Well I am having a day of languishing in the van. The skies are decidedly grey and every now and then a big bucketload of rain comes down and soaks everything. Nick is off helping a fellow traveller in his campervan with some DIY, he's been gone for hours and has taken the soldering kit with him so who knows when he'll be back...
Last night there was the most terrific thunderstorm, our power went out and the rain was torrential. You really feel the elements when you're in a campervan, the lightning was so vivid and the thunder was so loud, we were snuggled up all nice and warm and it was really very exciting. Today all our tables and chairs and our awning are soaked through and covered with leaves. The air is still very damp.
We have been here for a few days now, staying at a site called 'Happy Camping', which is apparentely named after a porn film, so I was told yesterday. We are on the north ringroad outside the city, and can get into the centre on a train for one euro which is a bargain. Yesterday we went to the Vatican Museum and got very achy legs - it is massive. We saw the Sistene chapel of course, the second time for me but the first for Nick... and all of the collections from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. We both found that stuff a lot more exciting than all of the religious imagery. There is some interesting modern stuff there as well though, Dali and Francis Bacon. We were so tired and hungry when we finished as we hadn't taken a packed lunch that we decided to go for some wine and a pizza. Bit naughty when on a tight budget but there you go.
We came to Rome from Umbria and Lake Trasimeno, which is the most beautiful Lake we have found on our travels. It even beat Garda. Out site was two metres from the waters edge and it was incredibly peaceful. Just below our camper there was a nest of 'Nutria' in the rocks, they are Italian otter type creatures and are very cute, with fat bodies and round heads. We watched them come out every evening and swim off for fishies. We did a lot of cycling and walking around the lake and into the surrounding hills. It was just lovely. We also saw little bats, owls, herons and egrets plus all sorts of gulls, it was a twitchers paradise! We had good weather there, sunbathing weather even which was glorious. We've travelled further south and it's got worse! But apparentely its snowing in the UK so I really can't complain. It's still Tshirt weather, you don't need a jumper until the evening. We also met some great fellow travellers from the UK - John & Rosie from Cornwall who are beef farmers and Sean and Iona who are also longterm travellers like us.
We were thinking of going to Croatia after Italy but after some research we have discovered that there are hardly any campsites open after October, so we will probably head up Italy again and into France. Paris before Christmas would be nice, then back to the UK from Christmas and January.
So its a day off today then we are going into Rome again tomorrow. We still have so much to see in the city: the Colosseum, the Old Jewish Quarter, The Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish steps, Villa Borghese..... I think we will stay in this campsite for about another week.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Bogulicious
Buongiorno again, I am still in Italy, woo!
At the moment I am languishing in luxury sat in the camper as we now have internet in our van! This is such an incredible luxury, I really really appreciate having it. We had to pay for it of course, and we only have it for one month so I am making the most it.
So, to carry on with the travels… we left Deiva Marina on the north coast of Italy and drove east to another coastal town called Viareggio. At this stage the coast had just started turning south into the boot part of Italy, so you can imagine where we were. We chose Viareggio because it is close to both Pisa and Lucca; both cities are only a short bus ride away, so we stayed there for about a week. As well as being by the seaside our campsite was on the doorstep of a beautiful cycle path through nature woods, which apparentely contained such exotic delights as wild boars, snakes and tortoises. I was very disappointed not to see any.
Pisa's grand Piazza is indeed worth visiting. The tower is darn expensive for what it is but you have to go up it, it's the law. You also have to take goofy photos of yourself 'propping up' the tower or you are seized by the local authorities and thrown off the top.
Lucca is a very beautiful, small Mediaeval city with many stunning old Churches. As a city it is more impressive than Pisa. You see so many Churches though, you get a bit numb by the end of it. It also is surrounded by an impressive set of walls that you really wouldn't want to fall off of.
