ROUTE 66 AND THE LONDON BRIDGE AT LAKE HAVASU

We wake up to a misty morning in Flagstaff, a place described to me by our host as a travelers meeting spot near the top of a mountain. It is a ski town that he believes really has no more to offer than accommodation, good food and supplies as well as a base to head off to the snow capped mountain nearby. It is so strange how you are in the desert landscape one minute and seeing snow the next, what an amazing part of the world, it is all about elevation.

The mist soon rises and a blue sky awaits us as we head off to our next destination. We plan our way to take in a scenic byway, not just any byway, but the famous Historic Route 66, this being the longest stretch of the old road to be preserved. Thank goodness that it’s dedication in 1987 by the Arizona State will assure that this stretch of road will not just fade away into the landscape.

We had spent a short time traveling this famous roadway back near Chicago, but now was the time to get the feel for, Route 66, so famous to the world. It was amazing to travel along and try to imagine what it was like back in the 1920’s when people were traveling west to live the dream, reaching the Californian coast. This stretch makes its way through the frontier towns and it is a long baron road that must be scorching in the summer.

We eventually stop in the town of Seligman. This town is surrounded by some of the largest cattle ranches in Arizona, such amazing rolling country. We wander along the main street taking in the tourist shops, mainly to see the old cars and bikes, and purchase a couple of mementoes from some of the nicest people we have met. We stop at the Roadrunner Café though having just had lunch don’t partake in the “steaks’ on offer, sure they are very good though. Such a fun short break to stretch the legs and on we go toward our destination for the day, our time on this fabulous stretch of road an enriching experience.

What a contrast awaits us in a strange and interesting place that is Lake Havasu City. From out of the desert a city was born largely due to one man, Robert McCulloch. From 1934 to 1938 the Parker dam was built creating a lake with 450 miles of shoreline and a unique eco system within this parched world. In 1963 Mr McCulloch, owner of McCulloch Motors, was flying around the countryside looking for a site to test his outboard engines. Dare I say it, the rest was just history. He must have been a crazy but forthright man in his day, managing to create a city out of sand and rock. He and his friend CV Wood, designer of Disneyland, planned a community centred around the Lake.

McCulloch’s biggest brainchild was the purchase of the old London Bridge in 1968 for the cost of US$2,460,000. London had put the bridge on the market because it was basically sinking under the weight of traffic. I am told by a reliable source, my cousin Graham, that he originally thought he was getting the Tower Bridge, though I am sure he was not disappointed in the end. It took 3 and half years to reconstruct the bridge we see today. Firstly a steel framework was built on dry land and the granite bridge placed around it, creating a solid functioning bridge, stronger than the original, this London Bridge wasn’t going to be falling down. The land around it was then dredged creating “the Channel” of water over which it now spans to a newly formed island. It is just like stepping back to London for a moment, as it is complete with all the things that make it British including the vintage lamps that are made from the melted down cannons of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army. It is the second largest tourist destination in Arizona after Grand Canyon. Locals will tell you that the bridge is seemingly haunted, by a police ‘bobby’ patrolling and by a woman dressed in black. What we do know for sure is that it is a home to many bats living in its hollow structure. Back in Cortez we spoke to an older lady who has lived in the lower southwest her whole life. She described the bridge as very bizarre, saying ‘one minute there was nothing for miles and then there was a city’. She was right by all accounts.

All in all, the coming of the bridge and McCulloch’s enthusiasm gave birth to the thriving community of Lake Havasu, it is a popular retirement town and romantic getaway tourist destination. It has a very pleasant climate all year round. Right now it is home to more RV’s than we have seen anywhere, all the travellers, (in Australia we call them Grey Nomads), roosting for the winter and catching up on their golf game I guess. Though glad we came to see it, this is not somewhere we would choose to come again. We are running out of light so find a camping spot in the outskirts of town, on Bureau of Land Management ground, and settle down to a spectacular sunset and sleep.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album ARIZONA.

CAROLINE CLIMBS BEN NEVIS

Another flashback to our time in Scotland, the day Caroline climbed Ben Nevis.

The end of this adventure is to tackle the highest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis.  We get to the Visitors Center mid afternoon and are a little disappointed to hear the weather forecast for the next day is quite poor, but alas we are too late to do it this day as we would be coming down in the dark, not a desirable for our first attempt.

We camp in the car park and decide on an early start to try to beat the bad weather coming in. It turns out that there are people coming in right into the night as we see a torch or two traverse the car park with a weary climber.  Awake at five and it is already raining quite heavily so we have another hour in the warm and try again when the weather seems to have cleared a little.

We finally decide to head off at 7.15am.  Now, this mountain is divided into three sections and the first is a steep climb over a path of boulders set as steps.  It is hard going and sadly it starts to become apparent that Mikayla is not very well.  She hadn’t wanted to say anything but was progressively worsening and eventually we have to make a decision that she and Georgia would return to Vincent and I would go on as far as I could. They have made it nearly half way and are very disappointed to have to turn back.  I might add that because of the constant drizzle we are already soaked even though we are quite warm.

I continue on and enjoy a break in the weather and the climb as I pass the easiest part of the trail past the Loch, it is so gorgeous.  Then starts the second section of the shale zig zags.  The climb is steep and still I am warm as toast even in just a t-shirt.  As I plod ever upwards I start to meet some climbers coming down and they advise me that it under an hour to the top but that it is freezing up there.  A couple more zigzags and I hit the biting wind and it is time to put on the layers.

The climb turns into a scramble over large boulders, past the ice trap and then a difficult path between the cairns.  Vision is poor as the rain has really set in up here and I am strangely quite alone at this point.  There have been people on the track all the way but for this final accent it is just me and I can only just see the next cairn, the only way to make out the trail.  It is quite an adventure as I imagine what it would be like to get lost in this wilderness and how very cold a night alone would be up here.

No wonder this mountain claims a few lives every year, to be unprepared would be madness and even with everything organized a weather change could be disastrous.  The top seems to be taking a long time to reach, I am now about four hours into my journey and eventually reach the top.  I have a few moments alone to take a photo of myself and the top beacon, and off the cliff edge.  I can only see about three meters down the cliff face before the cloud invades but it is clear it is not the best path down!  A wrong step up here could be quite a big one.

Quite suddenly there is an influx of fellow climbers and we are all congratulating one another for reaching the top, some are first timers like myself but others are repeat offenders, one man on his seventh ascent.  Well done to everyone.  It is not pleasant up here, visibility is next to nothing, there is a howling gale and it is freezing and wet and I decide it is time to head back down.  It has not been about the view since about half way but about the challenge.  Now I face the challenge of getting back to Vincent.

The top stage takes its toll quite quickly and my knees are complaining.  Once I reach the top of the zigzags I am treated to about half an hour of sunshine and a clear view of the world around, I stop to eat my supplies and chat to some climbers on the way up.  They have a while to go and I advise them that it is harder to come down than go up.  Everyone seems to agree on this point.  I have been able to take of a few layers and dry out the gloves and beanie in the constant wind.  I am now thinking the decent would be lovely if it stayed like this.

Sadly I have been too optimistic and as I reach the bottom of the zigzags the weather sets in worse than ever.  I am about half way down and the path is treacherous and slow and my legs are screaming.  The rest of the journey is agony and at times I wonder why I am here.  I am once again drenched to the skin, it is a rain that by-passes the very best waterproofs.  My feet are just puddles but my boots keep me safe on the slippery boulders and muddy track.  There are some young men that run pass me, Oh to have those knees again.

I slosh on at my very steady pace and I wonder about the poor soles that had still been climbing upward.  I am also so very grateful for the week of sunshine we have had previously to enjoy the highlands, the views would not have happened in this,  how lucky we are.  At about 4.15pm I knock on Vincents door and exclaim to the girls that I think I am about to die.  I head off to the loo while they prepare for my recovery treatment.  I also stop in at the visitors center to let the ladies know I did it.  Congratulations are received with thanks and we discuss the various spots on the mountain, it seems everyone finds coming down the hard part and I am glad it is not just me.  I am still able to laugh though and am pleased to have conquered Ben Nevis.

I meet a guide, and very experienced climber, that is taking a group of climbers up at midnight, “why would you do that?” is all I can respond.  He thinks it’s crazy too, what a way to make a living. Back to Vincent and the girls have the hot water ready.  Hair washed and body bathed they guide me under the covers and provide me with hot water bottles (thank you Maggy, I think you saved my life).  We are going to have to stay another night in the car park as I could not drive, and wonder if my legs will ever manage this task again.

While the girls provide me with food they also fill me in on their day.  By the time they got back to the car they were both very ill with a stomach issue, say no more.  It is so lucky they turned back when they did, at least they had managed to make a recovery and get warm and prepare for my return.  I don’t think Vincent would have coped with three drowned rats at once.

When I wake in the morning I am scared to move, wondering if this is indeed even possible.  My need to get to the loo gives me the motivation and I am very relieved to find that it is not as bad as I thought it might be.  No real damage has been done it seems, just some aches and pains to recover from over the next few days.  The girls are relieved when I seem relatively normal, not sure I was making much sense the night before.

We now have to try to sort out Vincent.  He is water logged with wet jackets and clothes and just invaded by the constant water flow outside.  We get on the road and crank up the heater and start to dry him out.  The next day sees the return of some sunshine so by about day three we have everything back to normal.  What would we do without our precious Vincent, our little home away from home.

We continue traveling south back into England and soon reached the Lake District. It had been our intention to complete the three peaks of the UK, Snowdon and Ben Nevis conquered and Scaffle Pyke to go.  Sadly the legs are not recovered enough to go up the last one after only three days so will have to save that for another trip.

We can console ourselves with our meandering through the Lake district enjoying such a beautiful part of England.  The weather holds quite well and the scenery is just gorgeous and we get to visit the part of the world that Beatrix Potter loved so much.  As we are mad BP fans we enjoy soaking up all the information we can. We visit her husbands law office first and are treated to passionate guides that give us a little more insight into her life.  We gaze on lots of her original drawing and sketches. We then head out to Hill Top and experience an eccentric world that she created to work from.  We can just imagine Peter and all his friends popping up in the garden.  It is a magical journey we thoroughly enjoy.  We look across the fields to her marital home and imagine her plodding across to work with her friends in tow.  We are glad to hear that the movie made of her life is almost all accurate, though she did not know her husband as a child.  A small amount of creative license is acceptable.  Our passion for this wonderful writer will continue on and I look forward to reading to my grandchildren the stories their mothers loved so much.

It is time to head south toward Devon and it takes a few more days to drive through the green lanes and on a couple of high ways till we are back with family.  What a great adventure we have had again and we look forward to coming back in the years to come and explore some more.

This brings the England adventure all up to date.  The final days with family have already been posted on Sep 25th if you would like a flash back update.  All posts from now on for a couple of months with be from USA and our adventures in this wonderful country.  Some are already up and will endeavor to be up to date very soon.  Madly adventuring and writing is really hard work you know.

SCOTLAND: INNERLEITHEN, EDINBURGH AND THE HIGHLANDS

We’re taking you back in time to when we said goodbye to Minting and continued North to Scotland during our UK adventures.

After a sad farewell to Minting and Serenity we head on up the UK through the Yorkshire Dales and enter into Scotland through Jedburgh.  We pop into the visitors center to be given fantastic advice by a very helpful and young woman.  We leave with a load of information to help plan our next part of our journey.

On our way up we stop in a little village called Innerleithen where there is a chance take advantage of our National Trust Membership again. An opportunity to visit Robert Smail’s Printing Factory, a fantastic step back in time.  We are greeted by a lovely young woman who is so passionate and proud of this special opportunity to see how a printing works was ran before all the ‘mod cons’ came along.

Mr Smail resisted the evolution in the printing game and also left behind all the original documentation, all the bells and whistles for the future generations to now enjoy.  Our tour moves on to the case room where all the type is set.  Another equally passionate woman takes us through the whole process and even gives us the opportunity to make our own book mark which we are very proud of and will treasure always.

On now to the big machines with a lovely young man who shows us how the old dragons work. The business is still running thanks to the National Trust and along the tour we see some of their splendid work including posters, cards, invitations and calenders etc.  We talk for a very long time to our original guide about our travels and her passion for her work.  Time to move on and we thank everyone for the best tour we have done our whole trip.

The day is still young and we head into Edinburgh, lucky enough to catch the last days of the Fringe Festival.  We spend time wandering the streets taking in the many entertainers and pop into a few free galleries.  It is a very attractive city that we enjoy our short time in. We move on, deciding to head for the North, passing through Perth.

Our decision to spend as much time exploring nature turns out to be the best plan we could have made. We head up the middle through the Grampians and explore magnificent scenery before finding a spectacular spot on a Loch to settle for the night.  Before the sun goes down I head up a hill for a walk.  It is a bit of a climb along animal tracks but the view over the Loch improves with height and Vincent becomes very small behind me.

We wake the next day to the shinning Loch with a low cloud suspended over it and the most magnificent reflections in the mirror like surface.  We move on to see Loch Ness, famous and busy, beautiful no doubt, but we are headed for a more wild experience.  Further North we press and into the highlands.

Lady luck is on our side once again.  Apparently a storm has just passed through with so much rain there have been landslides,  we arrive and spend 5 days exploring the highlands with spectacular sunshine and perfect blue sky.  We pass along the single lane roads winding and weaving our way through some of the most amazing scenery of our entire trip.  You can’t go past Austria and Switzerland for mountains but this comes so close.  Every turn is another spectacular view.  If you have never been try your hardest to come and see some of the most unspoilt beauty in the world.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album UNITED KINGDOM.

You can also find Robert Smail’s Printing Works Facebook page by clicking here.

FANTASTICAL FUN AT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO

This is the world of theme parks and, after much discussion and advice from those who have been here before, we decided that Universal was the place for us. Our first day is at Universal Studios, OH MY GOD WHAT A DAY. Here we are in a world that will shake, rattle, roll, spin, scare and speed you through the most amazing experiences. We start with the good old fashioned roller coaster. It’s fantastic! From there we live through the worlds of Shrek, Minions, Transformers, Wizards and Aliens. Even on the ground you are transported into other worlds, taking in a little Blues Brothers and Hollywood magic.

Our favorite world is not a Hollywood creation but boy they have done it well, Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. As we wonder through we imagine purchasing our needs for a year at Hogwarts and take a lunch break at The Leaky Cauldron, washing it down with a Butter Beer. Of course we have already withdrawn our galleons from the very special Gringotts bank with the help of some gorgeous goblins and a very special Dragon. Ah, the magic.

The afternoon is taken up with the Men In Black ride, not everyone’s favourite, and The Simpson’s Krusty the Clown ride that had us laughing the whole time including during the wait in line. We couldn’t leave without another visit to Diagon Alley and Gringotts, the best ride at Universal, and were lucky enough to catch Celestina Warbeck singing on stage, though we didn’t spot Molly Weasley in the crowd.

We take in an animal show with many specially trained creatures of the furry and feathered kind, including Marley from Marley and Me. Back to a little more adventure and into the world of Transformers, what a ride, rip roaring, stomach churning thrills as we save the world from evil one more time.

My stomach has done enough for one day but the girls decide to go back for more at both Transformers and Gringotts. Our senses have finally been pulverized enough for one day and we stagger on to look at the Universal City Walk of restaurants and evening entertainment before a cooling stroll back to our hotel where we collapse into bed.

Sunrise hits and we jump back up into the world of Islands of Adventure, two special islands devoted to more fun. These world concentrate on the cartoons of old and Super Heroes. We start the day with a new roller coaster, The Hulk, even better than yesterdays. We may have been a little park weary but this soon fired up the desire for fun and fear.

We decide to save the water rides for later in the day and head through Jurassic park. Then we move on to more Harry Potter fun. This time we enter into Hogsmead and eventually into the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle. Words can not describe the wonder as we watch and overhear the conversations between the moving paintings gossiping about the goings on at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Hermione appear from under the invisibility cloak and hatch a wonderful plan to transport us away from boring classes to be involved in the service of catching a snitch and other daring deeds for Professor Dumbledore.

Our ride is the best one yet and we emerge back onto the Hogsmead streets exhilarated and starving. The Three Broomsticks soon solves this problem. We ride a very terrifying dragon next and admire the Hogwarts Express, clouded in steam at the station.

We exit the exciting magical world and pause for a moment at a very special, very old talking rock. Children stop to have a little conversation and a delightful cooling off with Cosmo, their looks of wonder and astonishment as entertaining as anything we have done.

A little down time is the order of the hour and we wander on to The Cat In the Hat, Dr Seuss, world of fantasy, riding a very sedate overhead train looking on such colour and beauty, transporting us back into our childhood memories. A magnificent Merry Go Round full of magical creatures completes the experience. The batteries recharged by the beautiful world and lots of sunshine sees us ready to face the water rides.

As we tumble, slip, slide, scream and float our way through the Looney Tune creations we laugh uncontrollably as we and our fellow travelers are soaked to the skin and refreshed. Spider Man and Twister are last and though we have a new burst of energy it is only enough to transport us back through the streets of super heroes back into the real world and home before we crash in a heap, our body and minds overloaded with frivolity, fear and fabulous experiences. And we’re thankful for the stunning weather we had for both days at this wonderful place.

Wrapping up our Orlando experience is a little contradiction. NASA is trying its hardest to explore the universe and find life other than ours. In “reality” at Universal we seem to have found lots of life other than ours in the shape of fantastic monsters that we are spending a lot of energy trying to save the world from. Who has it right, and should we just be happy with seeing “stars”. On with the adventure I say.

Photos can be found on our Facebook Page in the album FLORIDA.

USA PHOTOS

We’ve finally uploaded all the best photos from our time in the USA so far, bar Washington DC (coming soon).

They can be found on our Facebook page in the albums below, just click on the place to see!

FLORIDA

GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS AND BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY

NEW YORK

KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE

Have had a few computer issues so have not managed to post as fast as we would like, we have been writing though so stay tuned. Hope to catch up soon with our recent travels in USA and watch out for a few post entries about our time in Scotland.

