Cheers! An update from the final stop on our around the world trek. We are now in 'jolly old London' after spending a few days in 'gay Paris'. While I have been to these cities before the plan was to share them with Rob and enjoy springtime in these two great cities. While the cities have been lovely the spring weather is not quite what we imagined - but I guess that's life. The weather in London is always 'a game of chance' but we had anticipated warmer conditions for Paris. Oh well. Given that we don't have many warm clothes with us we put on a few layers when we go out exploring and then it's really not all that bad - its just we got used to much warmer conditions. I don't know if it was the weather, the sights, or the cold/sore throat I had but I lost my voice while in Paris. It was rather awkward when one can't speak the language or talk at all! At times I felt rather rude, but then again the French aren't know for their manners so perhaps being voiceless helped me to fit in with the local culture. On that matter - the French government actually have an advertising campaign underway encouraging their people to be more polite. In reality we found most people quite hospitable and really enjoyed our short stop in France! We toured Paris quite extensively taking in the Eiffel Tower, the Arch of Triumph, the Louvre Museum as well as a trip to the suburb of Montmarte. Montmarte was originally a haven know for cheap rent, artists and tax free wine, but is now an expensive, colorful suburb. We also took a train to Versailles one day to explore the palace there. It was quite large and very opulent. No wonder the French got rid of their monarchy (and the associated expenses) by driving them from the Palace. While in Paris we were also very fortunate to take in an Easter Sunday service at Notre Dame Cathedral. Although it was all conducted in French, so direct interpretation was lacking, we quite enjoyed what we experienced. The acoustics in the 850 year old structure were amazing as the priests chanted and the choir sang!

Then it was on to London via 'the Chunnel'. We have walked and walked taking in the historic sites and views along the river Thames. The Parliament Buildings, Buckingham Palace and Trafalger Square are only a few of the sites we saw as we made our way through the maze of streets. We also took in the historic sites of the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. The train ride to Hampton Court gave us the opportunity to get a better feel for the scale of this city as well as a chance to visit to a smaller, quainter UK centre. Today we visited the British Museum and plan to take in another museum tomorrow. As London is known for its live theatre we took advantage of that by taking in the musical "Wicked", the lead up to the story of the Wizard of Oz, one evening. We also have plans to celebrate the final evening of our long journey by seeing the musical "Billy Elliot" before we head home.

It's hard to believe that our five month oddessy is coming to an end! We have a long flight from London to Calgary on Saturday where I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to reflect on this voyage - hi-lights, what we've learned and where life will take us from here. We'll send a brief update from home to 'close the loop' with those of you who have been following our travels. Your comments and feedback along the way have not only enhanced our journey but helped us to avoid becoming homesick by staying in touch.