Day 11: London to Damascus if all goes well

I have almost finished packing. All the signs are good for our taking off at about 4:00 this afternoon. I’m sure that Heathrow will be more chaotic than ever (and it is pretty chaotic even in the best of times) so we are allowing plenty of time to stand in lines—oh yes, it’s queues here.

I am looking forward to Damascus for many reasons:

• Damascus has been the goal of our trip from the very beginning. So getting there, given the uncertainty we have endured, will feel triumphal. While I can’t really claim that being in London has been hardship duty, finally getting to our destination will feel really good.
• I have gotten pretty tired of my chilly weather clothes and will be delighted to move into some of the lighter, more summery garb that Syria’s warmer temps allow.
• As you can imagine, I can’t wait to have some Syrian/Middle Eastern food.

Tomorrow we hope to visit the ruins at Palmyra.