We have made our way up toward Orlando and first stop is the Space Centre another awe inspiring place. First thing is the bus tour around the Cape Canaveral facility. Very polite and informative guides divulge a torrent of information regarding the past, present and future plans for the mobile launch pads. It is quite extraordinary to imagine the moments before a launch and all the planning that comes down to a moment in time counting down to the lift off of a rocket. We are shown the amazing Crawlers that transport the rockets from their birth places in the huge buildings with the largest automatic doors in the world.

Half way around the center you are dropped off at a building that takes you on a journey through the actual Apollo Control Centre and shows the footage of the first Apollo mission launched. It’s quite amazing to see the actual place where history has been made over and over again. Another door opens and their is an actual rocket suspended from the ceiling with so much information to absorb about this amazing Space Program that saw a total of 12 American astronauts get to walk on the moon. A small number but such a huge achievement.

Delivered back to the main center there is so much more to learn and see. We start with the Shuttle exhibition, another massive building that holds the actual Shuttle Atlantis, displayed in all its glory with, shall we say, warts and all. She is just as she was on her retirement after a final trip into space and re entering the earths atmosphere. The Shuttle program is now over after millions of space miles traveled by these incredible inventions and their amazing crews. As I said WOW. Here we take a ride in a launch simulator and get a taste of the “g” forces and shakes and rattles endured to break out of our atmosphere into the universe beyond.

And how big is this ancient world? We take a look at the Hubble Telescope exhibit and are inspired by the vastness. We learn of all the problems overcome to produce the most spectacular photos you have ever seen, taken of events that took place light years before. Stars being born and dying and other complete solar systems, it is all jaw dropping, fantastic. A short drive takes us to the Astronaut Hall of Fame and paying tribute to the amazing human beings that have been in space and looked back at earth in all her splendor, especially those who did not get to return.

Oh, how I wish I could do this one day. The over riding theme of the entire day is that young children have looked up at the stars in the sky and wondered how to get there, and some have made it a little way closer than others. It is with great passion that the Space Programs that have gone before have come to success, and sometimes failure and loss of passionate lives. It is a Universal passion that now sees an International Space Station take in visitors and let them live in Space. How far we have come BUT how far we still have to go.

NASA talks to the young whilst they explore this amazing world looking for those pioneers of the future who know it is their destiny to reach for the stars. As these facilities open their doors to the world of private enterprise one wonders what the future holds. How long will it take to probe further than man has ever gone before? Will there be a bus trip to the Moon one day soon? Will we find a planet that will sustain human life? Will there already be other life forms out there? It is the stuff of dreams that one day will be reality? Go NASA and all the International Space Programs, make it all happen!

Full of new information and trivia, did you know Barbie was invented the same year that we first put a man into space? We leave inspired. We absolutely loved the time line of all the missions and what else was happening in the world, what songs the Beatles were releasing, the famous stars that were being born and sadly those who left this life, the political scandals of the day, the wonderful inventions released. So much to learn our heads were spinning, we recommend you just go do it one day and you will know what I mean.

Our day ends and we head on to Orlando to begin a new adventure. On the way we are ‘treated’ to rain Florida style. It just falls like a sheet and just doesn’t stop. It is a slow, tense trip as you can literally only see a vague shape ahead with little red lights. We sit in the traffic as it moves at glacier pace and hope that the weather is better the next day, we’d rather do Universal in the sunshine!

FIRST FORAY INTO FLORIDA

USA here we come. It’s been a mad few days getting packed but we are ready, willing and able to fly. Luckily for us Graham is so wonderful and has taken a day off to drive us to Gatwick, rather a long way from Chelmsford and not good with traffic either.

He is the perfect person to give us last minute advice about America and safely deliver us to check in although he is still skeptical at the weight of our bags. We say goodbye with the comforting knowledge that he will pick us up on our return.

After a fairly uneventful flight on a brand new Dream Liner, we touch down in Florida. We find our bags, and sympathize with one couple who could not find theirs, and head for the car rental. We are offered a very good deal to upgrade our vehicle so instead of a Rav4 we settle into a Chrysler with enough space to sleep in when we are out in the National Parks so we’re off to a very good start.

I quickly get used to being back on the right hand side of the road but this time in a left hand drive. There’s always something new to learn.

The car is so quiet we wonder if the engine is even going. Vincent has conditioned us to so many rattles and squeaks it is strange to travel in such luxury, but that’s not saying we can’t get used to it! We arrive at our hotel just before 12 AM, luckily, and find it to be quite acceptable. A shower, toilet and a clean comfy bed are all that is required.

After a good nights sleep we head off to Miami taking in the coast, beach, shopping precinct and the Art Deco scene, all lovely. We are grateful our new car has air-conditioning, as the humidity is very high.

We arrive at another hotel much nicer than the first and we decide to book for a couple of nights so we can spend a day venturing out to Key West and then another in the Everglades.

The trip to Key West takes about 3 hours as you make your way along a thin causeway of strips of land and long bridges. The views are spectacular of an ocean that is dead flat for as far as you can see dotted with gorgeous green islands. We also see our first big “thing” on this drive. A huge shrimp and the first of many to come we assume.

Half your time is spent in towns surrounded by countless shops and advertising but the rest is lovely. Key West is right at the end with lovely beaches and lots of tourists. We take in the lovely architecture of the Deep South, weatherboards galore, and the interesting array of people and vehicles.

Motorbikes and cars cruise along with music pounding, setting a scene that anything goes. The drive back is just as lovely as we stop to swim on one of the few public beaches; the coast is taken up with hotels and private properties. The water is not clear and really warm so not refreshing, and we spot a huge jelly fish so only end up half way in. Different to what we’re used to, the water is not so salty and feels soft on your skin.

Our next day we head into the Everglades and learn about the flora and fauna of this spectacular wetlands, including the alligator. We spot a couple and note the difference to our crocodiles; it seems to fit between the salty and the freshy being narrow but long. They are spectacular and you can only imagine how many live in the watery grassland waiting for unsuspecting prey.

It is a beautiful National Park, a little similar than Kakadu and we learn how the overflow from Lake Okeechobee creates the flow of the water back to the sea, mainly by way of the Shark slough, a wide but shallow river. It is in a delicate balance as human expansion demands more water to be taken from the Everglades creating change and not for the better. At least measures are being taken to preserve this unique area, relatively young in fact, and hopefully to last so much longer.

A TRIBUTE TO VINCENT

Still posting in flashback! The end of our UK adventures and a goodbye to our wonderful Vincent!

We head off toward the East taking in more lovely scenery and after visiting A LA Ronde, end up camping for the night in the New Forrest. What a tranquil place for our last night sleeping out in Vincent. Just can’t believe this moment has come.

We head on the next day to Brighton and enjoy the sunshine walking along the pier and around the Lanes. We have not done our research properly and don’t go into The Pavilion, next time. I think we have got to the point that we just want to get home now.

We miss John and Jenny so drop by but alas they’re not home, so we decide to push on to Chelmsford. We are welcomed back by Maggy and Graham. Just a few days before Aunty Babs had a nasty fall and is in hospital and we are glad to have a week to be able to visit her regularly and catch her up on our travels. We hope she is quickly back in her home and feeling much better.

We spend our time sorting out lots of little jobs before we embark on the next adventure. It is a busy time and the fact that we are soon to be in America is taking its time to sink in. Its exciting and scary all at the same time.

Well the time has come to part with our beloved Vincent. As always in this life we are incredibly lucky and even this very sad moment falls into place. Maggy and Graham had first introduced us to their mechanic when we purchased Vinni back in December. He gave him the once over and fixed a few little things before we embarked on our European adventures.

It seems that he fell for him as quickly as we did and on our return expressed an interest in purchasing him. Long story short, on our return from our UK adventures we met to discuss the possibility and agreed on the price only just short of what we paid for him. HOW AMAZING is that. We kept him until our last day in Chelmsford and delivered him to Gary, his new owner.

What is fantastic is his intention to completely restore Vince, the perfect man for the job being a mechanic who can tenderly care for and repair any little problems.

This blog is a tribute to the VW Transporter, a tireless workhorse that has transported us over 16,000 MILES of hills and mountains, highways, byways and mere tracks.

He has kept us warm and dry, safe and secure, endured intruders and pushy drivers (who literally ran into him), snow, rain, sun and storm and just kept on keeping on. He also made it possible for us to camp in the most spectacular and sometimes unexpected places.

He delivered us into the VW club of fellow travelers that always wave enthusiastically as you pass, with the secret knowledge that you have the best vehicle on the road.

Vincent may have rattled a bit (quite a lot at times) but he was ever faithful and dedicated in his task of transporting us around. He was literally our home, a very cosy and comfortable haven that has shared in many laughs, a few arguments, lots of games, our snoring and our bathroom duties, what a patient and understanding fellow he is.

We will never forget you Vincent and will visit you on our return trips to England (Gary has agreed to rent him back to us on future trips – how good is that). We will be looking for a cousin of yours in Australia for our adventures there.

You are the one and only special Vincent and we love you and will miss you, but most of all we will treasure the memories that you have given us. KEEP ON KEEPING ON. THANK YOU FOR JUST BEING THE PERFECT YOU.

Photos of Vincent can be found in pretty much any album on our Facebook page!

FAMILY FUN

We’re now in the USA!!!! Very exciting for us and not very good for the blog writing as you can tell. We’re still posting in flashback. Fingers crossed we’ll be up to date again soon! This post takes us back to a few weeks ago during our time with family in Devon.

Our UK trek is nearly to an end as we drive Vincent on the final leg to Ivybridge and back to family. Jan and Paul welcome us back into their lovely home and it is divine to step into that lovely hot shower once more. The beds are like clouds and toilet access so easy, what a dream first night.

On this visit we manage to catch up with Sam, on our last visits he had been overseas working. He is a delightful young man who we quickly settled into conversation with, swapping travel adventures and talking about his amazing job and how he managed to fall into it. I believe he inspired Georgia and Mikayla that the right path just works out in the end. We had a lovely afternoon and then dinner out and all too soon our time together is over. We are so glad to have got to know you Sam and we hope we will see you again at Christmas and perhaps over in Australia one day.

We follow up with a visit with Uncle Don and Terry. Such lovely people that welcome us to lunch and are excited to hear of our travels, though they are ardent readers of the blog. We are so grateful to have this time with them and enjoy a lot of laughs. Terry promises to continue to keep us safely in her prayers, we can use all the help we can get. They look forward to our USA blogs and we look forward to our next visit.

Next on the list are Martin, Teo and the delightful Gabby. Oh how the newest member of the family has grown, not a toddler any more but a gorgeous little girl with blond locks and lots of energy. She is a whirlwind of fun that supplies many laughable moments for everyone. Jan is her dedicated grandma who gets to spend lots of time loving and caring for her. Martin and Teo are fantastic parents who endure sleep deprivation with a smile, what a lovely family.

We do more sightseeing with Jan to Dartmoth, a lovely sunny day out visiting this old complex of buildings and beautiful garden, a perfect day. We also have a couple of days out with Paul, he takes us onto the Moors and also on one of the top 10 rail journeys in England. Beautiful scenery and great to spend time wandering with Paul. We also head down to the pub to watch a football game, and catch up with some of Pauls’ mates we met last time, and everyone is very welcoming once again.

Our last night with Jan is spent watching game shows, something we love to share with Jan. This particular night saw us dissolved into fits of laughter with tears rolling down our cheeks; saying “on the bus” still has the same effect. What a perfect night.

Eight days quickly fly past and it is time to move on again. We are sad to leave and hope that our stay has not put the painting back too far. Hopefully we will see you all again at Christmas.

CASTLES AND MOUNTAINS OF WALES

Powis House and Gardens was a beautiful National Trust property and lucky for us we caught the last tour of the day yet again. Arriving here we went straight for the lovely library and museum where we would have liked to have spent more time had it not been for the fact we had to start the tour to see the house. Entering the house with a guide, again on our own, we started in the amazing entry way and main staircase.

Originally built in the 1200’s, the castle began as a medieval fortress and has grown with the Herbert family as time has gone on. Overall another beautiful castle and furnished as it would have been when lived in. The view from the terrace is spectacular, looking over the immaculate gardens.

Heading back out to the coast we found a camping spot at Rainbow Falls, then spent the next day driving as close to the ocean as we could. We ate lunch next to the water in the very touristy town of Barmouth, before moving along through Porthmadog, Criccieth, Abersoch and back up to Caernarfon on the way to Snowdonia National Park ready to sleep again.

Having found a very nice car park opposite an icy lake we slept peacefully only to wake to a car park filling with cars and walkers setting off on a very lovely sunny day. We were planning to head around to Snowdon but decided to head off on the same walk for an hour or two. The four off us set off but Georgia became ill and had to turn back with Minting.

Mikayla and I decided to plod on and, chatting with some fellow walkers, discovered we were in fact on Snowdon, on a different approach than that which we intended. Having gone at least half way we decided to push on to the top.

As we got higher we entered the clouds, starting to feel the cold. We discovered that it’s not about the view; it’s about the challenge. Fellow walkers were impressed by our shorts, our legs turning blue. We had a quick lunch at the top and headed back down, knowing that we would be in trouble with the girls as they would be worried.

We had started walking at 11.15 and returned to Vincent at 4.30, a very respectable time on the 7.5 km route including the notorious ledge that takes a couple of victims every year. Georgia was at first relieved, then mad and then very congratulatory at our achievement. We decided to eat, get warm and stay put for the night before making an early start the next day.

Plas Newydd came next and it sure didn’t disappoint. Overlooking the Menai Strait amongst beautiful woodlands and an Italianate garden it had amazing views, but the best part of this mansion would have to be the mural in the dining room, painted by Rex Whistler. There’s plenty of optical illusion going on in this clever masterpiece that is a must see.

Later we got some washing done in the nearby town of Bangor, watching the interesting locals go by before finding Penrhyn Castle, unfortunately already closed for the day. We decided to camp in the car park here and caught the first taster tour of the day here.

The taster tour was a complete waste of time, although we did get to see one room that is only open to the public with a guide. Our favourite part of this castle was the staircase with detail to rival that of the Natural History Museum in London, so intricate and pretty. There are also extensive kitchens and servants quarters open here and they are sometimes even more interesting than the main house.

After lunch we moved on to Conwy where we walked across the Conwy Suspension Bridge and came across the quaint and tiny toll keeper’s house. The guide here was full of knowledge and told us all about the family who lived here and kept the bridge open before being sent to see Aberconwy House.

Aberconwy House should be renamed Higgledy-Piggledy House for it’s very uneven floors and add-ons through out time. It’s Tudor in style and from the street looks like it should have been used in the Harry Potter films. It also makes you wonder how it doesn’t just topple over, must have been built pretty sturdy from the get go!

Our time in Wales over we left Conwy and headed back into England towards Liverpool, after spending one more night camped in the country side of Wales.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album UNITED KINGDOM.

FUN AT THE GOLD MINE AND A VISIT TO DEVIL’S BRIDGE

Continuing on from where we left off in our previous post, we spent most of the afternoon at Dolaucothi Gold Mine, yes another National Trust, where we were excited to be taking a tour inside the mine. While we waited to start Minting had her first go at gold panning and we had fun playing old rope toss games, though none of us were very good. Lucky for us we ended up having a private tour and we were kitted out with our helmets, headlamps and super heavy battery packs ready to head into one of the scariest underground places I’ve been.

Our guide was fantastic and we learnt a lot about both Roman and 19^th/20^th century history, valuable welsh gold and the people who mined here. It was then time to turn our headlamps on and enter into the mine. All was good until we had the opportunity to look backwards and realized the only light we had was what we were casting from our headlamps and I started trying to memorize the way out!

The mine was actually really interesting and, unlike in the ice cave in Austria, we were equipped with enough light to see what was around us. At one point we turned our lights off with only a candle aflame and experienced what it would have been like down there for the miners.

The little boys who worked down here were “not worth the light”, as candles were really expensive and taxed, and learned to avoid the candlelight as it marked danger spots. Lucky occupational health and safety has advanced since then, although they say there were hardly any accidents recorded in the mine.

At the end of the tour our wonderful guide gave us a few recommendations for future site seeing in Wales and sent us to a delicious fish and chip shop in Aberaeron, The New Celtic Restaurant, where we bought our fish and chips take away to eat on the beautiful pebble beach while the sun went down. Minting had a great time rock collecting, finding a few unique shapes and colours, and we enjoyed sitting by the ocean before moving on again to camp near our next stop Llanerchaeron.

Llanerchaeron, another National Trust, is still a working farm where you can visit the animals, tour the house and even get involved in a couple of fun activities. We started in the farm area where we were lucky enough to see a cute calf, born a few days before, and piglets, as well as the other farmyard animals. A walk through the vegetable garden and next to the private lake took us to the front garden of the Georgian Mansion where we taught Minting to play croquet, Mikayla coming up trumps with the win!

Crossing the threshold into the house we were confronted with many stuffed animals in glass boxes and more otter heads on the walls than paintings. Getting over that, it was actually a really nice home and restored beautifully. Up the double staircase, under a huge skylight, you emerge onto a stunning landing. Also crowned by a skylight, this time oval, the landing connects to large oval rooms, opposite each other, that even have round doors. Even better was the fact that these lovely rooms were meant for the women of the house, the dressing room and the ladies sitting room. We got talking to a fabulous lady called Peggy here who reminded us so much of Nan and whom we could have talked to all day.

Time for lunch and we had a scrumptious and healthy meal at the NT café, then hit the road. The view driving along the coast was beautiful and, from what we could see through the pouring rain, inland was just as good as we cut in towards Devil’s Bridge.

Reaching our destination the rain seemed to have stopped for the minute and we started an hour’s walk hoping the rain would hold off while we had to be outside. As always we were lucky and only had to deal with our muddy shoes at the end of the walk and the spray of the waterfalls during.

