“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.” – C.S. Lewis

Our travels this week took us to the Netherlands, France and southern England. We have three different sets of friends that we wanted to reconnect with and see where they’re living. So while we were able to do some touristy things, what we loved the most was spending time with our friends.

Holland: We landed amidst a heat wave. Fortunately our friends living in Holland had a lovely backyard and Mr. D could bat balls and also get sprayed off by the hose. We visited a beach on the North Sea which had the finest sand. But we didn’t stay long because a spectacular lightning storm rolled in. We got a taste of the Dutch bikes, canals and a carnival in Leiden.

France: The heat continued but it wasn’t as severe. We were able to go up the Eiffel Tower, go on a boat ride on the Seine, visit the Luxembourg gardens, and see Versailles.

England: Our travel luck ran out when we missed the train from Paris to London. And then missed our subsequent connections and trains. Fortunately we left our Paris friends’ home with four baguettes which saw us through a long day. And then seeing our dear friends in England helped make it all worth it. We visited Dartmouth where Agatha Christie wrote many of her novels and the Mayflower set sail, played at the Blackpool Sands beach, canoed with our friends down a river to eat food cooked over a fire, and enjoyed market-fresh food in their beautiful yard.

The sign of the week comes from St. Pancras train station in London, “I want my time with you!” So here’s to friends – that make all the travel worth it! We’re looking forward to being home soon to see our Seattle friends – and being back online to reconnect with all of you!