After that week we drove inland, into central Tuscany and Florence. We found a camperstop right in the centre of the city which was cheap, fairly quiet and ideal for visiting the sights. And visit the sights we certainly did. We walked and walked around the endless beautiful streets and payed a visit to the Uffizi Gallery which was wonderful. They have works of art there like Botticelli's Venus rising out of the sea on her floating shell, as well as Michaelangelo, Leonardo Da Vince and Giotto. They also have lots of old Roman sculptures which are awesome.
We walked up hundreds of steps to the top of the Duomo to take in the panoramic view of the city with the Tuscan hills all around in the distance. We also visited the Santa Croce Church, the Ponte Vecchio bridge and many street markets. While we were there I bought a funky red leather jacket that is the only item of clothing I’ve bought since travelling! How unlike me is that. The last thing I bought was in Southampton before I left. That’s the start of August folks, I really am a changed woman.
We had one disaster in Florence though, well two infact now I think. The first was that my bankcard had to be stopped because some utter idiot in an internet shop discovered my pin number by his complete ineptitude as operating a chip and pin machine. When asking me to put in my pin number he hadn’t put the price in first so my pin number appeared as the price and he got to see it. I didn’t trust him at all and phoned my bank who told me to cancel it immediately. Yah boo sucks to him and now I have no card.
The second thing was that our fridge well and truly broke. It is a small fridge, but apparentely camper fridges are very special and therefore expensive because they run off gas, 12v and 240v electricity. So we managed to find an Electrolux repair man just outside of the city and thank God he had the part and managed to fix it within a few hours while we sat around chatting, smoking fags and sipping espresso, but the circuit board bit that broke was €330, RRRaaahhhhhhhhh! The pain was immense but we literally had no choice but to grin and bear it. We do need a fridge. Brand new the thing costs well over a grand which is just staggering.
Currently we are one stop on from Florence (with, touch wood, a working fridge). We are about 80km south of the city, still in Tuscany and just outside of a town called Arezzo. We are 7km away from the town in a very rural village called Ruscello which has many olive groves, vinyards and old, dusty looking Italian men sitting around smoking outside bars. It is so pretty I feel as if I am in the film ‘Stealing Beauty’. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Jeremy Irons suddenly popped up and started spouting poetry at me. I feel so relaxed here I could melt into the sofa.
We cycled into Arezzo yesterday and discovered, to my delight, that it is where they filmed a large portion of the film ‘Life is Beautiful’ which is officially one of my favourite films of all time. The first half, if you have seen it, before it is set in a concentration camp! Arezzo has an old centre with a Cathedral and big open squares and Churches. We went in on a Friday and there was also a large market selling food from all over the place. We bought some Dutch cheese that is like a really strong mature cheddar, mmmm. They had stalls from all over Europe but the British one only sold pottery, for some bizarre and upsetting reason. If they had sold marmite I think I would have ransacked the joint and bought the lot. Marmite, and nice sliced bread, are two things European in general really don’t do. I love their bread, but it is so fresh if you don’t buy it everyday it goes off, and if you buy it daily you have to wolf it all in one day and you end up bloated on bread which really won’t do… Bring on the English bread that’s stuffed full of preservatives, that’s what I say!
Well we are leaving this lovely campsite tomorrow and heading south to Lake Trasimeno for a few days before carrying on towards Rome. A lot of campsites are closed now for the winter so we have to rifle through our guide to find open ones. There are loads around Rome though so that shouldn’t be a problem.
We are having a lazy day today, and are about to go another round of scrabble. Oooh you can’t beat it! Seriously, it is highly enjoyable, and I know we are a couple of old farts but it’s the little things we enjoy these days! I bought a pack of cards yesterday as well and can’t wait for a good old round of rummie. You may laugh, and probably will, but I will grin and bear it.
At the moment I am languishing in luxury sat in the camper as we now have internet in our van! This is such an incredible luxury, I really really appreciate having it. We had to pay for it of course, and we only have it for one month so I am making the most it.