Here there are three bridges built one over the other and legend has it that the lowest and oldest bridge was built by the devil himself. One day an old woman lost a cow to the opposite side of the river and couldn’t get her back across. The devil appeared and said he would build her a bridge overnight if he could claim the soul of the first living thing to cross the bridge. She agreed and in the morning came back to find a sturdy bridge in place. Not wanting to give herself to the devil the old woman decided to send her dog across the bridge first, throwing a stick for him the fetch. Furious the devil left with nothing, leaving the dog, the old woman got her cow back and the bridge has been there ever since.

The walk was lovely, down steps continuously into the valley for the first half and up again for the second. There’s even a Jacob’s Ladder here, way steeper and ladder-like than the one in Perth. The waterfalls are nice and you can also see fossils in the caves, when you look past the heinous graffiti on the cave walls. Mum, Mikayla and I returned to Minting and Vincent, dry and tired and it didn’t take long for us to decide it was time to stop for the night.

We ended up camping in a pull off on the side of the road with a boat on a broken trailer. Later joined by another campervan, the owners of said boat who were having a run of bad luck. They had bought a boat and halfway home a trailer wheel had fallen off so they had come to camp and look after it. In the morning they tried to start their campervan, but it had broken down. Unfortunately we couldn’t give them a jump-start with Vincent; hopefully they found someone who could quickly, poor things.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album UNITED KINGDOM.

UK TOUR WITH MINTING BEGINS

Under the guidance of Georgia we navigate our way through London to Queensway tube where we pick up Minting, our Chinese friend who stayed with us in Gidge. It is exciting to see her again and we start off on an adventure through Wales. As we anticipated it would be quite a squeeze for us all in Vincent but after a few tries we manage to find the best way to fit 4 in the bed and Minting does really well to get used to the wild camping way of life.

We have decided to base our travels around our National Trust membership and very luckily Minting is allowed to enter for free on our Family membership. Our first stop is at Cliveden, a lovely grounds surrounding the original mansion, now a hotel. The terrace is 500 years old and currently being restored. The view over the formal gardens from up here is delightful. We then wander through the property and end with the water garden. It is so pretty and as we stroll around when suddenly a big splash disturbs the peace. Sadly it’s Georgia falling into one of the very deep ponds whilst trying to get the camera out for the perfect shot of a koi in the disgusting dirty pond water.

Once we realized she was not hurt it was laughter all round, even Georgia, a muddy, algae draped mess. Thankfully we managed to talk the staff into letting her use their shower, lucky, as the smell would not have gone well in Vincent.

The down side to all this was the camera took a dip too and though, after a few days sitting in rice, it works again the horrible water got inside and has left blotches on the inner lens. Time to get the ball rolling with insurance for a replacement but in the mean time blotchy photos it is.

We moved on to our next stop and found a place to camp in the gorgeous village of Lacock. Rising early we took in the sights of this quaint little village. Apart from being the birthplace of photography it is also one of the many sights in England that was home to some Harry Potter filming.

We wandered around visiting Professor Slughorn’s house, and the Potter’s home in the Philosophers Stone. Inside Lacock Abbey the cloister of were used as parts of Hogwarts in the first and second movies and Snape’s potions class can be found inside, such fun. Only thing we didn’t like here was the bakery where they microwaved our pasties. We thoroughly enjoy our time in Lacock and comment that we could come and live here one day.

We move on to The Forest of Dean to find a lovely spot to camp, providing us with a couple of nice walks in the forest before setting off to view the last and only Dutch water garden in England, a place called Westbury. Another National Trust wonder, small but beautiful and restored to its former beauty after years of neglect. We purchase some second hand books for our collection at amazing prices, yet another reason to visit NT properties.

Minting cooked Chinese lunch for us before a short walk at May Hill before driving on to one of our most spectacular parking spots ever, high on the hills in Brecon Beacon, south of Hay-on Wye.

We enjoyed watching the tranquil sport of paragliding. Though a weekday there were at least ten sails in the air, majestically flying around on the breeze. We have to have a go at this one day.

We walked up the very steep hill and enjoyed a closer look at these ‘birds’ before descending to sit and watch the sun go down, spectacular. There are some gorgeous, fat ponies roaming around amongst many sheep, on some of the best pasture you could ever get, and we were lucky to get a pat. The sheep share this area with no fences, oblivious to the passing cars and people.

Minting practices her newly acquired ukulele and it begins to sound like music to help us drift off into the special world we are lucky enough to have found. Sunrise is just as spectacular as the evening and it sad that we have to move along. We head to Hay-on-Wye for an interesting few hours in this town of books. Rummaging through a few of the second had spots and once again purchasing a couple of treasures. Heading on through Brecon Beacons National Park the views are amazing and we stop for lunch at Henrhyd Falls before continuing on through the park taking in the stark rolling hills, fantastic.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album UNITED KINGDOM.

FAMILY TIME

Well, it is quite strange to think we are back in ‘Old Blighty’. A short run under the channel and up we pop where we can understand all the signs and speak to anyone we want to as they can now understand English. The channel crossing is so quick and easy and we’re so glad we didn’t have to make the crossing by ferry.   First we drive an hour and half to Cousin John and Jenny, so very excited to see them. The drive way is ready to accommodate Vincent and at 9.30 we park him for a well-earned rest.

John and Jenny are ready for us and we chat madly for a couple of hours whilst enjoying a superb late evening snack of homemade quiches whilst sitting in the back garden enjoying the lovely view over the summer flowers. We hear of John and Jenny’s trip to Canada, amazing, and hope we can get there ourselves.

How good it is to be home, cause that it is how it feels in this lovely house. We all decide it is time for bed excited to be sleeping apart with a toilet and a shower nearby, such luxury.

During our couple of days here we are well advised by John and Jenny to purchase The National Trust Membership, the best thing we have ever done, you will hear why later. Off to Chartwell, the home of Winston Churchill, we went for a splendid day. There is so much to learn in this historical house and lots to see too. Did you know Winston Churchill loved painting, me neither, and he had his very own studio in which he completed many works? He also built a beautiful cubby house (Wendy House for the British) for his daughter in the huge vegetable garden.

Our time with John and Jenny comes to an end and we set off to Maggy and Graham’s and luckily catch up with Matt and Kelly too before they return to London. A perfect summer day enjoying their spectacular garden, once again trying to catch up on each other’s lives. None of us can believe it is six months since our European adventures began.

We spend a week getting ourselves back to normal. This involved washing and repacking everything, sorting out what we could leave behind for our UK travels and trying to finalize our USA plans, or at least starting the plan. How wonderful it is to feel so comfortable and relaxed and share our memories with our special family.

We all started the first day with a run/walk to the village hall, we can now exercise and shower, yay. Maggy cooks us lovely meals as always, she’s a great cook, and we enjoy the television coverage of the Commonwealth games, though this does seem to be a bit one sided… England, England, England! We don’t mind as we now consider ourselves English as well as Aussies so can bask in the glory of a very successful games for the England team, congratulations to all the competitors in this wonderful friendly games.

We spend some time with our special Aunty Babs and laugh at how much she is like her sister, speaking of whom we are able to call a couple of times to let her know we are back safely. We miss her so much and being with Babs is just so lovely as we feel closer. We also learn that Babs is a bread and tomato sauce lover too, I knew that we got this taste from someone in the family! Chloe also drops in for a visit, so lucky to catch up with everyone.

A bit of a mishap with Monty dog eating something he shouldn’t, you don’t want to know what, had us in a panic for a while. It’s lucky he has a very strong stomach considering what he insist on putting in it! We’re also lucky to have Kelly on board for emergency advice to put our minds at rest!

Next we are off to London, with Vincent, and again welcomed into Matt and Kelly’s gorgeous flat. We feel so at home here and quickly settle in to a wonderful week. Kelly is on holidays with us and has set up our first adventure, a trip to London Zoo, but this is no ordinary trip as she has CONNECTIONS. Her good friend Tegan is a zookeeper who just happens to be Aussie as well. We are so spoilt it is hard to believe.

First we find ourselves sitting down with the Meercats. These extraordinary little creatures are just hilarious. We all take handfuls of live grubs, all wiggling around and very attractive to the little fluffy beings we have invaded. They jump up onto our laps to take these tasty morsels. The smiles and laughs on our faces were priceless as we get to stroke and feed these little characters. But that’s not all you get.

Next we move on to the Lemur enclosure, your kidding right, in we go. Now these are the most gorgeous, soft and gentle, curious and persistent and positively spectacular little fluffy beings I have ever met. This feeding experience is far less hectic. Tegan advises us to keep the food, sweet potato cubes, within our fists. To our delight the Lemur sits up on our laps and slowly coaxes our fingers open to get to the tasty treat. This is an experience I find hard to describe other than it was amazing. Their little fingers are so soft and a little sticky and gentle and to sit and stroke them was out of this world.

But that is not all you get. Yes there is more believe it or not. We stroll on through the zoo picking branches of leaves that are particularly nice to Giraffes. That’s our next stop, we stand inside the barrier of the overhead bridge and two Giraffes come to us, we are staring straight into their big beautiful eyes feeding them carrots and then their leaf treats. By now the three off us are just about gah gah with the whole experience. We cannot thank Kelly and Tegan enough for the most amazing day of up close encounters with such gorgeous animals. Needless to say we are the envy of all the other zoo visitors who watched us, some asking us how we got to do this and how much it cost. We realize we are the luckiest people in London and will always treasure this experience.

Our London adventures do not stop there, the following day it is off to Buckingham Palace, for an inside look this time, taking in the special display of the Royal Childhoon exhibition. Kelly and the three of us all enjoy the displays of childhood memories and memorabilia of the Royals and Mikayla manages to stay upright this visit.

We then meet with Chloe for a picnic in the park and spend more time catching up with her. We spend the rest of our days here just doing what the locals do, spending precious time with family and enjoying the summer sunshine. A walk along The Thames, picnics is the parks and even a couple of city farm visits.

Our time in London is also productive as Matt guides us to make our final decisions about the US and our tickets, car hire, insurance and visa requirements are all booked and paid for. The adventure will begins mid September.

Sadly it is time to move on again and Vincent is on the road again but this time we have to fit four girls in, eeeek.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album ENGLAND IN JULY.

BRUGES, YPRES AND FROMELLES – OUR TIME IN EUROPE COMES TO AN END

We were so excited to get to Bruges to see the famous Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. So, this was our first stop on a day in Belgium’s capital. The Madonna and Child is housed in the Church of Our Lady, undergoing restorations while we were there in July. After buying our tickets we entered the side section where the Madonna and Child are front and center of the altar.

A little smaller than anticipated, this piece is exquisite and even though we have seen about as many Madonna and Child pieces as we have churches we spent at least half an hour admiring this one just as we did David in Florence. We finished with a quick look around the rest of the church before stepping back out onto the street with yet another thing crossed off our list!

Bruges’ canals are as beautiful as Ghent’s and we enjoying wandering along, taking many pictures and generally soaking up the atmosphere. We also walked through the Begijnhof, a beautiful, silent (unless a group of tourists turn up and ignore the signs) place.

An almost round trip took us to the Holy Savior Cathedral with more lovely stained glass and artworks. Much of the cathedral was hidden under scaffolding and we wondered why they would be doing so much restoration during peak tourist time.

It was then time to go to go to our second favourite place of the day, Chocco Story, and chocolate museum where we learnt all about the history of cocoa beans, all the way back to the Aztecs, and chocolate. Did you know that cocoa was originally used like coffee as a hot drink, basically hot chocolate came before chocolate? A museum that smells like chocolate and gives you a free sample at the end is always a winner. Unfortunately Mum and Mikayla weren’t interested in doing the nearby hot chip museum so next stop was the main Markt square.

The Markt was packed with people so we popped into the post office to send a couple of post cards back to Australia. Never again, super expensive it cost us about $15 to send two postcards, extortionate. Post from France not Belgium!

We finished our day in Bruges with a visit to the smaller market square where the Basilica of the Holy Blood is. A small doorway off the square takes you into a tiny church with two even smaller chapels. Here you can see a phial that reputedly contains Christ’s blood brought back from the Crusades.

We got to Ypres with plenty of time to park Vincent in the free parking for the night and catch the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate at 8pm. This is held every single night at 8pm, a full last post ceremony, an amazing tribute to fallen soldiers. Standing amongst the huge crowd gathered to remember we got to be part of another very moving experience. Lest We Forget.

After the ceremony we walked around the Menin Gate Memorial and back to Vincent along the ramparts. The next day we spent the morning walking further along the ramparts where there are also Australian and New Zealand War Memorials and in the Commonwealth War Cemetery here before making our way through town to cathedral and the In Flanders Fields Museum.

This museum takes you through the events of World War I with information about the lead up, different battles during the war, artifacts and personal accounts. So worth doing and just like the American Omaha Beach Visitors Center did for World War II, gave us a lesson in the history of World War I.

One more time exiting town through the Menin Gate and we were on our way to Tyne Cot British Memorial and Cemetery. Here we were able to search the Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site and found out where our Nan’s first husband and our Granddad’s brother were buried during World War II, though not at this beautiful memorial.

Our very last day in Europe was spent in Fromelles at the Australian Memorial Park, war memorial and cemetery, situated at opposite sides of the battle lines from the Battle of Fromelles and puts into perspective the short distance that was between the two lines. The Memorial even includes the real German bunkers left in original position. We also met a lovely Australian couple here and spent a while chatting, it’s always nice to meet fellow Aussies and they are just wonderful.

The day flying by we soon found ourselves back on the train and crossing under the channel back to England.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the albums BACK TO FRANCE and BELGIUM.

WORLD WAR MEMORIALS FRANCE AND INTO BELGIUM

A walk through the main square of Arras, alive with the bargain market, took us to the tourist bureau where we had a choice of doing a touring through the tunnels under the city, learning about the histories of the town or a tour through the quarry tunnels used during both World Wars.

We chose the quarry, in keeping with the World War theme during our last week in Europe, and found ourselves heading to Wellington Quarry and Battle of Arras Memorial. Here we got our hard, very heavy, hats on and descended yet again into the earth. The tour lasted about 75 minutes, along boardwalks through the tunnels created by soldiers from New Zealand from the remains of the quarry. 24000 soldiers from Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain lived down here in the lead up to The Battle of Arras when approximately 4000 of those lives were lost each day in the following two months.

The tour is punctuated with video footage and personal stories making the story hit closer to home. You can also see genuine artifacts found in the tunnels. We also had a laugh here when we walked outside to find another Vincent, who we named Vincent’s brother, parked next to our Vincent. A quick comparison and we were off back into the center of Arras, this time able to see the town squares without market stalls, to climb the Belfry tower of the town hall.

It seemed to be a very popular day for weddings because we saw at least three wedding parties waiting to go up the tower for photos and one couple up there while we were. We always love seeing weddings; especially the bride and her dress so were quite excited. We also learned the tooting the car horn when you see a wedding seems to be a tradition in France because every car that drove past did their fair share.

From the top of the Belfry we got a beautiful view out over the city and surrounds. It was interesting to us how different the houses look when viewed from above. From ground level the streets are lined with flat fronted houses giving the impression that they are all rectangular prism in structure when in fact you see from above that they are anything but and all squished together into any space possible, no matter how dramatic the angles become.

We finished the day at Vimy Ridge Canadian War Memorial where we walked through some trenches and spent some time admiring the amazing monument to the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during World War One and a celebration of Canada’s biggest military victory. This area is just beautiful and the memorial very touching.

Having to move right along we ended driving all the way to Ghent and camping next to a park in a very nice neighborhood before driving into town to start our time here the next day.

With no map of Ghent in our guidebook we had no idea how to find anything so first thing was a stop at the first thing that looked like they might have information, a monastery. Armed with a map we soon found what we came for, the cathedral that was much like many others, and the design museum.

The Design Museum was brilliant, showcasing furniture through the ages; rooms were all set up featuring antique interior design and furniture to the ultra modern. They also had an exhibition running, all about the pollution in the ocean and how this is collected to make useful products. We would love to buy a few sea chairs at some point.

We followed this with a walk along the canals, stopping in quite a few little independent art galleries and shops and found some stuff that we could definitely find places for in our home and future homes.

Yet again the day was finished with a drive to our next destination, Bruges the home of Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child.

Photos can be found on our Facebook Page in the albums BACK TO FRANCE and BELGIUM.

PARIS TAKE TWO

Another day, and what would be our last for this trip, of exploring Paris on foot. Starting with visits to the Church of St-Sulpice and the Church of St-Germain Des Pres, both old churches that are in disrepair though there seems to be some restoration work going on. It seems The Notre Dame gets all the attention but these churches are worth a look too, especially if you read The Da Vinci Code first!

Moving on from here our walking took us through some yet unseen parts of town, to another large church whose name I can’t recall, past some modern street sculptures and water features and to the bazaar Center Pompidou, built with it’s insides outside. Touting the best view in Paris we can only assume they mean the art inside because what could be better than the Eiffel Tower? All a bit sick of art (gasp) we decided to give the inside a miss and took off again in search of somewhere nice to have a very late lunch.

We ended up finding a fantastic little crepe restaurant on Rue Jean du Bellay, Ile St-Louis, and had a scrumptious three course meal finished with delicious crepes, salted caramel for Mum, apple and cinnamon for Mikayla and chocolate and banana for me, yum! We would definitely recommend this place. We hadn’t anticipated desert and had planned to go to Bathillion for ice cream so we stuck to it, until we got there. Bathillion is famous for having 70 flavours of delicious ice cream, they lie, there were only ten, of the most boring, flavours on offer, very disappointing so we gave it a miss. We didn’t need it anyway!

A brisk walk back to Vincent in the rain, this time with our rain coats, and we decided it was time to move on. We were so proud of Mum as she navigated the traffic towards and along the Champs Elysees and around for one last look at the Arch de Triomphe, until next time.

From here we got stuck in a traffic jam for about three hours and spent the time discussing how annoying it is when people stare at us in Vincent like he has one way glass and we can’t see them and how everyone would get so much farther much quicker if the drivers weren’t so selfish. We were in a dark, gloomy place at that point in time!

When we eventually got out onto the open road we were much happier, as was Vincent’s gear box, and we ended up finding a cute little camping spot next to a play ground near Giverny, our next destination.

