Monday

When you travel westbound across the Atlantic, it's always "the longest day." All our Canterbury pilgrims assembled in the hotel lobby at 5:45am GMT and boarded our bus for the nearly three hour drive to London Heathrow (much of it in morning rush hour traffic). It dawned on me en route that there are no highway billboards in England. It makes for a much different experience. We made it to the airport in plenty of time to check in, take our leave of our tour manager Michael, of whom we had become very font, and board our 11am departure on Virgin Atlantic. The flight went smoothly, and after clearing passport check and customs, those who were being met there said their goodbyes to those who still had a train journey ahead of them. That group negotiated airport transit, then CTA, then a walk to Union Station, where more goodbyes were said, as some were on the 5:15 train for St Louis and others on the 8:00 departure to Carbondale. It was a joy to lead twelve young people in connecting with their Anglican roots and creating memories that will last a lifetime. Already thinking about the next one.