So, to carry on with the travels… we left Deiva Marina on the north coast of Italy and drove east to another coastal town called Viareggio. At this stage the coast had just started turning south into the boot part of Italy, so you can imagine where we were. We chose Viareggio because it is close to both Pisa and Lucca; both cities are only a short bus ride away, so we stayed there for about a week. As well as being by the seaside our campsite was on the doorstep of a beautiful cycle path through nature woods, which apparentely contained such exotic delights as wild boars, snakes and tortoises. I was very disappointed not to see any.
Pisa's grand Piazza is indeed worth visiting. The tower is darn expensive for what it is but you have to go up it, it's the law. You also have to take goofy photos of yourself 'propping up' the tower or you are seized by the local authorities and thrown off the top.
Lucca is a very beautiful, small Mediaeval city with many stunning old Churches. As a city it is more impressive than Pisa. You see so many Churches though, you get a bit numb by the end of it. It also is surrounded by an impressive set of walls that you really wouldn't want to fall off of.
After that week we drove inland, into central Tuscany and Florence. We found a camperstop right in the centre of the city which was cheap, fairly quiet and ideal for visiting the sights. And visit the sights we certainly did. We walked and walked around the endless beautiful streets and payed a visit to the Uffizi Gallery which was wonderful. They have works of art there like Botticelli's Venus rising out of the sea on her floating shell, as well as Michaelangelo, Leonardo Da Vince and Giotto. They also have lots of old Roman sculptures which are awesome.
We walked up hundreds of steps to the top of the Duomo to take in the panoramic view of the city with the Tuscan hills all around in the distance. We also visited the Santa Croce Church, the Ponte Vecchio bridge and many street markets. While we were there I bought a funky red leather jacket that is the only item of clothing I’ve bought since travelling! How unlike me is that. The last thing I bought was in Southampton before I left. That’s the start of August folks, I really am a changed woman.
We had one disaster in Florence though, well two infact now I think. The first was that my bankcard had to be stopped because some utter idiot in an internet shop discovered my pin number by his complete ineptitude as operating a chip and pin machine. When asking me to put in my pin number he hadn’t put the price in first so my pin number appeared as the price and he got to see it. I didn’t trust him at all and phoned my bank who told me to cancel it immediately. Yah boo sucks to him and now I have no card.
The second thing was that our fridge well and truly broke. It is a small fridge, but apparentely camper fridges are very special and therefore expensive because they run off gas, 12v and 240v electricity. So we managed to find an Electrolux repair man just outside of the city and thank God he had the part and managed to fix it within a few hours while we sat around chatting, smoking fags and sipping espresso, but the circuit board bit that broke was €330, RRRaaahhhhhhhhh! The pain was immense but we literally had no choice but to grin and bear it. We do need a fridge. Brand new the thing costs well over a grand which is just staggering.
Currently we are one stop on from Florence (with, touch wood, a working fridge). We are about 80km south of the city, still in Tuscany and just outside of a town called Arezzo. We are 7km away from the town in a very rural village called Ruscello which has many olive groves, vinyards and old, dusty looking Italian men sitting around smoking outside bars. It is so pretty I feel as if I am in the film ‘Stealing Beauty’. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Jeremy Irons suddenly popped up and started spouting poetry at me. I feel so relaxed here I could melt into the sofa.
We cycled into Arezzo yesterday and discovered, to my delight, that it is where they filmed a large portion of the film ‘Life is Beautiful’ which is officially one of my favourite films of all time. The first half, if you have seen it, before it is set in a concentration camp! Arezzo has an old centre with a Cathedral and big open squares and Churches. We went in on a Friday and there was also a large market selling food from all over the place. We bought some Dutch cheese that is like a really strong mature cheddar, mmmm. They had stalls from all over Europe but the British one only sold pottery, for some bizarre and upsetting reason. If they had sold marmite I think I would have ransacked the joint and bought the lot. Marmite, and nice sliced bread, are two things European in general really don’t do. I love their bread, but it is so fresh if you don’t buy it everyday it goes off, and if you buy it daily you have to wolf it all in one day and you end up bloated on bread which really won’t do… Bring on the English bread that’s stuffed full of preservatives, that’s what I say!