In the morning it was straight to Monet’s Garden where I went crazy with flower photos. So much variety of beautiful blooms it took me ten times longer to get around the garden than Mum and Mikayla who had to wait for me before entering the water garden via the underpass.

The immortalized water garden is just as beautiful as you would expect and we visited at the end of the optimal time of year. Row boats sit amongst lilies and willows at the edge of the pond and the quaint bridges are picture perfect, funny that!

Monet’s house is also brilliant and just as exciting as the gardens. My favourite part was Monet’s office/living room where he painted in the later years of his life and where the walls are literally covered with paintings on canvas. I loved the kitchen as well. You can also see Monet’s collection of work by other artists and the view from the second story is pretty special.

The town of Giverny is gorgeous too, with it’s cute little homes and sweet gardens, we would have liked to have spent more time relaxing here but alas it was time to move on. If you’re looking for a photogenic town this one makes the cut.

The next day was spent driving again, broken by a stop at Beauvais Cathedral that we spotted from the main road from miles off, it’s that tall. This cathedral is extraordinary in that the roof is so high, pretty much the height of the spire. Inside the ceilings are just as high, which makes room for double the stained glass windows and a tremendous effect. Unfortunately it seems the architect was a little too ambitious as parts of the floors as sinking and scaffolding holds up parts of the ceiling. There is also a grand astronomical clock here, one of the best and most detailed we’ve seen, so we definitely put Beauvais Cathedral on the must see list.

After a log drive we ended up camping near Arras ready to get stuck into what would be a week or so of World War I and II history again as we moved along through France and Belgium.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album PARIS (for photos of our previous visit) and BACK TO FRANCE (for this visit).

BACK TO FRANCE – REIMS AND INTO PARIS

N.B. As you may have noticed we are very behind on our posts. Too much traveling, not enough writing! The post we’re writing now are a progression through our last weeks in Europe though we are currently touring around England. Hopefully we will be up to date very soon but in the meantime our posts are flashbacks and we’ll let you know when we’re back to our current travel.

In Vincent some days are just driving days and lucky for us there’s usually something interesting to see along the way. The view is always changing and when it’s average we console ourselves that this is a means to an end. Though we didn’t have to this time as we were driving through the very pretty champagne region of France.

We love France for so many reasons, the food, baguettes, crepes, pate, the cute little towns that you drive through frequently, Paris, chateaus, and most of all the people, some of whom we’re lucky enough to call friends. We also love that Mikayla and I get free entry into most “tourist attractions” because we are citizens of the EU, lucky, and France is one of the only countries that do this.

We arrived in Reims in the early afternoon and went straight for the Cathedral here, the Cathedrale Notre Dame, the venue for Royal coronations when they were still being performed and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s been heavily restored since it was bombed during World War I. It’s very similar to the Notre Dame in Paris that I would recommend seeing instead.

We also spent some time at the museum next door where we learnt a bit more about the Royal coronations, got to see some crown jewels (not nearly as extravagant as expected), and had a giggle at the very feminine poses of the French Kings through the ages. Next was the Basilique St-Remi, another UNESCO World Heritage Site with an accompanying museum that contains an ancient relic collection to rival The Vatican.

The next day, on the way into Paris, we stopped at an English War Memorial and cemetery. These are always moving places and we were set to visit a lot more to come.

During our first visit to Paris earlier this year, new to wild camping, we stayed in a camping ground on the outskirts of the city. This time we went for it, driving straight into the city center, along The Seine and by the Eiffel tower before finding a suitable spot to park Vincent next to Cimetiere du Montparnasse, near the famous Le Catacombes. Quiet though pretty busy pedestrian wise we thought he’d be safe here to leave during the day and stay in at night, thankfully we were right!

Our first day in Paris we walked through Cimetiere du Montparnasse and attempted to see Le Catacombes but when we saw the line, stretching around the block, we decided we would try again another time. So, it was on to Paris’ Pantheon where we walked straight in with no queue to explore the expansive artworks on the inner walls and the sculptures surrounding them. The crypt here is also very interesting as it houses the tombs of famous historical figures, a few being Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie, among many others.

Usually extremely lucky with weather (I can say this because I am writing overlooking the Sound of Raasey from the Isle of Skye, Scotland and there isn’t a cloud in the perfect blue sky), we saw more rain visiting Paris in summer than we did in winter. Stuck with no raincoats we left the Pantheon, running between the shop fronts until the rain subsided.

Into the Jardin Du Luxembourg, deserted and drenched, we made our way through towards the Rodin Museum pausing briefly to admire the Palais Du Luxembourg. The garden is more like a big park with water features and large expanses of grass to picnic and play on. We would have spent more time here had we not been afraid of getting rained on again.

We arrived at the Rodin Museum and had to wait in our first line of the day. Though we didn’t wait very long we decided that visiting the sites in Paris is much better in Winter when there are no lines.

We started in the lovely gardens while the rain was holding off and were greeted with The (famous) Thinker, contemplating away, before moving on to see more sculptures like The Kiss, Balzac and The Burghers of Calais. Inside the museum shows a collection of finished works as well as drafts of the famous sculptures in various sizes and materials. As you walk around you notice that the subjects in the sculptures are tortured beings, reason being they are all included in “miniature” on Rodin’s Gates of Hell. After visiting the Rodin Museum we loved spotting the sculptures out on the streets around Paris too.

To finish the day we walked to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, seriously considering going up again, before realizing we probably wouldn’t see that much through the fog anyway. Strolling back in the direction of Vincent through the Parc de Champ de Mars we couldn’t help but stop and look back frequently, Paris and The Eiffel Tower really are special parts of the world.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album PARIS (for photos of our previous visit) and BACK TO FRANCE (for this visit).

ADVENTURE IN THE SWISS ALPS

The drive from Lucerne to Interlaken was absolutely stunning, the surrounding mountains descending into the tremendous lakes whose waters are such a bright turquoise blue that their colour almost clashes with the entirely green surrounds. It just make you want to jump in immerse yourself in the crystal clear water although the temperature usually prevents us from doing so.

The visitor’s center was our first port of call in Interlaken with train, walk and attraction information needed. We were advised by the lovely lady here that the weather forecast for the next day was not good so we decided to postpone the Jungfraujoch train ride another day.

Afterwards we had just enough time to catch the last entry of the day to Trummelbach Falls where the falls are actually inside the mountain. An elevator takes you up to the top of the cascades and you work your way down to ground level through an indescribable wonderland of caves. It’s so loud inside that communication is by looks and gestures and there’s so much water rushing through that a raincoat is essential.

We woke outside Trummelbach Falls the next morning to see that the clouds were indeed very low and the day was going to be rainy. Glad we had taken the advice of the Lady at the tourist information center we set to reading through all our pamphlets to find something to do for the day.

Reading through we came across some information on skydiving. The one that caught our eye was a flight over the Jungfrau and Monch before dropping in front of The Eiger, amazing. We spent the whole day going around to all the different skydiving and adventure companies trying to find this particular one to no avail as none of them did a drop in front of The Eiger.

We also ran into a few problems preventing us from any skydiving at all; the weather was stopping jumps that day and we were going on the train the day after and we couldn’t all go at the same time which would have defeated the purpose of doing it together. Hopefully we’ll find somewhere to skydive later on in the trip because it’s definitely still on the list!

Having decided to catch the early morning train from Grindelwald up the Jungfraujoch we camped nearby and arose very early, not common for us in holiday mode, to catch the first, and cheapest, train of the day. Up we went through the inside of the mountain most of the way to 3454 meters above sea level, the highest train station in the world. On the way up the train stops at lookout points where you have time to jump off the train to have a look and jump back on again, beautiful. Looking out over natural untouched snow is one of my favourite views.

We got to the top and discovered that as well as a train station there is a complex of things to see and do. First stop for us was up to The Sphinx viewing platform, at 3571 meters above sea level, where we looked out over Jungfrau and Monch before heading down to walk out across Altesch Glacier and a little higher up the mountain to Monchsjochhutte at 3650 meters above sea level.

We soon realized we were not quite prepared and were starting to feel the effects. Having woken early we hadn’t felt like eating breakfast so at about 11am the only thing we had eaten so far was a banana. We devoured our fruit snacks out (a nectarine and another banana each) half way up to Monchsjochhutte. Feeling slightly better we continued to make our way skyward but Mum soon felt very ill so Mikayla and I went on to see the view from the top.

Altitude sickness affected, Mum decided to give the ice palace a miss while Mikayla and I skimmed through before getting back to the station to begin our descent. It took a little while longer but I started to feel sick on the way down too so we were all glad to be heading towards sea level.

We departed the train at Kleine Scheidegg and had lunch at a restaurant here, which made us feel a lot better, before starting the 2 hour walk down from here along the bottom of The Eiger. We would stop frequently to look up at The North Face and out across the mountains, stunning. I took so many photos to bore everyone with back home.

As we were heading down Mikayla and I realized our faces were starting to go very pink. It just shows how much the sun reflects off the snow and unfortunately one of the perils of being allergic to sun cream is that a hat and sunglasses just doesn’t do the trick when it’s a perfect blue sky above.

Exhausted and resembling a mix between a lobster and a panda we caught the train from a nearby station back to Grindelwald and went straight for Interlaken to a spot to camp the night, that we’d scoped out on our first day here, right on the lake. Then straight into the freezing cold water to try to alleviate the sunburn a little, I’m sure we sizzled and steamed as we entered the water.

In the morning I woke and felt like my face was swollen and still so hot, so it was back in the water for me before we left Interlaken, beginning a driving day towards France. Driving past lovely lakes and hills the views were gorgeous but our favourite part of the journey was the drive between Beil/Bienne and Porrentruy in Switzerland.

We always say things happen in threes and along the way we saw three events. First we stopped for lunch at a polo match, commentary in English, where Mum got her horse fix. Next drive past all the teen girls lining up for the One Direction concert in Bern. We thought it was very funny picking out the poor unfortunately Dads that had been roped into taking their daughters and her friends. They looked like that rather be sticking knives in their eyes than be there to see 1D! Last we saw what we assume was the set up for the Tour de France, with balustrades being placed along the mountainous roads, wish we could have waited around to watch!

It was back into France for us though and we were on our way to Paris again via Reims.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album SWITZERLAND

FLYING THROUGH THE BLACK FOREST, ZURICH AND LUCERNE

As you may have noticed we are very behind on our posts. Too much travelling, not enough writing! The post we’re writing now are a progression through our last weeks in Europe though we are currently touring around England. Hopefully we will be up to date very soon but in the meantime our posts are flashbacks and we’ll let you know when we’re back to our current travel.

Our drive through The Black Forest began at Baden-Baden where we stopped briefly at the visitor’s center to get some information on the area. Everyone’s heard of the Black Forest and we were excited to see it though we didn’t know much about what there was to see and the best route to take throughout.

We settled on the main tourist route, even though we usually try to avoid the very touristy areas, as this was the most scenic route, hence its popularity. Arriving in the late afternoon we were on a mission to find a camping spot and relax in the forest.

Most of the next day was spent driving through, enjoying the view. Very different to what we expected as the trees are quite far off the road and it’s only when you venture into the trees that you realize why it’s called The Black Forest, the dense foliage cuts off the light.

We came across Triberg home of Germany’s highest waterfalls at 160 meters. Walking along the Gutach plunge next to the seven cascades you can easily imagine a fairytale taking place here. There’s just something about water whether it’s ocean, river, lake or waterfalls that makes everything instantly prettier.

We wouldn’t say that The Black Forest was our favourite place but it does have some truly beautiful parts. Time to move on though and we were on our way to Konstanz, next to the huge Lake Konstanz on the border between Germany and Switzerland and the gateway to some of the most spectacular scenery we’d yet seen.

First stop was Zurich and as usual we went straight for the old town center where we saw the three main churches Saint Peter’s Church, Grossmunster and Church of Our Lady. The internal structure of these churches is unique in that there is an extra chapel behind the altar and usually this is where the stairs to the crypts are located. Very different to what we have seen and another reason we keep visiting almost every one we see.

We decided Zurich feels a lot like Perth, especially when you’re standing looking over the wide expanse of Lake Zurich with the swans gliding across the surface. A beautiful city where we would have liked to have been able to spend more time.

We are only brushing the surface of most of the cities we visit and obviously each one has so much more to offer than we see. We pick the major attractions that interest us but we have come to think of this trip as reconnaissance for future travel as there really is so much to see. We thought a year would be a long time to travel, and though it is time flies by and you can’t see everything. We also believe that getting to know the feel of a place and meeting new people is just as important, if not more so, as seeing ancient artifacts in a museum.

After Zurich we found a great parking spot just off the road next to Lake Zug where we discovered our own little beach private from the road. Taking the opportunity to have a swim, although it was freezing, and get clean.

We drove into Lucerne the next day and immediately came across the main attraction here the famous Chapel Bridge. Introducing what we call tourist central; a place that is recommended by all the guidebooks as a must see therefore drawing a million tourists and in effect wiping out the charm and beauty of said place. Nevertheless we did stop to bustle with the throngs of people on and around the pretty bridge and returned to Vincent as soon as we could, exhausted and ready to move on and up to the mountains to tackle as much as we could of The Swiss Alps.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album SWITZERLAND

ROTHENBURG, RIEMENSCHNEIDER AND NEW FRIENDS

Rothenburg is what I would imagine The North Pole looks like, with it’s sloping old town square and perfect gingerbread style houses lining the streets. Even the shop signs and lampposts are beautifully adorned with intricate detail.

They say that Rothenburg is the perfect town for your entire souvenir shopping needs with its Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas Shop, countless teddy bear boutiques brimming with cuteness as well as the typical gift shops, so we hit the ground running with a scan through all of these delights.

As we entered the main square we joined locals and tourists alike congregating around the school music band setting up to perform. Chairs had been arranged around the makeshift stage and we sat down to listen to the Music Ambassadors from Florida who had been touring around Europe, perform a few pieces, a nice surprise.

After a while we moved on to Saint Jacob’s Lutheran Church, special because it houses the famous Altar of the Holy Blood, carved in wood by Tilman Riemenschneider, Germany’s own Michelangelo. After admiring this piece for a while we moved on the find another piece of Riemenschneider’s work in the nearby town of Detwang.

A short walk down one of the steepest hills we’ve come across to Detwang was broken only to eat the Schneeballen we’d purchased along the way. Snowballs in English, these doughy delights were originally created by bakers to use up all the leftover dough they had created making other things. Offcuts of dough all rolled together into a ball originally coming in one flavor, sugar, although now there are many different variations to choose from. Quite nice though super sweet and very hard to eat, we didn’t race back to the shop for more.

In Detwang we found the small chapel where we saw a second piece of Riemenschneider’s work, altered to fit into the small space it now occupies and made our way back up the hill to Rothenburg.

Walking through town at the end of the day we were eventually attracted to a small quiet shop showcasing glasswork for sale. The lady in the shop explained in as best she could in hand gestures that her husband was the glassblower who created the work. The glass was exquisite and we could have bought the whole shop if we had been able to get it home! Glass of various colours, sizes and shapes turned into lamps where what caught our eye first.

The glass was just gorgeous once the light was inside and still lovely and very different when turned off. Sadly we could not risk buying the huge lamps as travel back to Australia would be quite impossible but we did manage to shop for many gifts and a few little treasures for ourselves. The lady was laughing at us trying to make our decisions but as we gave her quite a bundle to wrap up she gave us all a gift, such a lovely shop and lovely lady.

We spent another hour exploring the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop, a special wonderland of all things you could possible imagine for adorning the home at Christmas. Once again we had to restrain ourselves as sending things home would be difficult. Just window-shopping and exploring all the nooks and crannies here was great fun.

We reluctantly left this absolutely gorgeous town and headed off toward the Black Forrest. We found a little parking spot and then, quite unexpectedly, a new adventure began. We were all ready for bed about 8 pm and just eating dinner when a very large tractor and plough pulled up beside us.

A man approached the car and was surprised to find three females only, where is the man? He proceeded to tell us that we should come back to his farm to stay the night, much safer and very interesting, as he was an organic farmer. We said we would be fine and he said he was still working but would be finished in about an hour.

Sure enough a little over an hour passed and Daniel was knocking on the door again and would not take no for an answer. We followed him back to his farm, went on a guided tour of his high tech barn and met his dairy cows all the while dressed in our PJ’s and jackets. Then up to the house, along the way meeting the goats, chickens, pigs and calves, cute.

We sat around the kitchen table while he ate his dinner and we helped him drink a beer or two and wine, whilst discussing numerous different topics from religion to politics and especially his organic farming and his family. At about 2am we settled back into Vincent and slept “late”, until 7am.

We rose early to see his wife finish milking the cows and then picked berries before going in to breakfast. Here we met their son, Jonas, 2 and Anna, 6 months, gorgeous little kids. Mum managed to make great friends with Anna much to the surprise of her parents and I think Jonas thought we were from Mars, as we could only talk to him in a strange language.

After taking them up on their offer of a shower we moved on about 11am towards The Black Forest having thoroughly enjoyed our farming experience with Daniel and his family. We were so touched by their generosity and kindness and hope we can keep in touch with such lovely people.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album GERMANY.

TIME IN GERMANY WITH OUR LOVELY FRIEND LENA

As we left Austria to move into Germany we started to get excited to see one of our dear friends Lena. This beautiful young woman was one of our Help X friends who we have not seen since 2012.

On our way to her home in Plattling we stopped in the town of Passau. This is a really charming old town that once again delivers a special feature to us, a spectacular glass museum. Entering this building is a step back in time, a delightful hotel and also an extraordinary collection of over 30000 pieces of glass in over 5000 display cases; a variety of pieces dating back to the very first of this special art form created in 1650.

The changes of design of the different eras imprint into this magical medium. They are all spectacular and it is quite amazing that this is only one persons collection. We leave the building knowing we have seen enough glass to last a lifetime.

As we stroll across the square we note the markings on the Town Hall showing the flood heights that have hit this town over the years, 2013 being the second highest in recorded history after the early 1800’s. We stroll on to the Cathedral, the noteworthy difference, the coffins and crypt are metal and not stone. Every Cathedral seems to offer something new, one of the reasons the girls let me drag them to every single one we see!

