northwest.

Tonight our own bed. For one night. And tomorrow a needed trip to Abbotsford.

 

 

Farewell Scotland

It wasn't exactly the day we planned, but it was a fine day nevertheless. We headed toward Edinburgh for a closer look at the kelpies and to check out the Falkirk wheel. On the way we stopped to pick up an old Gospel Recordings colleague of Valerie's who is living in Glasgow. Judging from the pace of the conversation in the back seat, Norma was intent on filling in as much of the last forty years as she could in one day.

As it turned out, the Falkirk wheel, once we found it, was closed for a month of maintenance. It's an intriguing alternative to a series of canal locks, and I'm glad I got to see it, albeit not in action.

From there we eventually found our way to the kelpies, not that they're easy to hide. Let's just say that iPad maps is not quite perfect. This being an off-season Tuesday, the kelpies were closed as well, though it's not clear just what that means. How do you "close" these astoundingly huge sculptures of horse heads?

The sky, however, wasn't closed, and we enjoyed this view of the Forth Bridge before chasing the sunset back to Glasgow. Scotland is beautiful, and so are her people. We've connected with a couple of dozen, some family, some old friends, and some new friends. Those relationships are part of what is making this week in the UK wonderful.

 

The Bonnie Banks

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes

Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond....

Loch Lomond is one of my favorite spots in Scotland, and a trip here would seem incomplete without returning again to those bonnie banks. For me there was a strange symmetry to this visit. The first time I came here was in 1988. My father, on the tail end of an anniversary trip with my mother, had succumbed to a heart attack, and I had flown over to conduct a funeral and bring mom home. Dad's ashes were scattered in Clydebank, and before returning home, we were taken on a restorative drive to nearby Loch Lomond. Years later we would scatter mom's ashes in the same place. Monday, a couple of days after Hama's passing, we enjoyed that same drive, soaking in the calm beauty of God's creation.

Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae

On the bonnie bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

 

Family

Sunday was a family kind of day. We cherish those connections, both within our natural family and those within the family of God. We attended church with Bob McArthur and enjoyed hearing him preach. Bob and his family have warmly embraced us and made us feel at home. Then it was off to see Betty Hardie in Bearsden (widow of cousin Ted) and her son and daughter-in-law. Tea, goodies, memories.... And then off to Linlithgow and the Ingram clan, passing the kelpies on the way. Lots of laughter, a delicious dinner, and of course some good Scottish singing.

And in between we've been reading and encouraged by lots of emails expressing your love and prayers for us as we respond to Hama's passing. Thank you. We are blessed to be family.

 

It's a Beautiful Place

Scotland is simply beautiful. Our Saturday adventures took us to Ayrshire where around each new bend awaited green fields and grazing sheep, a picturesque Scottish town, the rugged coast, or another castle. We enjoyed literary and historical connections stopping by both the birthplace of Robert Burns and Culzean Castle that served as Eisenhower's headquarters during World War II. And we saw sights like this one at Dunure that reminded us that for all of it's power there are some things that time can't erase.

After a good dinner with our host family, we tried to check up on Valerie's mother, a long distance odyssey that eventually led to the discovery that she had passed away Friday night during surgery to repair her displaced fractured hip. Hama, who withstood all that time could throw at her for 96 years, is at home with the Lord in a place even more beautiful than Scotland.

 

 

Birmingham and Beyond

When we first planned this trip, Birmingham was not on the agenda. Then I accepted an invitation to serve on the Canadian board of Reach Across. Since Birmingham is the ministry arena for some Canadian RA people, we added a small detour and spent a night with them. It was a short but truly delightful visit and an opportunity to see first hand this diverse area that is home to the people they serve. We thank God for these faithful folk.

An unexpected surprise last night was a phone call from Abbotsford letting us know that Valerie's mother, having dislocated her previously fractured hip, was back in the emergency room and almost certainly facing surgery. She was in good spirits having insisted on lunch when she arrived at the hospital. When the nurse told her we were on the phone, her response, loud enough for us to hear, was "tell them not to come!" We spoke to her doctor at length and are confident she is in good hands. In addition to everything else, we are thankful for a working cell phone.

