London - Father, Didi & Elly

London with Didi & Elly.

His name is Diedriek: an old Dutch name but every person calls him Didi. I also call him the Kind Giant; he is 17 years old and 185 centimeter (I am 167cm almost!).
When he was 13 he came alone without his mother or sister to stay two weeks with me in Egypt...
This is our second trip together: father and son. I want to introduce him to a different group of my friends. We stayed at the "Hossam and Madieha" mansion in Wimbledon. Both are Egyptian doctors; I know them since 30 years ago
And to Elly whom I know 2 years ago.
Elly gave us her time and energy when we were hitting London. We are Amsterdamians - meaning we come from small city has two lines of underground, has two centers, we use our bicycles in moving around a city which has less than one million moving in and around it!
So we were not at ease in London plus Didi and myself cannot read maps and it was very difficult for us to understand what people are saying with their different English(s)
I gave him a reasonable summary of my friends. The first trip in the tube between Heathrow and Wimbledon was absurd but we arrived in one piece. Then we went to see Elly.
In London it was the first time for me and Didi to have a "drink" together. and for Elly and myself to have time talking face to face since we met very quickly in Cairo almost two years ago.
Three generations, trying to connect with each other. Elly and me were doing the big part. Didi was sitting listening, smiling and commenting from time to time... I am used to his silence (girls think he is cool!)
Father and son were moving between cultures (British museum, of course) Egyptian friends who speak English and Arabic, Elly who speaks English and worries about the state and future of the world, and British girls whom Didi thinks are more arrogant than Dutch girls.
Last night he began to loosen up and tease Elly! I was sitting back and enjoying both of them joking and relaxing.
When father and son were alone we talked about many things we did not have time to talk about in Amsterdam... he also took care of me helping me around (he used to ignore that before) and showing me the way around the Tube!
I thought I am a better father than my Father whom I loved but never had the opportunity to talk to him!
I also discovered some interesting qualities in Elly: her sense of hummer, her kindness and her willingness to give her time and energy to amuse and entertain others!
When we were at Heathrow again we did not mind the crazy security who ordered us to take our shoes off (as a lot of people were ordered too)... we even joked about it.
We were a happy bunch going to a small city which we can move around in with our bicycles!
I made Elly promise to come to Amsterdam, and ride a bicycle with me and Didi
Raouf