Time to move on to Plattling and we arrive about 5pm at the address Lena had given, an apartment block. We were just wondering how we would locate her when she came walking along the street on her way home. How lovely it was to see her again.

This began five days of laughs and fun. On our first evening Lena introduced us to a new game, Dix It. The beautifully illustrated cards are a pleasure to discover and the game of making up a word to describe them was great fun. Our first morning there Lena cooked some special German sausages that we all loved.

We then went off to explore Plattling, a charming spot for Lena to live whilst she attends a Music school here. Our walk took us around the river seeing horses, an NFL game and also to the town Volksfest, a small fair. It was so lovely to watch children having such fun and to see the locals dressed in National costume.

The next day we took Lena for her first ride in Vincent to go to Spiegelau, a spot in the Bavarian Forrest National Park. We explored the forest on our 3 hour walk, just gorgeous. On this very hot day Lena had decided to stop and lay in the middle of the road for a moments rest, just as a bus came flying along, a very near miss.

We were all exhausted that evening so decided on Japanese take away for dinner and a movie. After the meal we settled down on the sofa bed to watch a movie, all sitting in a row, and within minutes the whole bed collapsed. We felt so guilty that we had destroyed Lena’s furniture, that had held up fine the night before, but she has since decided that it is better at ground level, phew.

Our next day was a very special treat as we joined Lena at her school and went to her singing lesson. She has such a lovely voice and a very lovely teacher who welcomed us as spectators. The afternoon saw Lena free so we ventured off to the local swimming pool, complete with water slides and diving boards. A great fun time had by all and so lovely to be soaking in water.

It goes without saying that to have been in a flat with a toilet and shower was absolutely divine and the pool experience just made it all that much more special. Our final full day was spent again at the school, this time with 3 other young singers. What a treat to hear all their beautiful voices. We also got to meet more of the students, particularly a couple of young men who were particularly lovely and welcoming. We sat in on a conducting class with them and enjoyed it very much.

We spent our last afternoon together window-shopping in the nearby town of Deggendorf. Our valuable time with Lena had to come to an end with us having to say goodbye early the next morning as Lena set off to school. We were so sad to part from her and look forward to our next meeting. Thank you so much Lena for a wonderful stay in your gorgeous flat.

Our next stop on our German journey was in Nuremburg, infamous as one of the main stages of the War Crime Trials. We centered our visit at the Hitler Rise Museum at the Nazi Party Rally Grounds, with a very well presented audio guide through the rise of Hitler and his power over the German people. A horror story of one man managing to destroy the individual identity of the people, always organizing group events of a huge magnitude, making membership of the Nazi Party or Hitler Youth, for young people, compulsory and using copious amounts of propaganda.

The whole tour and museum were very interesting and give insight into the mentality of the people at that time. The effect of Hitler’s clever ploy made everyone proud to be a part of the whole and any freethinking became a rarity.

Individual accounts spoke of being shocked to hear of the atrocities that were being committed, not being able to believe that their Fuhrer would allow such things, let alone instigate them.

His preparation for power and the horrors he committed started a long time before the rest of the world realized what was happing. He was an evil maniac that managed to hood wink generations of people into believing he was a savior and that the German race was superior to all. Thankfully the eventual Second World War put his madness to an end, lest we forget.

Drained and enlightened by another integral part of never forgetting this awful history we made our way towards Rothenburg, the perfect happy place to spend the next day.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album GERMANY.

THE UNTERSBERG, SALZBERG AND CEREMONY IN THE SALZKAMMERGUT

Exhausted we found a camp spot in St Leonhard near the Cable-Car Untersberg ready to catch the first ascent the next day. At 8:30am the next day we turned up raring to go and were lifted to the 1873m summit of the Untersberg and spent a couple of hours walking higher and enjoying the spectacular 360 degree view from the peak. We could have spent all day up there but our time was running out on the Salzburg Card.

We entered the grounds of Hellbrunn Palace unaware of the fun we were about to have. They call it the pleasure palace because everything built here was designed for maximum fun; the trick fountains here live up to their name. Tour guides take groups through the gardens turning on hidden fountains and spraying as many tourists with water as they can. We ended up the first victims, selected out of the crowd to sit at the outdoor dining table where water comes out of the chairs and table from all angles, impossible to stay dry, luckily it was a sunny day!

As well as the uncertainty about where to stand and laughing as people suddenly jump around and run away from the water, the tour is well worth doing just to see the beautiful garden, waterways and delightful features. Exiting to see the rest of the palace we went searching the rest of the gardens for the famous gazebo/pavilion where Leisel is visited by Ralph in The Sound of Music, stopping along the way to play on the flying fox. We found it and took some photos, it’s much smaller than I would have thought.

Inside the palace we learnt about the water tricks and the exotic animals, mostly birds, that used to call the palace grounds home. Part of the palace although built separately on the hill above is a mansion that houses the Folk Museum where we sat and played an Austrian board game before moving on to the zoo. Here we spent the rest of the afternoon watching the animals, some completely new to us like the Tapir with what looked like five legs but turned out to be the biggest penis any of us had ever seen. We learnt a little more than we needed that day!

We finished the day back in Salzburg seeing the Stift Nonberg, the Abbey from The Sound of Music, from the outside imagining all the scenes that were filmed here.

The next morning we were on a mission to find a sommerrodelbahn (summer toboggan run), and having camped nearby we were headed towards the one in Fuschlsee. Slow going up yet another hill we came across a few people standing outside their parked cars. Interested, ahem nosey, we decided to stop too and saw a group of children in national dress in the valley below, they subsequently moved out of view and were followed by a procession and priest walking under a canopy.

Suddenly three men fired a huge gun into an open field that seemed to signal the procession to move on up the road, lucky for us right past us sitting in Vincent. A marching band, the children, the priest and members of the community were all in the procession that we later found out was part of a ceremony involving the whole community, performed twice a year to bless the ground and pray for flourishing crops. Usually the weather forces the ceremony to remain inside the local church but as it was such a beautiful sunny day it was perfect weather to hold it outside, lucky us!

After the ceremony had past us we drove on past the sommerrodelbahn we were looking for and found that we had already been parked in their car park to watch the procession. We bought nine rides, just to try it out, and took our three each, able to enjoy the view on the way up while being pulled backward by the lift then going as fast as we could on the way down the course, though we were a little hesitant on the first go.

We were glad we turned up early in the morning because by the time we had finished and were ready to buy more the tour buses had turned up and it got way too busy. Time to move on and we drove along through St Gilgen and St Wolfgang almost completing a round trip ending in Mondsee, home of the church where Maria and Captain Von Trapp are wed in The Sound of Music.

As well as visiting the church we did some window shopping and watched the locals enjoying the national holiday. A late lunch by the lake and we were on our to Germany.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album AUSTRIA.

THE SALZKAMMERGUT AND THE CENTER OF SALZBURG

Europe is full of stunning views and Austria didn’t disappoint. Entering from the Czech Republic towards Linz we had a bit of a drive through industrial areas before arriving in the Salkammergut, Austria’s Lake District. Combining nature, especially lakes, and picturesque towns we were in our element.

Our first camp spot was right on a lake near the town of Gmunden. We left here early the next morning and made our way, enjoying the constant views, to Hallstatt, that came highly recommended. Though we didn’t stop directly in town we did spend a bit of time looking over it from both sides from next another huge lake and got some great photos.

Later we visited Eisriesenwelt, ice caves above the town of Werfen, south of Salzburg. There were a few ice caves recommended in the guidebooks so we had jumped online a couple of days before to choose one to go to. Eisriesenwelt had a great website with lots of pictures, giving the illusion of a winter wonderland. I say illusion because that’s pretty much all we got.

After driving Vincent up an 18% incline to about 1000m altitude, a miracle he got us there, we bought our tickets for the last tour of the day and started the further ascent to 1650m. A lovely, though steep, 20-minute walk took us to the cable car. Up we went and the view just kept getting better, almost worth the price of the ticket just for this. Another 20 minutes and we were at the mouth of the cave, sweating profusely in our arctic weather gear, essential for the subzero temperatures inside the cave but way too much for the perfect sunny day we were having outside!

Armed with a gas lamp between two we entered the cave expecting a blue and white world inside. Unfortunately not to be, they don’t turn the lights on so that visitors can experience what is was like when the cave was first found in the 1850s. Up and down about 700 stairs each way, we only saw the steps in front of us and on the rare occasion when the guide lit a magnesium strip the ice surrounding us. We’re rarely disgruntled by the places we visit but this is one we wouldn’t recommend. The redeeming features were the amazing view you see on the walk up to the cave and that we had a perfect camping spot at 800m up the mountain overlooking Werfen and the lights at night!

The next day excitement levels were at an all time high as we were going to visit the home of The Sound of Music, one of our all time favourite movies and one that is very special to our family!

Avoiding tours so we could see the sites at our own pace we bought the Salzburg Card and set out to make the most of our “free” 24 hours.

Mozart’s Geburtshaus (Birthplace), the home where he lived for the first seven years of his life was our first stop, activating the card. Here you can read all about Mozart and his family, about the history of his music, and letters between he and his wife. Amazingly there are still locks of his hair on show and even his first Violin, very special. We also learned that Mozart was involved in operas, from writing the music to designing the sets, talented is an understatement.

It seems that virtuosity ran in the family as Mozart’s sister Marianne was also a child prodigy on the piano and violin, though born female, and in her time, her duty was to look after the home after her father died.

Next stop was a walk through the old town to the cable car, the oldest in Austria, up to the Festung Hohensalzburg (fortess) to a beautiful view over Salzburg. Here we wandered through the fortress and military museums, although our favourite thing up here was the tiny World of Marrionettes.

Back down the cable car and into the gorgeous cemetery nearby to find the catacombs, hewn out of the rock face creating a long uneven staircase up to the small rooms and tombs, though we didn’t see any bones!

Now for our first real The Sound of Music location, Mirimar gardens where Maria and the Von Trapp Children dance and sing along through the roses and around the fountain. We happened to arrive when a choir group was mingling around the fountain all dressed up in their national costume. A walk around the rest of the gardens, past a man filming a Thai Chi video and a group of huge gnome statues, and an ice cream took us to just the right time to catch the last cruise along the river.

Sitting up the front on the Amadeus Salzburg panorama speedboat the trip wasn’t speedy at all. This boat is specially designed for the shallow river and the only one that is allowed to cruise on the part running through the city. Nice to see the city from yet another different angle.

Our time in Salzberg and the Salzkammergut is continued in the next post. Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album AUSTRIA.

PRAGUE, OLOMOUC AND CESKY KRUMLOV IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

When driving into a new country in Europe one of our favourite things to do was to pick out all the subtle changes we could see. To decide what made the country we were in unique, our first impressions and things that we had seen before in other countries. It’s amazing the changes you see even when moving along only a short distance and that’s the beauty of traveling in Europe.

Our first stop in the Czech Republic was a relatively large town called Olomouc where we spent an evening walking between churches like Saint Wenceslas Cathedral and Saint Moritz Church, mostly closed or holding services, before heading to the main square. With the days becoming longer walking around in the evening is a perfect mixture of cool daylight hours and quiet tourist free streets, perfect for walking around what is touted as being an old town to rival Prague.

Dominated by the old town hall, the town squares main attraction is the tall Holy Trinity Column, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is definitely worth a look, with its elaborate detail.

We found a spot to camp in the forest between Olomouc and Prague where we were lucky enough to see more wild deer. Though they didn’t come very close it’s always nice to see wild animals, as long as they’re not dangerous and keep their distance of course!

We knew when we arrived in Prague that we were in for a treat and we fell in love with this beautiful city as much as we did with Budapest. We can’t seem to get enough of beautiful buildings and they seem to have become a basis for what we seek out to see on our trip.

Planning to camp a couple of nights here we were on a mission to find a good free camping spot and settled for a side road at the top of the hill in the castle surrounds. When looking for a spot in the city it’s important to find free, non-ticket and time unlimited, parking in a nice area to avoid both parking tickets and theft. As always it’s also very important that the space is level as it is our little home on wheels and homes don’t work very well when parked on a hill.

Again we spent an afternoon doing everything we could while there were less fellow tourists around, walking around Saint Vitus Cathedral in the Prague castle complex and down Golden Lane. We took the chance to view Prague from below whilst walking across Charles Bridge and had a laugh practicing our posing for photos, tourist style.

Some shopping at Wenceslas Square took us into the night when we moved on to the old town square. Alive with people and street performers we did our best to stick together while admiring the amazing Tyn Church and the very cool old town hall clock tower that features an astronomical clock as well as intricate mosaics lining the entrance inside.

We finished the day walking back to Vincent through the Jewish Quarter and back across the river to see the buildings lit up at night, stunning! We were also treated to some fireworks along the way, glimpsing them over the tops of the buildings!

In the morning it was time to tackle the crowds, making our way to Saint Vitus Cathedral again to see the inside. Walking through the gates to Prague castle Mum suddenly stumbled and the guards on either side of the entrance struggled to keep a straight face. Inside the Cathedral was very busy and we decided no to pay the entrance fee to the crypts to see the tomb of Saint Wenceslas we had somewhere else we were much more excited to see!

Most of our day was taken up visiting the Toy and Barbie Museum on Golden Lane. Releasing our inner children, not hard, we took in rooms full of old and new toys. Lead soldiers, tin trains, doll houses, toys from many different European countries, teddy bears, life size characters and much more.

The highlight though, the Barbie dolls. On a floor of their own we saw Barbies through the ages. A huge collection of Barbie, her friends and her family, and their progression through facial and body features and most importantly fashion. Impossible to choose a favourite and makes me want to start my own collection!

A walk up Petrin Hill for a magnificent view over Prague was next where we sat for a while before heading back to Vincent in time to move on. We found a spot to sleep and recharge right on the river about 30 kilometers south of Prague, ready for constant driving the next day to get to Cesky Krumlov right near the south border of the Czech Republic.

In Cesky Krumlov we walked through the lovely palace gardens, when moving on so quickly all the time it’s nice to be able to relax and take a stroll. Set at the top of the hill overlooking the castle and Vltava River the gardens contain a lake and a rotating outdoor theatre as well as beautiful garden beds full of flowers.

On the way down towards the castle we popped into another garden on the cliff and got an amazing view out over the river, old town and castle. Walking through the lower parts of the castle we came across the bear pits and it’s crazy to think that even in this day and age animals are still allowed to be kept this way, in small concrete boxes with a few pot plants. Very sad to see these huge, intelligent animals confined this way.

Our time in the Czech Republic at an end we started on our way to into Austria, excited for some time in the Salzkammergut, Austria’s Lake District.

Photos can be found on our Facebook Page in the album CZECH REPUBLIC.

OUR DAY AT AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU CONCENTRATION CAMP

Our last post tackled the perspective change that comes with a visit to one of the most moving and harrowing places one could ever visit. In school we learn about World War II and snippets about the holocaust, although nothing can prepare you for the first hand experience that comes with visiting one of the many concentration camps spread throughout Europe.

What you experience and learn, with physical evidence right there in front of you, is overwhelmingly powerful. And how there are people in the world that can deny the holocaust even happened is beyond me!

A visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp is compulsory for all Polish students, it should be compulsory for everyone, and the reason this terrible place has been preserved and continues to stay open is so people NEVER FORGET, so that this part of history is never repeated. This aim is met, as our visit is something that will stay with us forever.

Tours are run in a few different languages throughout the day, taking in the main camp Auschwitz and the larger secondary camp Birkenau. Your tour, depending on the time of day you visit, will start or finish with a short documentary.

Walking under the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” archway, indescribable, through the double barbed wire fences, between the barracks and into the first exhibit our tour guide tells the facts. Calm, respectful and informative, she only spoke fact and our respect for her is enormous. How hard it would be to relive this horrendous account everyday.

We were surprised at the behavior of some tourists on our tour, treating Auschwitz like any other site to see. There are two places in the whole tour where there are no photos allowed but they would be clicking away. When they got outside they didn’t hesitate in lighting their cigarettes and they asked some very insensitive, pointless questions. The way they could disrespect this place, our guide and the rest of the people in the group was appalling. When you visit please don’t be one of these people!

We moved over to Birkenau or Auschwitz II and, though our time here was cut short by a lightning storm that rolled in during the short bus ride over, the view from the tower here is one of the most powerful where you get a full appreciation of the sheer size of the camp. As far as the eye can see, barracks, the train tracks running underneath the tower to the center of the camp.

After the remote listening devices were disconnected, the reason we know what those inappropriate questions were from insensitive visitors, we approached our guide. We thanked her for such an excellent account of life, or death, at Auschwitz, but even more importantly we congratulated her for her ability to stand tall and calm under the obvious stress caused by some of our group. She explained that she had given these tours for 12 years and that in the years following the camps first opening the ex inmates had been the guides. Such a job can not be easy as to relive this part of history is a strain just once let alone every day. To our guide we will be forever thankful. If you have the chance to visit go there with respect, silence and decorum, you will come away changed, humbled and forever greatful that you did not have to endure.

To finish we caught the documentary in English, the same one that has been playing since the camp was opened as a memorial in 1955 and mostly real video footage showing how prisoners that had survived were found. Footage of men and women, deathly thin from starvation walking amongst the corpses of those who had been starving too long. As well as footage of those who had been experimented on, women and children, and that of conditions in the camp during liberation.

After spending at least 5 hours here we realized that we might have had to spend the night here as we had left Vincent’s headlights on all day, big mistake. Resigned we turned them off and hoped for the best before walking to a nearby restaurant for a very late lunch come early dinner, delicious and much needed!

Luckily Vincent started with no problems, miracle, and we were able to set off towards Prague and the Czech Republic.

We took two photos at Auschwitz that can be seen in the album POLAND on our Facebook page along with the rest of our time in Poland. This is a place to experience with ones own eyes and not through the lens. We are changed by all our adventures but this place has an instant affect and a lasting one.