We're back on the train headed for Glasgow. The trip takes us through some beautifully scenic country. Pictures through a train window are less than ideal; this one is on the edge of the Lake District. On to Scotland....

 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

We're in transition, and it's a planes, trains, and automobiles kind of day. We left our Jerusalem hotel at 3:40 a.m. and were driven to Ben Gurion Airport. We cleared Israeli security quickly, efficiently, and politely, and without being frisked, removing any articles of clothing, taking Val's CPAP apart, or dumping a perfectly good bottle of water, all of which we have experienced back home. Israel has their act together, and TSA could learn a thing or two.

British Airways got us comfortably from Israel to London, and even let us nap on the way. Getting out of Heathrow was a bit quicker than two weeks ago, but not much. We got our rail passes validated and took the Heathrow Express in to Paddington Station. From there we took a taxi to Euston Station. (If you're traveling through London, you can pretty much count on having to use more than one of the many train stations here.) I am again convinced that London has the world's best taxi drivers. And now we're enjoying a bite of lunch on the train to Birmingham. Stay tuned; we're still on the move.

 

Wrapping It Up in Israel

Our last day of touring in Israel included a couple of moving experiences. When I was last here, we visited a remarkable scaled down model of the Old City that had been built on the grounds of the Holyland Hotel. A few years ago in what must have been a major undertaking, the model was moved to a new site at the Israel Museum. It was cut into a thousand pieces and carefully reassembled at the new site. The move was accomplished in 66 days. That's me standing next to it. The Shrine of the Book housing the Dead Sea scrolls is next door and also a must see.

From there we went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial. I would think it impossible to experience it without being deeply moved. It's a bit like walking through the pit of hell. It is hard to comprehend such evil.

Tonight we pack and we head to the airport in the wee small hours of the morning to continue the adventure in England and Scotland.

 

 

Building Memories

Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives, the Garden Tomb, Abraham's tent, Bethlehem -- it's been another good day with more good memories. For me seeing the empty tomb will always be a high point of any Jerusalem trip. Pictures will be posted eventually; meanwhile some of the things I will remember about today:

• Leading communion beside an empty tomb for over 50 friends, most of whom I didn't know a few days ago...
• Crashing a funeral in Bethlehem...
• Losing a hearing aid (and I was worried about my wallet)...
• Riding a camel (yes, you read that right)...

At the end of the day we heard from a messianic Jewish pastor, and I will also remember his unexpected answer to a question about how American Christians can support their messianic brothers and sisters in Israel. He said, "Pray for revival in America."

 

Jerusalem - The Old City

We spent the day, about ten hours of it, walking in the old city of Jerusalem. Seldom have I had a better reason for having tired feet. There is something very special about experiencing this place first hand. There is so much to see here that it's a challenge to take it all in. The picture of the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount and the western wall was taken shortly before exploring the rabbinical tunnels and excavations adjacent to the temple wall.

 

Sunrise Over the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on the face of the earth. So perhaps it's fitting that what I fervently hope is the low spot in our hotels was here. There were a number of things that should have gone better, cleanliness being the most surprising. Not every "resort" is worthy of the name. The food, however, was great, and this morning's sunrise a beautiful gift from God. Today it is on to Masada and Jerusalem.

 

From Galilee to the Dead Sea

We headed south today following the Jordan River from Galilee to the Dead Sea making several stops along the way. The first picture is at the baptismal site on the Jordan River just south of the Sea of Galilee. The second is near the north end of the Dead Sea. We're currently at our hotel experiencing Shabbat culture shock.

 

 

Galilee

It was a beautiful day in the Galilee, and over the course of twelve full hours we have circled the sea and seen a lot -- Capernaum, Mount of Beattitudes, Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Bethsaida, the Golan Heights, sailing on the Sea of Galilee.... We've been walking - and sailing - where Jesus lived. It has been a good day.

 

 

Caesarea and Beyond

Our first full day -- and it was a very full day -- included Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast (Peter and Cornelius and gentile Christians) seen here; Mount Carmel (Elijah and the prophets of Baal); archaeologically interesting and prophetically significant Megiddo; and Nazareth before reaching our guest house home for the next couple of nights on the Sea of Galilee.

