Day 22 – Budapest Vienna

April 25, 2005. Sad – today we said good bye to Europe after three wonderful weeks in the old world. We left the Imperial Hotel in Vienna for the short trip to the airport. London is just over two hours from Vienna and Austrian Airlines got us there on time.

The lineup for immigration was short and our baggage arrived within ten minutes. Sure wish the North American airlines provided that kind of service. Outside the custom hall, Bob and Rosemarie Stanley were waiting for us. We have known the Stanley’s for a number of years and it was great to see them again.

We piled our baggage into the back of their Range Rover and set off for the three and a half hour drive to the county of Devon, in southwest England. This is the first time that Nancy and I have visited this part of the country and the land is beautiful. The Stanley’s live in a quaint house in the village of Crediton just outside the city of Exeter. Their house was built in the 1890’s as a chapel. Then it became the post office and village store and Bob and Rosemarie ran the village post office for a number of years. When the post office moved they totally restored the house and garden. It is situated on a narrow lane with a wheat field across the road.

It was dinner time by the time we reached Crediton, so we settled in, had a lovely home cooked meal for the first time in weeks, and had an early evening. Today we’re of for a ride on a real steam train.

The pictures show the Stanley’s home and the four of us around the dinner table.

Stay tuned for Day 23 in my “Around the World in 30 Days” saga.

Alan Salmon
eClub One