Days 12–17: London, and the End!

It's been nearly a year since we went on our European cruise, and I'm still blogging about it. That's too long. =) Sure, it was the trip of a lifetime! However, the "everyday" days are still important … sometimes more important. I want to catch up and give space to them.

So, let's begin our final post on the cruise! There will be only 20 photos for 6 days in London. You can see more photos here: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/myphotos?noredirect=1.

In my previous post, we had finished the "Romantic Danube" cruise in Budapest and were about to fly to London.

Day 12: Chocolate in the Budapest airport. I had this brand in Israel. Yummy! However, I took the photo especially because of the middle chocolate, called "Happy Cows"!

You see, in California the cheese industry airs commercials with the slogan, "Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California." The implication is that California cheese is better than, say, Wisconsin cheese, because California's weather is better. I won't enter that debate. However, I enjoyed those commercials.

In London, we stayed at a fancy hotel a block from the British Museum. Many museums in England are free to enter!

Day 13: Eating at the British Museum is amazing, because of the architecture. So much light! Here, Mom enjoys a sandwich in the Great Court.

Mom really enjoyed the museum's exhibit on Chinese ceramics. We returned multiple days, and she even bought a book.

At museums, I'm always amazed that many exhibits are barrier-free: Anyone could accidentally, or purposely, touch them! Of course, we're not supposed to touch them, but still, it's amazing the trust and respect the museum has for all people.

Here's a sarcophagus, over 2000 years old, covered in hieroglyphics. I was very tempted to touch, but I restrained myself.

The Rosetta Stone! Unlike the sarcophagus above, this is behind glass. =) The Rosetta Stone declares a royal decree, repeated across three languages. Without this stone, we might never have deciphered hieroglyphics. Thank goodness that someone had the foresight to make the Rosetta Stone. It's a testament to the power of information, and the power of being able to compare data side-by-side.   

A panorama of the downstairs area of our hotel room. Yes, a 2-floor hotel room! It was an upgrade, but yes, I'm afraid to ask how much it cost.

Mom was resting (in my bed). The lighting was good, so I took this shot.

Day 14: We returned to the British Museum. At left are stones used with a sling. Yes, like the story of David and Goliath! Now that I see the stones, it seems much more believable that David could beat a bear, a lion, and Goliath.

By the way, you know that saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?" I used to say that as a kid, then stopped as I grew up. But only in recent years did I realize it's not true, at all. My version: "The more I trust, the more words hurt. But I will live on."

We visited the Chinese ceramics exhibit again. The museum had a wheelchair we could use. Mary's talking to a girl who was making at etching of one of the pieces. I think her name was Emily.

Fish and chips! One evening we got these to-go from a local restaurant. They were tasty but really oily. We also lacked proper utensils. =)

Day 15: Mom in our room. Can't have too many nice shots of one's mom!

Rob and his wife Val. Rob and I were college roommates in my 2nd year. They live in England now. We had breakfast. I'm grateful we could keep in touch. 

If I seem to be making a funny face, it's because we were playing with my camera's "Smile detector." When the detector is on, the camera takes photos only when it detects a smile. We learned here that the camera's not smart enough to wait until everyone smiles. =)

On display at the British Museum. What might the placard say? "Geoffrey Hom. Homo sapiens. Circa 2015, Sacramento, California. Often mistaken as younger due to Asian genes and student attire. Note greying hair on side of head. Future to be determined. Same pair of glasses for 15+ years. On display for a limited time only."

Ricardo and me. Ricardo and I were in the same lab in Minnesota, then at Genentech. Ricardo's doing more research in Cambridge and took the train to visit me.

Day 16: The Natural History Museum. This is "Dippy," a Diplodocus, in the entrance hall. In summer 2017, Dippy will be replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale. More info is here.

Carrie, Kate/George, and me. They live in England, but we know each other from the Game Developers Conference in California. Kate had to explain to me that "George" is also a female name in Britain. (See here.) When Kate was growing up, there was a popular children's book with a female George, and she really liked that character.

The museum had a really cool exhibit on butterflies and moths. Hundreds of them, with dozens of different species! But this poor moth. It's wings are damaged for some reason.

For some reason, I feel danger nearby. =) 

Okay, that is a live, giant moth. If it wanted, it could land on my face. But the volunteer said they're harmless…

Day 17: Time for Mom and I to go home! (Mary had more European adventures.)

This is in the airport, in a British Airways lounge. The sign reads, "Unfortunately, this machine is out of order at present; an engineer has been called. Thank you for your patience."

It's just a wine cooler! The British really are fancy.

Almost home! Mom looks happy.

Reflections on our 2015 Hom European Vacation

My sister planned this trip. At that time, Mom had undergone a year of surgery, chemo, and radiation for an aggressive brain tumor. Would the treatments work? How long would we have? Could she fly?

For some reason, Mom wanted to visit the Danube River and go on a cruise. Perhaps it was because of the song, "Blue Danube." Perhaps it was the brochures.

Have you ever wanted to help someone? A child? Spouse? Friend? Homeless person? We often think really hard about the best way to help. I have learned my first step: Just ask them what they want. It's simpler, easier, and respectful.

Mom wanted to go to the Danube. So we went.

Auntie Nancy didn't go to London with us, but she was a Godsend on the cruise.

The vacation was very expensive. In hindsight, I feel it could have been half the cost and we would've been just as happy. However, it was what it was, we learned a lot, and we now have a bar to measure against. If I had to choose between going and not going, I'm definitely glad we went.

Also, it's only money. By that, I mean God has the power to create and destroy money. Do you believe that? I've heard it from true stories, and I've seen it in my own life. I won't say God gave us the money to go on an expensive European vacation; I don't feel that. However, if God wants something, I do believe he can provide any needed resources, including money.

What resources are on my mind most these days? Health. Time. We rejoice with what we've been given. But we still pray.

May God provide for you, too.

Next time: We took another trip after Europe. I want to blog about it before we reach the "everyday."

Next stop, the Galapagos Islands!