Well we are leaving this lovely campsite tomorrow and heading south to Lake Trasimeno for a few days before carrying on towards Rome. A lot of campsites are closed now for the winter so we have to rifle through our guide to find open ones. There are loads around Rome though so that shouldn’t be a problem.
We are having a lazy day today, and are about to go another round of scrabble. Oooh you can’t beat it! Seriously, it is highly enjoyable, and I know we are a couple of old farts but it’s the little things we enjoy these days! I bought a pack of cards yesterday as well and can’t wait for a good old round of rummie. You may laugh, and probably will, but I will grin and bear it.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
OUR TRAVEL VIDEO DIARY!
www.youtube.com/nickwaite
The above link is to Nick's youtube channel which contains all of our travel videos. I warn you - the cheese level is pure, ripe gorgonzola. You have been warned! Anyway, hope you enjoy them.
The above link is to Nick's youtube channel which contains all of our travel videos. I warn you - the cheese level is pure, ripe gorgonzola. You have been warned! Anyway, hope you enjoy them.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Bloguna Matata
Bonjour mes petites blogettes, and firstly I must make grandiose apologies for neglecting you for so very, very long. I won’t dilly dally with excuses, lets just say that there has been a distinct lack of internet around, and the little that there has been has been devoted to quickly checking my email, updating facebook and other humdrum tasks that had to be done under the watchful countdown of the internet café clock.
Last I wrote, we were just about to leave Holland. Well, we ended up staying another month!
Only kidding.
We did eventually prise ourselves from the delights of the Netherlands, to begin our long voyage southeast to Hungary. So, on the 22nd August we left the Hague and drove across the border into Germany, to stop off along the Rhine river in Dusseldorf. We found a camperstop on the river a couple of hundred yards from the bustling centre which was very handy, and we ventured in for a couple of extremely tasty beers that night. The next morning we were off, heading south and following the river through the Rhine valley which is exceptionally pretty and dotted sporadically with ruined castles and various photo opportunities. That night we free camped in a town called Mainz and met a nice German guy who checked out brakes for us (a warning light had been coming on and off), luckily they were fine, just a bit overheated from all the hills and valleys.
We carried on the next day, stopping in a typically Bavarian village called Gerolzhofen. Germany has thousands of camperstops, which are either free or really cheap where you can rock up for one or two nights. It is so campervan friendly, it really was a pleasure travelling through. So, onwards to the next day, which is the 25th August and we found another little town – Straubing and another camperstop. We met an interesting English couple called Nick & Lynn and ended up drinking with them for about 7 hours.
The following day we finally crossed our next border into Austria, home of Arnie and the Sound of Music style scenery – great! We actually just stayed in a service station that night which afforded a surprisingly good nights sleep… somehow the sound of lorries rumbling past is quite soothing. The next day, 27th August, we pegged it right on through Austria and all of its mountainous gloriousness into Hungary. As it had been a long drive we stopped just over the border, once we had gone through the rigmarol of getting a motorway vignette (they are toll roads and you have to provide your vehicle registrations documents and all sorts before they let you buy this pass).
We found a thermal spa hotel in a town called, wait for it…. Mosonmagyarovar… (there are accents above the vowels but I’m not sure where the buttons are to put those on)…which was OH SO GOOD. When we first arrived we didn’t know what the fuss was all about with these thermal spa things but let me tell you, they are simply glorious. You have all these various swimming pools, fuelled by underground mineral waters of various temperatures and mineral properties which are said to be healing. We just couldn’t get enough of them and spent so long rolling around like a pair of beached dolphins that we had extremely wrinkly fingers and toes by the end of it. They are also real centres of the local communites, where everyone hangs out and plays cards around the pools and gossips. After one afternoon, night and following morning of soaky warm wonderment we ended our epic journey and arrived in Budapest.