 

BROWN RICE

Takeaway Indian for dinner, home cooked rice…

Mum: “Mmmmm what did you do to this rice?”

Matt: “Boiled it.”

Mum: “Did you put some kind of dressing on it?”

Matt: “No…”

Mum: “But how did you make it brown?”

Everyone: “It’s brown rice!”

Oh dear!

PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE AT AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the small stuff. The common annoyances like an argument, forgetfulness, or bad traffic that we tend to dwell on. Getting upset and exasperated are normal human emotions, as is overthinking, but I’ve gained some new perspective on life that I would really like to share.

Have you been to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in Poland? If so, you’ll know where I’m coming from. A visit to this horrific, moving, draining place should be mandatory for every human being on the planet.

It’s a memorial to inform the world about the gruesome history of Nazi occupied Europe in the lead up to and during World War II and the fate of millions of Jewish, Soviet and European war prisoners, and Gypsies in the countless concentration camps across the continent. Preserved so that we never forget this history that should never be repeated, although similar is still happening in our world today.

Living in Europe between 1941 and 1945 depending on my religion, ethnicity, nationality, education, family, friends or simply the way I look, I could have been deported from my home to a concentration camp where it was most likely I would not survive for long. As a young Australian woman I realize I am extremely fortunate to be free. I can go for a walk pretty much anywhere I want without the risk of being captured, punished or killed.

If I have an opinion I am able to express it freely without fear. If I don’t understand something I am able to ask questions without being beaten to within inches of my life. I am a person with a name, feelings, thoughts and an identity, I am not a number tattooed on my arm.

I am only separated from my family, and can return to them, when I choose. I can contact them, even when I’m on the other side of the world. I know where they are, have an idea about what they are doing and that they are safe and well. I do not have to fear for their lives and for that matter I don’t fear for my own.

I am able to learn. I have a university degree and I am free to use it. I am not condemned or wished eradicated because I am educated.

I can use a hygienic (ahem, most of the time) toilet for as long as I want, in total privacy. I do not have a 30 second limited toilet allowance only twice a day. I also don’t have starvation diarrhea that can set in at any time.

I can wash everyday at my leisure and experience the heaven that is being clean. My uniform is whatever I choose to wear today. I’m certainly not living in dirty, lice infested clothes that are no where near warm enough for the sub zero temperature I may experience for half the year.

Not mention the fact that I have plenty of food, sometimes even too much. I have tasty, wholesome, nutrient rich food available to me every single day of the year. I don’t suffer from starvation and it probably won’t be my cause of death.

If I become ill or injured I have access to safe and brilliant medical care. I don’t have doctors using my body for experimental surgeries. I’m not a human guinea pig, doctors don’t test drugs on me and they don’t inject poison into my veins. They don’t practice how fast they can perform female sterilization on me.

Ultimately the only “work” I do is to benefit my loved ones or myself and I’m lucky enough to choose what work that is. I’m not forced into manual labor, eleven hours a day, in appalling conditions with no food, water or shelter from the extreme weather conditions. I enjoy what I do.

I have made comparisons between a twenty two year old woman doing her best to survive in one of the hundreds of Nazi concentration camps during World War II and myself. More devastating still is the fact that there are still people living through gender inequality, genocide, and war today.

I know that next time I complain that it’s way too hot or too rainy for sight seeing in Budapest or Prague or Zurich, I’m going to get over myself very quickly by remembering how very lucky I am to be me.

We can never understand what these people went through but we can learn the history and pass it on so it is never forgotten and work towards a future where war and genocide are truly history.

AROUND KRAKOW AND THE WIELICZKA SALT MINE

After a night camping in Slovakia we drove on into Poland ready to put some more history under our belt. First stop, Wieliczka Salt Mine, on the outskirts of Krakow.

It seems the Polish like to hold fetes on Sundays so after a quick wonder through the market stalls, listening to the live band, it was straight to the tourist entrance of the mine.

Arriving late we were lucky to get tickets to one of the last two and a half hour tours for the day and after a short wait for the English guide we began our descent, about 350 steps, to 135 meters under ground. I continue to try to conquer my apprehension about enclosed, underground spaces and I believe I’m getting much better.

Walking through the pressurized doors and corridors to different chambers inside the mine we were told of the history and even shown a reenactment of the explosive elimination of harmful gases that filled the mine in the old days. As well as the dangerous feats, whilst underground the salt miners carved many sculptures out of the walls; gnomes, snow white, princesses, famous and influential people among the few on display.

A highlight was the underground cathedral all carved from salt, even the altar, and complete with a salt carving of the last supper. An amazing cavernous space that helps you forget that you are underground and yet another beautiful cathedral to add to the list seen during our trip.

They’re constantly adding new multimedia features inside the mine so a stop was made at another large area to watch an abstract projected film about the life of the miners. A little pointless to us, though the school group that watched with us seemed to love it!

The air down here is beneficial for asthma suffers, bonus, and it does have a salty smell to it. Although we didn’t take advantage, like some other people in our tour group, you can also taste the salt on the walls. We were shuddering at the thought of how many millions of other peoples DNA you get to sample too, yuck!

Heading back up into the warmth and open air, it was time to find a camping spot next to Krakowskie Blonia park in Krakow, only a short walk to the old town center, ready for an early start in the morning.

Walking is always how we spend the day in the cities. First stop the old town square, dodging the pigeons, and into the church of Saint Mary, another very cool interior similar to that of Sienna cathedral. Though our favourite church here was one we affectionately call “the cupcake church”, as we have no idea what it is actually called and it looks like a beautiful decorated cake. We do know that it’s next to the church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Stunning inside, all pastel pinks, blues and greens with silver detail, Mum says, “if she ever did decide to go to church she would go there”, a big statement coming from her.

Exploring makes us hungry and it was time for lunch so we deviated from the tourist track to find somewhere to eat, settling on a traditional Ukrainian restaurant. Down in a quaint basement with knitted scarves and dried flowers hanging everywhere we ate soup followed by pierogi, yummy dumplings filled with ingredients like mashed potato, mushroom and cabbage. Sounds dull but they’re actually delicious.

After lunch it was up Wawel Hill to see the outside of the castle (pretty boring) and join the throngs of tourists inside the cathedral where we decided it wasn’t worth us paying to see what wasn’t free.

Our last stop in Krakow was the New Jewish Cemetery in Kazimierz the Jewish Quarter, wrought with history, where the headstones and graves are piled one on top of the other because of a lack of space. Very interesting a moving though not as moving as what we would experience the following day.

Driving towards Auschwitz we found a lovely camping spot off the main road nestled in the trees. The perfect setting for our third police encounter of the trip. At about 11:30pm whilst we were watching some Grey’s Anatomy we had a knock on the door from the police. Greeting them in our pajamas yet again we handed over our registration, insurance and passports as usual and went through an excruciating 10-minute wait to be told all was ok. Everything was in order but they asked us to move to a nearby petrol station for the night, for our own safety. Much better that than asked to move on because we had chosen an illegal camping spot!

Ready to start on another chapter in our trip, knowing we would soon be visiting one of the most moving places on the planet, we made our way towards Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration camp.

Photos can be found on our Facebook Page in the album POLAND

LAST DAY IN BUDAPEST

If we can’t get to a new city in time to see it by night the next best thing is finding a camp spot close to what we want to see so that in the morning we needn’t move Vincent and can get going first thing. This time we were in the Vizivaros (water) district on the opposite side of the river to Parliament House and all the sights we had seen the last couple of days.
A walk up the hill/stairs from here took us into the castle district, through the Vienna gate and we got our first glance of a multicolored tiled rooftop, very cool, almost Lego like. Past the tall Magdalene Tower, the basilica mostly in ruins, and slightly down hill again to the Hospital in the rock. This is an underground bunker that was used as a hospital during World War II. We decided to give this one a miss as I’m not too comfortable underground and even less so in hospitals, though I am proud to say I’m getting better!
By mid morning we were outside St Matthias church, another structure with beautiful multicolored roof tiles. Towering turrets and sublime white walls this church is beautiful from the outside and lovely to see in the morning before the rest of the tourist congregated.
The Fisherman’s Bastian is also here. Though this isn’t a castle you still feel very “Disney princess” sitting looking out over the Pest side of Budapest. Pale walls, archways and turrets overlooking the river and Parliament, beautiful.
Time to tackle getting Parliament tickets again we took a stroll across chain bridge. Every corner you turn there is some more fantastic architecture to see, all with something different to behold. Getting lost in the streets is peasant when there is always something to see.
At 1pm the earliest tickets we could get to the Parliament tour was for a 5pm start so we decided to check out Margaret Island. With tired legs we found a deck chair where we could sit, relax and recharge the camera whilst watching the children’s fountain here.
Looking for a restaurant for an early dinner we had a funny moment when Mum pointed at a sign down the road and said, “look, we could have Thai!” Only if we wanted a Thai massage! Moving Vincent closer to Parliament and having an early dinner out bought us to 5pm and the very quick half hour tour of Parliament. The highlight here the main stair case at the finale, as well as a few crown jewels.
To finish off our time in Budapest we simply had to go to one of the thermal baths here. We chose Szechenyi Gyogyfurdo es Uszoda neo-Baroque thermal baths as they offered inside and outside pools and some beautiful architecture to gaze upon. Relaxing in the warm baths and healing in the freezing ones it was the perfect way to finish a brilliant few days in Budapest!
More on day three coming soon. Photo can be seen on our Facebook page in the album BUDAPEST-HUNGARY.

As you can probably tell we have been a bit slack with posts lately. Will get up to date as soon as possible.

BREAKING INTO BUDAPEST

Eager to make use of our city time and do some sightseeing in the cooler evening hours we set off from our car, parked to camp outside the Dob Utca School known for its art nouveau façade, toward city park. Sticking with the art nouveau theme we walked around the park to see two other beautiful façades in Zala Villa and Balas Villa before cutting through to see the back of Vajahunyad Castle, there’s just something about Disney style turrets!
Walking through the city park, wherever we are, is one the best ways to get to know the place. Forget people watching on the main street (ahem, tourist watching), go to the park and see what the locals are really like. We got to see the summer version of the city ice rink used as a Red Bull stunt ground, a row of back-flippers slam-dunking a basketball. And what we named dog hill where puppy class was in session.
Walking through the castle gates and past the museum here I couldn’t decide what was more beautiful, the sculptured detail on the buildings or the vines winding around the detail, though it’s a shame to cover it. Lucky, we can see both here.
As the sun was going down we decided to check out the Szechenyi Gyogyfurdo es Uszoda neo-Baroque thermal baths, between City Park and the zoo, to make use of at the end of our time in Budapest. The yellow walls topped with white detail are beguiling.
More art nouveau spotting with a walk past the famous zoo entrance towards Heroes Square as the sun started to go down. Heroes square is a large space in the middle of the roads converging at the end of the main street in Budapest, Andrassy ut. In the middle is a tall angel topped, from what I can see, column surrounded immediately by horse and rider statues and further on one side by the Heroes.
We then walked down Andrassy ut, our goal the Hungarian Opera house to see about tickets for the following night. This vibrant street seems to be the heart of Budapest at night and we found many pretty restaurants to choose from for dinner settling on a traditional three-course meal that was delicious.
We had to buy the tickets to the opera the following day so retired back to Vincent for a good night ready to tackle the city again in the morning. First stop Terror House, where both the Fascists and Communists did their worst, now turned into a museum commemorating the victims and introducing those who enter to the horrors that went on here. Very interesting though heart breaking and best done at your own pace with so many interviews and videos to watch.
Moving on we were on a mission to get tickets to the nights opera. With a few choices of seats and prices, (super cheap, average and expensive) we decided on average and started to get excited for our opera night. Mistake number one but more on that later!
By now lunchtime had come around so we walked through Szabadsag ter, a nice square come park near Parliament House, to find a spot for lunch. Trying to avoid the pigeons we had a nice rest from all the walking we were doing then went to get our tickets for the Parliament House tour. Unfortunately sold out for the day so off we went to see St. Stephen’s Basilica stopping for a cute rose ice cream on the way.
St. Stephen’s is another cathedral with a lot going on, so much detail in one place. Interestingly the hand of a famous saint is preserved here. It is still a wonder to us that the bodies and sometimes limbs of some saints are on display in the churches for the world to see.
With the arrival of evening it was finally time to go to the opera. We even changed from our practical “tourist clothes”, as I like to call them, into nice dresses, a rarity since we travel in Vincent!
The Hungarian Opera theatre is stunning. The entrance foyer and façade are worth a look even if you don’t enjoy opera and I’d recommend spending a few euro to do a tour inside because it is beautiful. When it comes to actually going to the opera that’s a different story.
I mentioned mistake number one earlier. Well, we should have gone for the super cheap tickets. We could have spent around 5 euro each for practically the same view that cost us 30 euro each. Indifferent to that we were ready and excited for the show to begin.
Here come lesson and mistake number two, ask what the story/opera is about when purchasing the tickets! We saw a Strauss but found it so boring and predictable that we left after the second act. Apart from a lack luster story line, the leading man was played by a woman so working out who was singing what was hard. The singing was beautiful but we decided that our experience in Lucca was so much better.
Leaving early we left our trusty spot next to the school to park in the Vizivaros district closer to where we wanted to be the next day. Driving across the river and seeing the buildings, Parliament House on one side and the castle district on the other, all lit up by night was the most beautiful thing we’d seen all day.
More on day three coming soon. Photo can be seen on our Facebook page in the album BUDAPEST-HUNGARY.

DISASTER ALMOST STRIKES

Having left Croatia we wondered how any scenery could be anywhere near as beautiful as what we have already seen. It just keeps getting better though. We have said before but will say it again that when things are so different to home they are mostly stunning to us.
Driving through rural Hungary we saw quaint little towns, sprawling fields and rolling hills instead of enormous mountains. We also spotted a Tescos, the first we’ve seen since England, and were quite excited to see if they sold gas bottles as we have been living without a gas since our bottle broke its seal.
No luck with the gas bottle, much to Mikayla and I’s disappointment and Mums relief (she’s enjoying not being able to cook), so we hit the road making fantastic ground towards Budapest and stopping at Lake Balaton, Hungary’s inland sea, for lunch. We have taken to long leisurely lunches followed by a game of UNO or two to give Mum a rest from driving such long distances. We took off again stopping again another half hour down the road where we needed Mums purse to buy something, only to discover that Mums purse was not in our possession.
Not quite panicking, but very close to it, we retraced our steps to the only place it could be, the last place we used it, Tescos, a two hour drive back in the wrong direction.
The two hour drive took us one and a half this time with Mum playing rally car driver and Vincent playing along nicely. All our most important things in one small purse that was a hundred kilometers away from us, not good! Mum had left her purse on the sink in the toilets while washing her hands and forgotten it because she was so worried about leaving our little gas bottle that we use as an example of what we want to buy.
Arriving at Tescos Mum was out of Vincent and into the shop like a shot and to our relief the security guard recognized her. Textbook relief and a bit of form filling out and Mums purse was safe and sound back with us. We are so lucky, Mum may be in charge of the contents of the purse but I will stay in charge of the actual purse because the one time I let it out of my sight it got lost!
We were lucky to drive back as we found a beautiful camp spot on a river, next to an arboretum, where all tree free banks were occupied until dusk by old men and couples quietly fishing, and were again first thing in the morning. We went to sleep listening to the sounds of the cuckoo birds and ducks that night and woke refreshed in the morning, just what we needed after the stress of the previous day.
In the morning Mum got talking to a Hugarian couple, they couldn’t speak English and Mum couldn’t speak Hungarian but they had a full conversation anyway. Hand gestures and miming can get you a long way! They were lovely and even caught a fish while Mum was with them though they were hoping for a bigger one.
We left late and ended up having lunch on Lake Balaton again, although in a different spot this time, then finally made it Budapest (with purse) in the early evening after visiting Memento Park on the cities outskirts. This is a park where some of the despised propaganda and statues of the communist era were moved after liberation, giving us a glimpse into the streets of communist Budapest. Also accompanying the park is a small museum containing information about communism and where you can also watch old police education tapes and learn how to plant and bug, conduct a home search without the owners knowledge and transfer illegal information on the street, handy.
Stay tuned for more of our time in Budapest and don’t forget to have a look at our photos on Facebook in the album BUDAPEST.

SLOVENIA

Our next destination is Slovenia. We met a family in Bordighera, whilst Vincent was having his weekend off, that had invited us to visit them in their home town of Bled in Slovenia. Until this point we had not considered it a destination and had not heard of it from anyone. Now I am going to tell you that this is a ‘not to be missed” spot in Europe. We have raved about the mountains, lakes and cities we have seen so far but from the minute you enter this country your jaw will drop and you will sigh at every turn.

We chose a mountain route, no toll as usual, that took us through the magnificent wooded mountain slopes still capped with snow. The water that courses through the valleys is the most amazing colour due to the white rock beneath. It is the most vivid turquoise green that has to be seen to be believed. We spend a night on a road we stumble across within the Triglavski National Park at the top of a mountain pass. There is snow still in spots on the ground but we are again fortunate enough to have sunshine. The peace is amazing.

We then head down into the town of Bled and circumnavigate the lake, we seem to be drawn to them, and enjoy the tranquility of lapping water. There are many people here but you can still find a quiet spot. We head off to the Vintgar Gorge nearby and enjoy the stroll along the cascades of water culminating in a fantastic water fall. Later we head to the castle perched high on the hill to take in the view of the island in the middle of the lake. Picturesque is an understatement.

We head to the home of our new friends where we are made so welcome. We were so pleased just to see them but ended up staying the night in a real bed, amazing, having a shower, out of this world, and getting our washing done, fantastic. Apart from all these very missed pleasures the greatest pleasure of all was spending time with this lovely family. They take us to another waterfall that was just spectacular, apparently very full of water due to a very wet winter. We were lavished with lovely local foods, much from their own garden, and given such valuable advice for our next destination, Croatia. It was a short visit but such a fond memory within our trip.

