The Ultimate.

The ultimate day.  Our last day in London is already here.  I can't believe the time has gone so fast.  It seems like just yesterday, not three weeks ago, I arrived to my flat on Great Russell Street.  Some of my  class mates are super anxious to go home, I am not as ready yet--I miss my boys, but I would rather have them come here to me than to go back to them in Arizona.  I keep seeing things and having experiences I want them to share with me.  They would love all the clothes and music here, they would be fascinated by the crazy street signs (PLEASE USE TOILETS PROVIDED) and street performers.  The trains would be fun, the rollerblading police would be thrilling, and the cases of pastries would delight.

Everything, even run-of-the-mill things like buying groceries and going to the park is different here, and the kids would revel in it.  They would love the ponds in the Regent's Park, the self-scanners at Sainsbury's.  Ordinary things like vintage green scooters at Old Spittlefield Markets would be memorable.

I will show them the pictures and tell them about the skyscraper I saw that was covered in plants.  I will play the video I shot of the Rolling Stones concert.  I will share everything I have seen and really hope that my four boys will get have the same wonderful experience in London as I have had the past three weeks.  This trip has re-affirmed by desire to travel with them more, to show them there is much more in the world than just what they know in Prescott, Arizona.  They need to know how diverse the rest of the world is, that most people I met speak more than one language, and the importance of wearing really nice shoes.

I was dreaming of taking them to London, and then to Paris, but now I think that I would start out in Ireland.  I didn't know what to expect in Dublin, but I would love to take the kids there.  I was stunned at the warm atmosphere.  Everyone I met, totally without exception, was kind, cheerful, and jovial.  I loved the humor and the winking and the accents.  Quinn, my 11-year-old, has the life goal of acquiring an accent.  Maybe it should be Irish....

My first full day here I posted about the ceramic thing I saw in the stationary store that said, "Anything Can Happen Today."  Lots of amazing, beautiful things happened on my trip.  I loved, loved my time here and my varied experiences.
In Dublin, I happen to walk by the National Library of Ireland, in a regal complex right next to the Parliament buildings.  There was a huge hanging banner outside that said, "What will you find today?"  A terrific marketing motto for the library, and a terrific outlook to carry into daily life.  I will take that home to my boys...