Celebrate Kelly's Day -- June 1

Kelly's birthday is actually June 2nd but we went down to celebrate on the 1st instead. Left Ed's house in the mid morning and had an enjoyable hour ride down to Kelly and Jeff's place in South Beloit, Il. We reintroduced ourselves to the kids, Jessica, Erin, Karl. It's tough when you only see them once a year or so. Jessica remembered us but the other two really didn't. Erin probably will remember who we are the next time we come down.

We had a pillow fight with the kids a few minutes after we arrived. Petted the dog, Max. During the pillow fight we managed to get the pull chain on the ceiling fan wrapped around the blade shaft. It was a challenging task to get it untangled but we did accomplish it. Soon we were off to Olympic Resturant in Rockford, Il for lunch. The food was good and plentiful. I would recommend this place if you ever happen to be there. We had a good time with everyone at lunch. The kids are very well behaved and a joy to be with.

The next stop on the journey was Anderson Gardens in Rockford. This is a very beautiful Japanese garden that used to be a private residence and was later donated to the Rockford Rotary and run as a 501c (3) corporation. The garden is open to the public and well worth the admission price and the time to stroll though the graveled and stone paved paths. Do allow a number of hours to spend in the garden it will be well worth you time and effort. We spent many hours exploring the garden, relaxing in the many rest areas, and strolling on the many pathways. We had three young children with us and they didn't seem to ever be bored during our stay. I highly recommend this venue to anyone.

Late in the afternoon we went back to Kelly's house and had cupcakes instead of cake for her birthday. We finally got to see Jeff as well. He has been very busy at work and wasn't able to spend much time with us. We still enjoyed his company for a short time. All too soon we were off again to Ed's house to spend the evening. We had a wonderful time.

Off to Wisconsin -- May 31

Meredith was kind enough to take us to the airport in Anchorage at 12:01 AM on the 31st for our 2:30 AM flight. We were really tired when we got to the airport and before we got there actually. We got checked in and waited around to board the plane. Once on the plane, I fell asleep before we even got off the ground. Was a "short" flight to Seattle. I think Bonnie slept most of the way to Seattle as well. Once again we kept our fingers crossed that Mt. Redoubt wouldn't delay our trip and it worked.

Changing planes was uncomplicated. Got some breakfast in Seattle and boarded the flight to O'Hare. Left Seattle on time and arrived in Chicago on time. Uneventful flight, thank the Lord.

Found out where to go to get the bus to Waukesha. We made the 3:10 bus which was nice. Made six stops before we got to Waukesha. Once we got on the expressway in downtown Milwaukee we called Ed to let him know so he could meet us at the drop off spot. Got stuck in traffic by Brewer Stadium, the ball game had just let out. But weren't stuck very long. Ed was waiting for us when we arrived at Goerke's Corners. Sure was a lot more pleasent drive for him than picking us up at O'Hare. It was great to see Ed and Pat again, hugs all around and then off to dinner.

We ate at a family resturant in Waukesha. The food was very good and very plentiful. Took about half of our dinner home with us to consume later. Got to Ed's place, did a few chores, talked some and then crashed for the night. We were really tired. We did almost nothing all day and we were exhausted. Funny how flying does that to you.

More Reservations

Seems there is a bunch of construction on I-94 and I-294 (Illinois Tollway) so we looked at possible alternatives to having my brother come pick us up at O'Hare International. Turns out that there is a bus that runs from the Hilton Hotel at O'Hare to Waukesha, WI. Leave about every hour at 10 minutes past the hour. Cost was $30 so we decided to take it from O'Hare to Waukesha on the 31st. The ride is supposed to take about an hour and 50 mins. We made the reservations and will call my brother when we leave O'Hare. Unfortunately there is not a return that matches up with our schedule, we leave too early, so Ed will have to transport us back on the 14th but at least we will save him one trip. You don't have to make reservations. Tickets can be bought when you arrive at O'Hare.

Wisconsin Bound

In April 2009 I realized we had a companion ticket on Alaska Airlines that was about to expire. I called Bonnie and suggested that we go to visit relatives in Wisconsin and Illinios to use this fare. She agreed. So proceeded to make reservations on Alaska Airlines to go to Chicago from Anchorage on May 31 with a return on June 14. No need to make hotel or car reservations as we would be staying with my brother and using one of his cars. We look forward to the trip.

The volcano is still rumbling but hope it won't impact our journey.

Safety Abroad

We are often asked how things were? Did we feel safe? Were we ever threatened? It's kind of complicated. Neither Bonnie or I ever felt threatened while we were in the UK or Egypt. One would expect that in the UK and yet there was a terrorists attack there in the subway not too long ago. I guess we never really thought about it. If there would have been an attack there is not much we could have done about it. And all things considered the odds of being involved in an attack are much smaller than the chance of being severely injured in a car accident in this country.

We never felt threatened or in danger in Egypt either. There were many police and military personnel around with weapons displayed. You kind of get used to that and don't really pay much attention to them unless you want directions some where then you hope that they speak English.

Safety was never an issue for us while we were traveling.

Returning Home from Egypt March 23 & 24

It's much later now and I'm just getting around to putting in the last entry for this trip. Seems like the best intentions often go undone. 

The trip home was pretty uneventful. We had breakfast in Port Faoud as usual. Got everything loaded into the car, no easy task I might add. We should have taken pictures of this but didn't take any pics at all this day. I supposed we were really too down to be excited about taking pictures on going home day. It almost seemed like we were leaving home. Of course after we got the luggage loaded we loaded up all of the people and began the journey to Cairo once again. The trip was longer than it was supposed to be so we were kind of hurried when we got to the airport. Ezzat got us through the security lines in record time. We had not hassles, but there was very little time for tearful goodbyes which was very good. We got checked in with Egypt air pretty quickly and then waved a final goodbye to Nardeen, Susan, and Ezzat. Then we were off to the "waiting area", our flight still didn't leave for an hour or so yet. We kicked around in the shops for a while, got something to eat and then went to the gate. 

The trip to London was smooth and uneventful. We were overnighting in London and had made a reservation at a Comfort Inn well before we left. The price we had a reservation for was 44 GBP. The posted price in the lobby was 99 GBP. The moral is make your reservations in advance like we did and save a bunch of money. Hotel rooms in the UK and I understand in the rest of Europe are small compared to US standards. The hotel had very a very nice room for us. It was small but clean and comfortable. The staff was very helpful and friendly. The Internet hook up charge was expensive even by US standards. The food at the hotel was very good and reasonably priced. The least expensive way to get to the hotel was by bus. Picks you up that the airport and drops you at the door of the hotel. Couldn't be easier. Round trip ticket on the bus is the same price as two one way tickets but then if you get a round tripper you don't have bother with a purchase the next day. 

The morning trip to the Heathrow as uneventful as well. Checked in and boarded the plan we no problem. All the flights on the way home from the UK were on time and we got into Anchorage late on Tuesday evening. We were exhausted but would do it again in a heart beat. Right now we plan to return to Egypt in 2011. We are really looking forward to that trip.