We head off the next day with a plan to see the Postojnska Jama (cave), on route to Croatia. It is a very sad morning to leave our new friends. The cave is quite spectacular, an hour long tour including a train ride in and out, showing a huge cave of beauty. One more night spent in Slovenia before our entry to Croatia. Driving through this amazing country is just one vista of beauty after another. It is literally a postcard view at every turn, from small hamlets of pretty houses dotted on a vivid green landscape to the towering mountains with their wooded slopes, snow caps and mountain streams and waterfalls to the underground beauty of the caves. If you get the chance go see it. We find it hard to believe that the locals go on holiday at all with all this beauty around them everyday.

Photos can be found on Facebook in the album SLOVENIA

VENICE

We decide to start our day early so park and sleep only kilometers from Venice and then find a spot for Vincent on the dry land side and bus into a new world. What can be said that has not already been said about this unique environment? We learn that Venice sits in a lagoon making the water neither salt nor fresh, thus creating a different taste to fish, much like Barramundi either river or ocean caught. We set off on the water ferry to head to Murano. Here we relive a memory with Nan of her Murano glass purchased many moons ago. Now there is a tourist nightmare of shops selling glass, some authentic and some not. There is so much it has the effect of ruining each other. Still great to see the craft. Back on the ferry and past the cemetery, an island in itself, and on to the mainland. A very lovely tourist advice woman, a local, gave us valuable advice, just walk. This we did. As you stroll through the streets and view the canals from every angle one is marveled by the architecture and the sheer magnificence of the ability of this city to live on water. Imagine a tiny bridge across a small canal that leads only to your front door, gorgeous. Imagine the open hole in the wall at water level in a hotel where supplies are delivered. Imagine boats churning along with maybe rubbish bins or the cement mixer for your trade. All this and more will great you on the canals. Then there is the gondola. One is romantic, two pretty but as you see them one after the other, at one time 8 in a row in a small canal, they kind of loose effect. What it will be like in high season one can’t imagine. The ferries give you a chance to jump on and off the water and it seems always possible to grab a spot on the rail to view the scene and get those perfect shot.
We eventually hit the Plaza del San Marco and queue to enter St Marks Cathedral. The golden mosaics are lovely but not as good as those of Revenna. Outside we successfully negotiate the pigeons and guide Georgia through, I think she is finally coming to terms with birds. We take the obligatory photo of The Bridge of Sighs and head again to the back streets and the water and arrive over in the artistic quarter and wind our way along viewing lovely work by local Artisans. Now we hit another tourist block at the Rialto Bridge and then back on to the Grand Canal to head to our starting point for our trip back to Vincent. We have lasted almost till darkness and enjoy the effect of the lights starting to twinkle along the canal.
We had thought we would spend another day and buy the museum pass and trundle off again with a purpose of seeing everything but something changed our mind. It wasn’t till the end of our day that we understood what the tourist bureau lady had meant. She had advised not to do the museums, strange you may think, but she was really right. The beauty of Venice is to see ‘it’, not what it holds. If you are there for a week there is much to do but if only a short time just walk, it will reward you with all its romance, beauty and mystery and I am sure be etched in your memory forever. Venice is a charm, unique and a lovely spot on this earth.

Photos can be found on Facebook in the album VENICE

Record your life for the ones that aren’t lucky enough to witness it themselves!

Our whole trip so far has been amazing and I think a huge part of this is the amount of time we have been able to spend with family and the things we’ve been able to experience together. Each day is so significant I wish I could put it all into words.

Our family have been so welcoming, having us in their homes, and taking us around to so many fantastic places, THANK YOU to all of you! Getting to know everybody has been so lovely and we’re going to miss everyone for the next six months of our trip (until we return to visit again in the summer).

Mikayla and I have only just met most of our family and, though we’re not surprised by how amazing they are, we really do appreciate the support and warmth we’ve had from them. We also love the special, different, interesting and beautiful people they are.

Now that we have met all these wonderful people we won’t be able to stay away. We’ve already decided that when we are back living in Australia a yearly trip back to the UK will be a major priority.

We’ve been so lucky to have spent our whole lives with our Nan. She has lived with us, her house connected to ours, since before I was born. We are so lucky to have had her there, helping raise us while growing up and then being able to care for her, as we all get older. But more about Nan will come in another post!

We have also been privileged to know her better than anyone else and learn the history of the family from her point of view. Through Mum and Nan we feel like we know our Granddad, though sadly we never got to meet him. We always say that we live a charmed life and that when great things happen, and they happen often, it’s Granddad looking after us.

The other day we felt especially close to him when we visited the Herne Bay Football Club, where Granddad played and then managed, until he immigrated to Australia with Nan, Mum and her two sisters in 1969. Mum visited, for the first time since she was nine, in 2012 and had a great time, they even got a shirt out for her to wear for a photo and sent her home with a pennant for Mikayla.

This time we visited on game day, although unfortunately they haven’t played for about eight weeks because of the soggy pitch. A coach was around to let us in to the clubrooms and on the wall was Granddad (Ronald Benge) in the 1955-56 season team photo. Very handsome indeed!

Since 2012 they have put up even more photos in another small room, Granddad was in two more 1960-61 and 1965-66 as a manager, I wonder where all the other years went! Quite emotional really, to think Granddad was such a big part of the club, they even have an article about Granddad leaving for Australia that they’re going to send us!

While we were looking at these photos another man came in and we told him who we were, he then said, “Oh yeah, I knew Ronnie Benge!” Apparently this man doesn’t come to the club very often unless there’s a match so the chances of us meeting him would usually be slim. He said Granddad was larger than life and like Malcolm Allison, a huge compliment according to cousin John. He also said he remembers he always wore his sheep skin coat, a defining feature it seems!

After this Mum and John took us on a tour of her childhood, once again reconnaissance was done in 2012. First was the house where Mum was born, number one or two (Mum can’t remember), Osbourne Gardens, Beltinge. Then the last house Mum lived in before moving to Australia on Bewsbury Crescent, Whitfield, disappointing because of its upkeep.

Also in Whitfield was the white house at the end of Nursery Lane where Mum’s Nanny Violet and Pappy Alf lived, and where Nan and Granddad set up a hair salon for Aunty Pam. The tiny church in Whitfield was where Nanny Violet used to take Mum for Sunday school, I can just imagine her skipping along chatting away and asking lots of questions.

Last but not least was a drive through Ashley to see The Butcher’s Arms, now a private residence Old Butchers Arms/Ashley House, the pub that Nan and Granddad owned and ran. One cold rainy day when mum was about three Nan let a local man called Alf Potts into the pub before opening. She left to make him coffee then suddenly heard a commotion and returned to find Mum standing on the bar throwing darts at poor Alf. Mum thinks this is about the time when Nan sent her off to a convent to start school!

Family is so very important and so is the history that comes with it. The people, who made the ones we know who they are, are so important too. We are loving hearing all about our ancestors and extended family from those that knew them.

From our Aunty Babs, who is now eighty nine, we have heard about Nan, Granddad, Aunty Di, Aunty Pam and Uncle Harry. That Nan was the beautiful one and the fashion icon. She looks up to her and misses her dearly as they now live on opposite sides of the world.

From our Uncle Don, who is now ninety two, we have heard about our Aunty Irene, Nan and Mums Nanny Violet and Pappy Alf. During our time in Devon we got to visit Uncle Don and his wife Terry a few times. We went through old photos of Nan, Babs, Irene, Violet, and Alf. And childhood photos of our English family, some of whom we have only just met, Maggy, Ian, Paul, John, Don, Mum, Aunty Di and Aunty Pam. So special to us.

This time has really emphasized to us just how special it is to be able to get to know family members that we weren’t around to meet before they left this world. And we love listening to stories about everyone when they were little.

This all also reinforces what we already know, that talking about family and asking questions is so important. We treasure our Nan, and all the people in our lives, and with them comes an immense knowledge of worlds we could not possibly know without them telling us.

Listen to stories and ask questions because there are some things that you will only learn from the people in your life and when they aren’t around anymore this information will go with them. Don’t let your history get lost!

Ask to see photo albums. Ask who are the people in the black and white pictures hanging on the wall. Ask to see home videos, or even a super 8 cinifilm! And write it all down, you won’t want to forget it!

For that matter, why not think about what you can leave behind for your loved ones? What can you keep and collect that they might be interested in? What can you tell them? What do you want them to remember?

Record your life for the ones that aren’t lucky enough to witness it themselves.

Photos of family can be found on our facebook page in the album FAMILY and photos of our trip in Herne Bay and the tour of Mums childhood can be found in the album KENT!

 

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MOVING ON AND ON TO DEVON

First off we apologize for the lack of post this last week, it’s been so jam packed we haven’t been able to get to the internet very often!

We left Maggy and Graham’s all packed and ready to go. We’d got all of our things inside the van, everything with its own little place, and we were quite happy with ourselves that we made it all fit. Our bedding fits perfectly in the back, all folded up, so that we have the backseat while driving and extra space behind the bedding for a box of jackets, scarves and a couple of extra suitcases. When we are ready to sleep in Vincent, our pack up and set up will be very fast and easy.

After checking our rooms upstairs about five times each to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything we started to make our way to London, me doing a very good job of directing and mum doing a great job following my instructions. A slightly less stressful experience now that we are getting used to the English roads, although Vincent still needs nursing along a little and sometimes first gear can’t be found. All in all it was a good trip in with little traffic.

About 15 minutes from the end of the trip Mikayla suddenly shouted, “did we put our boots in?” Mum and I looked at each other, no we hadn’t! The day before we had discussed that we mustn’t forget our boots because they were in the utility room (laundry for the Aussies) and we hadn’t been wearing them. We should have put them in the van when we thought about it!

All the signs were pointing towards the fact we had forgotten something. Mum suddenly forgot how to set the house alarm, even though she’s set it quite a few times before. About twenty minutes of trying to set the house alarm, then trying to deactivate it when it went off, before getting into Vincent to go.

I had set up Google maps with our route to London, since I don’t have a SIM card at the moment I don’t have internet access unless near Wi-Fi.  But, because we backed out of the driveway, causing a reroute whilst in Wi-Fi range, when we did proceed in the correct direction it tried to reroute again without internet connection causing us to lose all maps anyway. So, back we went to get the map again, reversing in this time so that there was no chance of reroute, giving us another chance to remember our boots.

Anyway, we arrived at Matt and Kelly’s late afternoon. Maggy and Graham were already there putting up new curtains Maggy made for them, they look fantastic! We had afternoon tea with chocolate chip banana bread, also made by Maggy, that was delicious! I’ve been craving banana bread since having Chloe’s too. Chloe and Maggy’s banana breads are equally the best I’ve ever had and that’s saying something. In my third year of uni I would have chocolate chip banana bread from the Science Café about twice a week, it was my favourite and I thought the best. Not anymore!

When it started getting late Maggy and Graham set off for home and we ordered pizzas for dinner. A quick walk up to the pizza place and we had our dinner. It was freezing outside and the pizza man said that it was going to be -4°C overnight. We stayed up most of the night talking and I hope Matt and Kelly weren’t too tired for work the next day!

Our journey to Plymouth started with an early wake up to see Matt and Kelly off to work and say goodbye, again, for the next 6 months or so. We wish they could come with us! Mum then checked her emails and realized that the travel insurance we had organized the day before was not valid and so the search began again to find the right insurance for us. Still on the search but hopefully this will be sorted soon because we don’t want to travel without insurance.

A quick trip to Sainsbury’s for lunch, salad and fruit, we set off, weaving our way out of London. I’m gradually becoming more relaxed whilst giving directions as I learn how the roads work and begin to trust myself. Once out on the A303, it was very straightforward, literally, and I began to enjoy the beautiful countryside. England really is the home of the hedge. Paddocks, or should I say fields, are lined with hedges and trees creating a patchwork quilt of green, brown and grey. Add blue sky for most of the way and it’s just stunning!

We also passed Stonehenge along the way and plan to stop and take it in on the way back. Mum saw it last year and said you can no longer walk in and around the landmark, only stand and look from a distance. Still worth stopping as this is one of the most famous landmarks and tourist destinations in the world.

We made it to Ivybridge in about four and a half hours. This is a really great effort considering Vincent’s top speed is 65mph on the flat and 70mph if we’re lucky and going down hill. Speed rapidly decreases when we hit even a slight incline and there are quite a few hills along the A303, luckily most have overtaking lanes so all the cars and even lorries (trucks) can pass the little VW making his way up the hill at 20mph. I can just hear him chanting, “I think I can, I think I can!”

Mikayla and I met Mum’s cousin Paul and his wife Jan for the first time. Paul is the closest cousin in age to mum being only two years older. They are such lovely people welcoming us all into their home. We keep saying that we’re so glad our English family is family, as we probably wouldn’t have the chance to meet them otherwise. We’re very lucky.

We had dinner at The Sportman’s, yummy food again, then came home to watch the football. We are very grateful to this pub as we are allowed to park Vince behind. We also saw that the Tri-series Netball Tournament, between England, New Zealand and Jamaica, was being played at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. I’ve been following the results of this tournament and didn’t realize it was being played just down the road from us the night before. Opportunity to watch live netball between three of the four top teams in the world missed unfortunately. We’re missing the netball but will watch a replay on TV in the next few days.

AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH BRITISH

We have found some more differences between Australian English and British English. So we’ve updated our lists!

Foods! A few times I’ve had to ask questions about what certain things are on menus when dining out. Or when food shopping with family! So here is what we’ve learned so far, Australian term first then British term.

Eggplant = Aubergine

Chips = Crisps

Butternut Pumpkin = Butternut Squash

Zucchini = Courgette

Capsicum – Pepper

Our previous post (with updates) on Australian and British word differences is below for those who missed it the first time around!

We have had some very funny moments during our time over here in England. Most of them to do with words that have very different meanings to us in Australia compared to the British. So, we’ve started compiling a list of all the new words we’ve learned so far and keep adding to it as we go as I’m sure we will come across a few more faux pas moments eventually!

So here goes words with both the Australian and British meanings:

Pants = trousers in Australia and undies in England*

Thongs = flip flops in Australia and G-strings in England**

Doona = doona in Australia and duvet in England***

Spunk = good looking man in Australia, England I think you can work it out!

Toot = bottom in Australia and stuff left lying around in England****

Joggers = runners/running shoes in Australia and running/exercise trousers in England*****

Vest = singlet in Australia and vest in England

Lounge room = Lounge room in Australia and Lounge in England

Lane way = Lane way in Australia and lane in England

Road way = road in Australia and road way in England

Punter = gambler in Australia and economy class in England

Do you have any words and/or phrases that we could add to our list?

*Many times we have said things to the tune of “My pants are falling down.” “I’ve worn the same pair of pants three times this week.” “I need more pants.” “May I wear your pants today?” etc. Substitute the word pants for undies and it become very funny for our English family and very weird for any strangers that happen to be passing by at the moment we say it! We also have a whole new appreciation for Miranda (Hart) and all her pant related humour!

**Again, mentioned a few times (despite the lack of thong wearing weather) quite the same reaction to pants!

***When compiling our list of things needed for Vincent we frequently discussed purchasing a doona. This went on for a while, as did some confused looks from the family, before someone finally asked “What’s a doona?”

****The other night Maggy said “right, before bed everyone needs to put their toot up stairs.”

*****Mikayla said “My joggers are a little wet but I’ll be able to wear them still”, Maggy and Graham thought she was going to wear wet trousers!

BRITISH MUSEUM

Big breakfast! That’s what our day started with. A delicious feast of scrambled eggs and potato cakes for me and sausages and bacon added for Mum, Mikayla, Matt and Kelly. Followed by pancakes topped with nutella, lemon juice, sugar, maple syrup, cherries, bananas and raspberries, although not all together! Yum!

We then set off to The British Museum. It opened to the public in 1759 and more than 71000 objects from Sir Hans Sloane’s private collection were on display. With the exception of two World Wars, it has remained open ever since, and attendance has gone from 5,000 visitors per year to today’s 6 million. Entry is free, luckily. It would take many more than one visit to see everything there. Over the years there have been many additions and the museum celebrated it’s 250th anniversary in 2003. The building is spectacular, in size and design. It could be an exhibit in itself. Even if you aren’t interested in museums, it’s worth visiting all of them in London just to get a look at the buildings. One of my favourite parts of the building was the Great Court. The museum’s inner courtyard is enclosed (great for a rainy day) but lets in all the natural light.

We walked through Ancient Egypt first and saw a real mummy, actually we saw a few, for the first time. One was completely open, exposing the body inside. It was striking how a person who died 3000 years ago can be so well preserved, even having hair. Although what was also intriguing to me was how many people were taking photos and that the body is allowed to be exposed at all. I felt I had to respect this ancient person and not take photos, after all they are human beings.

We then went through Ancient Europe and finally clocks and watches. So many wonderful things to see and way too much the explain in detail. My favourite parts were all the jewelery throughout the exhibits, especially the Cartier pieces, AMAZING! I also loved seeing all the clocks and watches and how they have changed throughout the ages with growth in technology and fashion.

We saw The Rosetta Stone and got to touch a replica!. The Rosetta Stone is one of the most famous objects in the British Museum. The Stone is a broken part of a bigger stone slab. It has a message carved into it, written in written in two languages, Egyptian and Greek and three types of scripts (hieroglyphics, demotic and Greek). It is It was an important clue that helped experts learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. Even though it took experts something like 28 years to finish deciphering the code! A very important part of history.

At one point whilst walking around the museum Matt said to Mum, “when you visit Rome you have to go to the willy room!” Mum then turned to me, who hadn’t heard the first part and repeated that. I was a little unsure and asked Matt to repeat, thinking willy might be another one of the those words with different British and Australian meanings. Nope, willy means willy! So I asked for an explanation. A while ago people became prudish and decided to remove all the male private parts from all the statues. There is now a room, in a museum full of willys! Weird!

When we had all had enough museuming (new word for the dictionary) we headed home, stopping at Domali, a vegetarian/pescatarian restaurant, where I had the best vegetable pie I’ve ever had, again! Another fantastic day with Matt and Kelly, thanks guys!