 

Getting There

Sometimes things don't turn out quite the way you hoped. We were reminded of that yesterday a couple of times. Our last stop in Jordan was at Mount Nebo where God allowed Moses to look out across the Jordan River to see the promised land that he would never enter. It's an impressive view. Moses died, and it would be Joshua who would lead the Israelites into the land. Sometimes when things don't turn out the way you expect, it is the result of unwise choices. Getting there took 40 years, and Moses never did get there.

I was reminded of that a little later when we experienced our own "getting there" adventures. Like Joshua we crossed the Jordan River, but there was no parting of the waters. By the time all 20 of us had cleared Israeli security shortly after noon, we were ready for a nice air conditioned bus, but the bus wouldn't arrive for another hour. And when it did, an unexpected detour by Ben Gurion Airport pushed our expected mid-afternoon arrival at our hotel back closer to 7 p.m. It was a good reminder that sometimes getting there doesn't turn out the way you expect.

But in spite of the detours, we are here in Israel ready to keep on enjoying the adventure.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Petra

Petra has been on my bucket list, and today was the day. In one word: WOW! There is so much more here than I knew. It was well worth the three-plus hour drive from Amman. I'll probably update this post later with more details. Right now we're still at Petra waiting for the rest of the group and taking advantage of a wifi connection. Valerie and I sort of cheated and took a horse-drawn cart back up the hill. No regrets!

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Compressing Time

We're in London. My body is not totally convinced yet, but we are definitely in London. We touched down at Heathrow Airport a few minutes early at 6:30 Friday morning trying hard not to think of what time it was back home. An hour or so later we had cleared passport formalities, claimed our luggage, and gotten a whole lot more exercise than either of us wanted. It's an interestingly designed terminal, and "fast track" apparently has a different meaning. After a couple of phone calls, we eventually connected with our patient transfer driver who, having received his instructions from someone who didn't understand the difference between arrival time and pick-up time, had been hanging around the airport for two hours. Poor guy - and by then the 35 minute drive took over an hour. But it's okay; we're in London.

We have seen a lot in spite of the jet lag, and God is answering Valerie's weather prayers. We took in the changing of the horse guard ceremony (alternate days to Buckingham Palace and able to get much closer) and then meandered by Downing Street (the prime minister didn't invite us in) on our way to Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey while waiting for our room to be ready. By the time it was, we were ready for a shower and a rest. The last couple of days have been like that - sightseeing and rest-taking, with history, beauty, and some great little eating places punctuated with the results of compressing too many time zones into a nine hour trip.

Perhaps the most striking view (and the biggest crowd) was at the Tower of London where a unique memorial to Britain's casualties from World War One is almost complete. Imagine 888,246 blood-red ceramic poppies spilling out of the tower and covering the moat. The final poppy, one for each British casualty, will be placed on Armistace Day, November 11. I'll post a picture when we get home; meanwhile, check here

Tomorrow we fly to Amman, and the tour begins Tuesday. Our goal and prayer is to be over jet lag by then. Stay tuned....

 

Posted with Blogsy

Are We Ready?

It is an easy question to answer. "Are you ready for the trip?" I've been asked several times, and the answer is still NO in spite of the fact that the plane leaves Thursday afternoon. With luck I'll be ready when we leave for the airport. Valerie is a great planner; she could have been ready weeks ago. Then there's me. I like travel; I always have. It's the preparation and packing I don't like. Valerie says if it were up to me I'd take the kitchen sink, but I wouldn't. We're going to England, Jordan, Israel, and Scotland, and I'm pretty sure all those countries have sinks. But just in case....

In the days leading up to a trip, my mind finds too many other things to process. Among the distractions this last week are a broken tooth for Valerie and a broken hip for her mother, and I briefly wondered if we had misunderstood God's leading for this trip. But with no surgery planned for her mother and a plan in place for the tooth, it turns out that his timing is right on.

So ready or not we leave in a few days. And if you want, and if I have time and an internet connection, you'll be able to follow along with Clanbrewer on the Move. ✈

 

Posted with Blogsy