Back in England

Yesterday was pretty hectic. We left our 16th century bed and breakfast in Bergerac, France, at 7:30 and I spent the next two hours worrying that we were going to be late to our plane in Bordeaux. But we made it, of course. We flew to London, got to Coreen's house via train and tube, switched around our suitcases and got a key, then tubed and trained to Oxford, arriving at 6:30. So great to see Steve Lawhead at the station! Steve and Alice are great old friends from Campus Life Magazine days.... they have a beautiful house in Oxford and we thoroughly enjoy visiting them. We'll be here for a few days.

We had nearly two weeks with Dave and Daphne in Spain, and a lot of that time was spent talking about our futures. I think we have a pretty full idea of their work in Spain, and they ours in Santa Rosa. It was very worthwhile to talk. We also got to visit in Madrid, Segovia and Avila. Here are a few pictures.

Then, via expensive rental car (don't try to cross borders in a rental, I would advise) we drove to the north of Spain for a night in Basque country,then northeast into France. It was quite a bit more driving than I had bargained for, but it was worth it in the end. We got some time in the Dordogne, a land of castles and rivers and good food. And we enjoyed having a few days just the two of us. Here we stand in front of our bed and breakfast, which had beams to break your head on and floors set at 20 degree angles, and a lot of character. Betty, our hostess, spoke French so sweetly I could actually carry on a decent conversation with her, and that was fun! Thanks to the Lonely Planet guidebook for helping us find her.

Now we get 10 days with three sets of friends in England.