 

MOOSE

*From the back of the car*
Mmmmrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Georgia: “What was that?”
Mikayla: “Um, I was trying to be a moose…”

*All laughing*

Mikayla: “Actually, I was only trying to be a moose half way through!”

Car rides!

UNO

*Game starts*
*Mikayla goes, Georgia is next*
Georgia: *looks down, no cards* “ummm, where are my cards?”
Mum: *not paying attention because she’s sorting through the 14 cards in her hand*
Mum: “Oh, whoops!”

Playing Uno with Maggy and Graham. Mum has just dealt and has been falling asleep between goes for the last few rounds!

M&Ms

Mikayla, “Yeah and then they made raspberry M&Ms, I don’t really like them.”
Georgia, “I liked them!”
Mikayla, “Yeah, but they were so sweet…you couldn’t eat a whole bag!”

Talking about M&M flavours!

DON’T COOK IN YOUR PAJAMAS

I smell like fried breakfast!

Mikayla as she dressed in her pajamas (that she had worn while cooking a very yummy breakfast) at bedtime.

Nudity and Violence

Mikayla, “It’s just lots of nudity and violence!”
Georgia, “Yeah, It’s great!”
Matt, “Nudity and violence are great?”
Georgia, “What no, no Game of Thrones is…”

Talking about Game of Thrones with Matt and Kelly

MAKE YOUR LIFE SPECTACULAR

Over our five weeks of travel so far we have received so much reinforcement that now is the right time to travel for us. When we meet new people they are so interested in what we’re doing and how. A hard answer to give. We’ve taken 2014 off school and work and plan to travel for this time throughout Europe and America. Hopefully back to Australia via Africa and India around January 2015.

At the moment we are in England with family and will be here for about another 2 weeks before heading over to France in our camper van Vincent, who you can read about here and here. After that our only plan is to head south through France, to warmer climates (hopefully), to Spain then move along through Europe seeing what we see (and we want to see as much as we possibly can). I think the beauty of having our own little home on wheels is that if we like a place we will be able to stay and if we don’t we’ll be able to move on. We’re going to see where the wind takes us!

We’ve also been compiling a list of places to visit from the recommendations of friends, new friends we’ve met along the way and family. I can’t wait to see everyone’s favourite places in the world. We are always open to recommendations and travel tips, especially those specific to certain places. What to do, eat and see and equally as important, what not to do, eat and see! By the end we will be able to give our own recommendations, and will do so as we go along through this blog.

Another joy of traveling is the people you meet along the way. We have already met so many lovely people, all so different with interesting stories to tell. People like Dave and Lauren who have just done what we hope to achieve and who, like me, have worked out young that now is the best time to do what you love. What better time is there than the present? And that there is always a way! Life is for living and by living we mean enjoying and filling it! I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to travel, and even luckier to be able to do it with with my Mum and sister. Finally our dreams are coming true!

Yesterday we had a relaxing movie day. The first movie we watched was “Jack”; Robin Williams plays a child with an accelerated aging disorder that means when he is 10 years old he has the appearance of a 40 year old. His body ages rapidly, shortening has life, even though his mind ages normally. At the end, during his valedictorian speech at his high school graduation, he says “make your life spectacular”, I think a very good mantra to live by because life is short anyway.

So where are your favourite places to visit in Europe?

What are your best travel tips?

LONDON II

We are experiencing everything we possibly can in London. Including the mostly never on time public transport. Pretty much every time we get to the train station ready to jump onto a train we hear the same message over the speaker system, “Southern regrets to announce that the (insert service here) to (insert destination here) is delayed by (insert number of minutes here)” Grrrr. In saying that most delays haven’t been too long and since we’re on holiday we don’t really have any time limits so it doesn’t affect us too much. Although it is very annoying for the people who are trying to get to work on time or home from a long day at work. Kelly has said that, luckily, most employers are quite forgiving about the former.

Our day started at London Bridge this time and our first stop was The Monument, erected after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Sir Christopher Wren’s Monument is the tallest isolated stone column in the world. It was completed in 1677 and repairs are carried out approximately every 100 years. It stands at 202 ft high and is positioned 202 ft from the spot in Pudding Lane on which the Great Fire is believed to have started. We climbed the 311 spiral steps all the way to the Monument’s observation gallery. Luckily our camera was charged enough to take some photos (I thought I’d charged it the night before, I obviously hadn’t). Once back down the bottom we received certificates, so worth it!

Next was a quick visit to Saint Paul’s Cathedral, huge and beautiful! Then along to The Royal Courts of Justice, where our camera kindly died! Walking along heading to The Strand we stumbled upon the High Commission of Australia, I may be biased but I think our embassy has the most beautiful building in the whole of London! We have been told that the Gringotts Wizarding Bank scenes of the Harry Potter movies were filmed there. We also came across Somerset House where there is an ice rink, it looks stunning set inside the courtyard between the buildings. We contemplated skating but Mum and Mikayla decided against it in case of injury and I decided against it because it wouldn’t have been very fun going around in circles on my own. There is also still a Christmas market there with a few more bargains to be had. Once at The Strand we did a little shopping at Mountain Warehouse, grabbing some bargains in the sales! And when we emerged from there it had been dark a while so we decided it was time to start the trip home again.

We are really loving walking around and enjoying whatever sights we stumble upon. We think the best way to see a city is walk, providing you walk in the right areas! You see so much, and find little shops, cafes and views that may have been missed otherwise. Our night was finished watching a couple of TV movies (Ice Age and The Matrix Reloaded) and another one of Matt’s delicious dinners. He really is a good cooker*! And Mum did really well to stay awake again!

*When my Aunty Di was little someone must have criticized Nans cooking, she put her hands on her hips and said, “My Mummy is a good cooker!” Now whenever we come across someone who can really cook, like Matt, we say “Matt is a good cooker!”

LONDON

The 1st of January, or what was left of it when we woke up, was another relaxing day. It was Matt’s birthday, Happy Birthday Matt! We joined the family for Matt’s birthday dinner at an Indian restaurant called Yak and Yeti in Crystal Palace. The food was delicious! Another great night with everyone.

On the second we hit London again! How amazing to be starting our year here! We started with a train trip to Victoria and walked around all day from there. We aimed to get some matinee tickets to Billy Elliot, to see it with Chloe while she is on holidays but all the tickets available had a restricted view and we didn’t think it was worth the risk this time. Instead we thought we’d try the theater ticket booth at Leicester Square. On the way we walked past Buckingham Palace again, and couldn’t resist taking more photos, then up Haymarket and saw the original Burberrys sign and clock. I’ve wanted to see this for a while and though there is no store there anymore this is the sight of the first Burberrys. Fashion history!

Upon arriving at Leicester Square we noticed M&M World. I was quite excited, mainly because I thought they’d have free samples, but upon entering realized it’s really another money grabbing tourist attraction. Who needs M&M mugs, t-shirts, tea towels etc? No tickets at Leicester Square either, so off through Soho to Oxford Street we went. On the way we also walked along Shaftesbury Avenue, another Harry Potter moment. upon arriving at Oxford street we went straight for TopShop. I’ve seen a jacket in TopShop that I love but it was the wrong size and I haven’t seen one like it since so every time we pass a TopShop I go in to scan for it, no luck yet. We went into HMV, who are closing down on Oxford Street, and had a good look for movies to watch when feeling lazy in Vincent. Only bought one movie, Anna Karenina, the movie adaptation of the story Mikayla is currently reading.

After deciding we wouldn’t see Billy Elliot we organised to meet Chloe in the afternoon so she could take us to Choccywoccydoodah, a beautiful chocolaterie originally based in Brighton that has now branched out to London. Oh my gosh the place was amazing!! They do chocolate and cakes, but not just any cakes, amazing one of a kind, stunningly decorated, exceedingly yummy cakes! It’s one of Chloe’s favourite places from her time in Brighton during university and now in London. We entered the store and were in awe, so many pretty (and yummy) things to look at. We then queued for about 30 minutes to get up to the cafe area to taste some of the deliciousness on offer. It was well worth the wait! Chloe warned us that we would only need to order two dishes between the four of us and though we a bit skeptical we took her advice. So glad we did because we ate as much as we possibly could and still took the leftovers home. We had the chocolate cake (a huge slab of crumbly chocolate cake layered with scrumptious white chocolatey icing and a hard casing of white chocolate on the outside…with ice cream) and a chocolate fondue with chocolate covered popcorn, honeycomb, strawberries, pretzels, chocolate straws, chocolate brownie and shortbread cake. Did I mention how yummy it was? Well worth visiting when in London!

After this we did a little more shopping and went past Fortnum and Mason and their beautiful windows (sorry Harrods, you’ve been outdone) and Christie’s on our way back to the train station. Past Buckingham Palace again and then home again after a walk through Crystal Palace.

AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH CONTINUED

We have found some more differences between Australian English and British English. This time it’s foods. A few times I’ve had to ask questions about what certain things are on menus when dining out. Or when food shopping with family! So here is what we’ve learned so far, Australian term first then British term.

Eggplant = Aubergine

Chips = Crisps

Butternut Pumpkin = Butternut Squash

Zucchini = Courgette

Capsicum – Pepper

Our previous post on Australian and British word differences is below for those who missed it the first time around!

We have had some very funny moments during our time over here in England. Most of them to do with words that have very different meanings to us in Australia compared to the British. So, we’ve started compiling a list of all the new words we’ve learned so far and keep adding to it as we go as I’m sure we will come across a few more faux pas moments eventually!

So here goes words with both the Australian and British meanings:

Pants = trousers in Australia and undies in England*

Thongs = flip flops in Australia and G-strings in England**

Doona = doona in Australia and duvet in England***

Spunk = good looking man in Australia, England I think you can work it out!

Toot = bottom in Australia and stuff left lying around in England****

Joggers = runners/running shoes in Australia and running/exercise trousers in England*****

Vest = singlet in Australia and vest in England

*Many times we have said things to the tune of “My pants are falling down.” “I’ve worn the same pair of pants three times this week.” “I need more pants.” “May I wear your pants today?” etc. Substitute the word pants for undies and it become very funny for our English family and very weird for any strangers that happen to be passing by at the moment we say it! We also have a whole new appreciation for Miranda (Hart) and all her pant related humour!

**Again, mentioned a few times (despite the lack of thong wearing weather) quite the same reaction to pants!

***When compiling our list of things needed for Vincent we frequently discussed purchasing a doona. This went on for a while, as did some confused looks from the family, before someone finally asked “What’s a doona?”

****The other night Maggy said “right, before bed everyone needs to put their toot up stairs.”

*****Mikayla said “My joggers are a little wet but I’ll be able to wear them still”, Maggy and Graham thought she was going to wear wet trousers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The last few days have been jam packed! Some more family time and then back to London we went, on the 30th, ready for our new years eve celebrations. We booked to see Wicked and then decided we would watch the fireworks on The Thames afterwards.

The 31st came along and we spent the day resting ready for the late night ahead, and because we’d gone to bed at 2am the night before. Anyone who knows us will know this is a big feat for us as we are definitely early night people. We are usually in bed by 9:30-10pm and mum has an uncanny ability to fall asleep, wherever she is and if she lets herself, around 7:30pm! In fact on the 30th we watched “Elf” that mum slept the whole way through before waking up, totally alert and staying up until 2!

Our night started with dinner at Il Posto an Italian restaurant right next to the Apollo Victoria Theater where Wicked is. It was very busy and we were seated next to a mother and daughter who we got talking to. They were from Austin, Texas and gave us some great travel destination recommendations for American and Europe. After dinner we went to WICKED!!!

I have wanted to see Wicked since I was little. I’ve never known what the musical is about but ever since seeing the Wicked poster on a billboard in Perth I’ve wanted to see it so I was very excited. When booking our tickets to Wicked we were a little dubious about where we were sitting. We were told we needed to be tall, at least 173cm, and at 168cm and below, and we don’t fit the “tall” description. We were also under the impression that we were in the stalls right at the back as we wanted cheap tickets and had booked late. When we arrived we were directed to the circle and found we were on the first row of the second tier. Great seats, right in the center, that were only slightly restricted view. To see the whole stage we only had to lean forward slightly in our seats. Perfect!

The production was just phenomenal! The whole cast were amazing and Willemijn Verkaik and Savannah Stevenson were out of this world! Their voices and performances were absolutely fantastic. I loved the story too and how it all links in with The Wizard of Oz. Well worth going to see, I want to go again already!

We then walked to Lambeth Bridge to watch the fireworks on The Thames. From our spot on the bridge we could see the Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) and a side view of The London Eye. When the clock struck 12 the new year was started with a bang. Amazing fireworks! When they ended we started our journey home. We caught an overground train to Clapham Junction and by this time we were feeling a little peckish so decided to get some chickpea and spinach soup, hot chocolate and mashed potato (Mum, Mikayla and I respectively) from a place on the station. We then waited at our platform for about 45 minutes before being told there were no more overground trains running, great…

Our quick train ride home turned into a not so quick bus journey home. We had to find the bus stop we needed and then waited at least another 30 minutes at this stop for the correct bus to come along. We eventually got so fed up that we left to find a taxi rank. On the way we were stop by a very nice local lady who directed us to the taxi rank because we looked very lost. It was in the opposite direction to where we were headed. On the way back past the road to the bus stop we were waiting at I looked back and noticed our bus had finally come! We sprinted the 50m to the bus that thankfully let us on, we were on our way. Another bus change with some more running up and down between stops to get the correct bus with enough space for us, we were on the home stretch and eventually walked in the door at 3:15am. Another record!

I hope everyone’s new year celebrations were as fun and exciting as our were, whatever is it you got up to, and that your trip home went much smoother than ours.

Though it’s late HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We hope your 2014 is full of happiness and health!

AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH

We have had some very funny moments during our time over here in England. Most of them to do with words that have very different meanings to us in Australia compared to the British. So, we’ve started compiling a list of all the new words we’ve learned so far and keep adding to it as we go as I’m sure we will come across a few more faux pas moments eventually!

So here goes words with both the Australian and British meanings:

Pants = trousers in Australia and undies in England*

Thongs = flip flops in Australia and G-strings in England**

Doona = doona in Australia and duvet in England***

Spunk = good looking man in Australia, England I think you can work it out!

Toot = buttox in Australia and stuff in England****

Joggers = runners/running shoes in Australia and running/exercise trousers in England*****

*Many times we have said things to the tune of “My pants are falling down.” “I’ve worn the same pair of pants three times this week.” “I need more pants.” “May I wear your pants today?” etc. Substitute the word pants for undies and it become very funny for our English family and very weird for any strangers that happen to be passing by at the moment we say it! We also have a whole new appreciation for Miranda (Hart) and all her pant related humour!

**Again, mentioned a few times (despite the lack of thong wearing weather) quite the same reaction to pants!

***When compiling our list of things needed for Vincent we frequently discussed purchasing a doona. This went on for a while, as did some confused looks from the family, before someone finally asked “What’s a doona?”

****The other night Maggy said “right, before bed everyone needs to put their toot up stairs.”

*****Mikayla said “My joggers are a little wet but I’ll be able to wear them still”, Maggy and Graham thought she was going to wear wet trousers!

WALK

Yesterday we were lucky enough to be included in the annual Randall family walk. Graham’s side of the family all get together to walk, eventually ending at a pub for lunch and drinks. A wonderful idea that gets everyone together to celebrate. About 30 family members and friends came along and the morning was spent walking in Maldon, a very pretty town in Essex, at a leisurely pace. The sky was blue and and the sun was shining, we are still very lucky with the weather! We ended up at a pub called the Blue Boar Hotel that contained an eclectic mix of furniture, candelabras, and chandeliers. The food was great and the company was even better. To top it off we were all entertained by poems, songs, piano playing, readings and whistle blowing throughout the lunch as most performed for the group.

At the end of the day we went shopping again and picked up pretty much everything else we need to fit Vincent out with, including a duvet. We were also joined by Chloe’s boyfriend Rupert who was introduced to our favourite game, Banagrams! Another wonderful day with family. How are we going to leave them for Europe?!

Today we have made our plans for New Years Eve. We’re going to see Wicked!!!! I’m beyond excited as I’ve wanted to see this production since I first saw the signs up the first time it came to Perth when I was little. This will be followed by watching the fireworks on The Thames! Can’t wait!!!

LONDON TAKE TWO

Another few days in London with Matt and Kelly and a little more sightseeing. First thing was a second trip to the Natural History Museum. Mum is still in awe of this incredible place and says it is her favourite building so far. It was wonderful to see it in the day time with the sun shining bright on the outside and inside through the huge glass panels in the ceiling and the stained glass windows too.

Next was Royal Albert Hall up the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Steps. Didn’t do a tour but would love to get to show here at some point. Cirque Du Soleil is coming so you never know!

A walk from there through Kensington Gardens to Hyde Park took us to Winter Wonderland. All the while the sun was setting over The Serpentine, a beautiful pink sky. Winter Wonderland was fantastic, Christmas market stalls, rides (think Royal Show), bars and food. All lit up it was very pretty!

On the way home we almost struck disaster at the tube station. Walking up the stairs, going on our way suddenly mum was on her hands and knees up the steps. She had tripped with her hands in her jacket pockets and had whipped them out just fast enough to catch herself before face planting! Very lucky she has quick reflexes! Only damage done was a bruise on her elbow from hitting the hand rail when yanking her hands from the pockets, could have been much worse!

Next day we made a trip to Harrods. The windows were all dressed beautifully with Christmas scenes and the lights dazzled. Most of our time was spent in the china department of course! We also spent a considerable amount of time looking at furniture, the Disney shop, Pet World, Christmas World and going up and down the Egyptian Escalators. As well as popping down to the lower ground floor to visit the Lady Di Memorial. Unfortunately our travel budget didn’t include any purchases on this day but maybe on the way home! Mum’s got a Wedgewood dinner set in her sights that is just beautiful! And I anything by MacKenzie Childs!!

Home to Matt and Kelly’s where we spent a girly night in, while Matt was out working, chatting, watching The Holiday and eating pasta, uncooked cake mix and chocolate (not all together), yummo!