Now the reason we wanted to arrive in Budapest on this particular day (28th August) was that my Dad and his long term partner Maggie were also going to be there, as Maggie’s eldest daughter Kirsty and her husband Andy actually live in Buda and they were taking a holiday to visit them. Andy works for an airline out there and Kirsty teaches English, although she is really a dietician. For weird reasons, she’s not allowed to practise there.
We stayed in Budapest for 5 nights, and in that time did some really lovely touristy but nice things. We visited the city’s most famous and beautiful old spa and spent the entire day there (I should mention that is was blazing hot sunshine the entire time we were there – around 30 degrees I should think), all getting lots of relaxation and sunburn marks. Another day we drove out to Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in central Europe, which is decidedly green in colour and very refreshing to take a dip in with pretty villages around it’s edge. – The one we went to, Balatonfured, actually had a wine festival going on the day we were there.
We ate out in a fantastically posh riverboat restaurant called ‘Spoon’ which served fruit and champagne cocktails out on the deck and gourmet food all at reasonable Hungarian prices. Later that night Kirsty & Andy took us out for Zombie cocktails at a couple of pretty swish bars. We got decidedly drunk and were convinced we saw Sven Goran Erikson but in retrospect I think it was just some old poor bald guy who happened to look a bit like him. I wouldn’t say that Budapest is mega cheap these days, but it certainly is more so than London or Guernsey.
On the Sunday that we were there we went out to this fabulous old colonial style hotel, the Corinthia, which does this famous Sunday buffet. You stay there for 4+ hours, with all the drinks included in one price, and that includes champagne my dears! The food is overflowing and tempting, from sushi to thai curry to your typical Sunday roast. I overdosed on shellfish and the dessert buffet, which was extensive to say the least, Luckily I had a loose, babydoll style dress that hid many sins. There was even a string quartet, which for some reason serenaded me whenever I walked past! Those crazy Hungarians. Kirsty & Andy live near the citadel, just by the river on the nicer side of the city. They have a really roomy apartment there and we parked our van, Margo, just across the road from it.
On the 2nd September we finally said goodbye to our friends and family in Budapest and drove back the way we had come in, towards Austria. We went back to the original thermal spa place we had found on the way in and ended up staying for two nights for some relaxation. Unfortunately the site was mosquito-tastic and I was munched to pieces the entire time we were there. All the same, it was very nice.
We left Hungary on 4th Sep and entered Austria, where we made a beeline straight for Vienna. We found another cheapo camperstop on a vinery just on the edge of the city from where we could take a train into the centre. At this camperstop we met a terrific old Dutch couple, Don & Willma. Don played both the accordian and the harmonica while Willma sung. He serenaded us with Edith Piaf songs into the evenings. It was great. So we visited Vienna with them on the train and then went our separate ways. We walked for miles around the centre, taking in all the beautiful, impressive architecture and incredible riches the city has to offer. Vienna really doesn’t disappoint, and although we spent just the one day there, I can imagine getting really submerged in it all and wanting to spend longer.
We drove south from Vienna past Graz to stop at a village called Griffen. It is dominated by an old castle which is on this hill with almost sheer vertical sides that looms over the village. It really is epic and like something I would read in one of the fantasy novels I love so much. Well, that day it was really warm again and so we left the motorway to find some shade in amongst the trees in the surrounding hills. As we were parked up under a big tree in a country lane a car pulled up and this Austrian man got out and came over. Turns out he was curious about our strange Guernsey number plate (nb – we have been getting this a LOT). Anyway, we got chatting, and he invited to stay at his place that night. He had a large, empty, chalet style house nestled halfway up a hill and he let us park on the drive. He left us to it and we had a wonderful evening running around the garden and scrumping apples and plums. It was really very pretty, and we weren’t too concerned that he might rape and murder us both because he actually knew about Guernsey and Jersey and was thrilled that we came from there.
From Griffen in southern Austrian we blitzed the drive through to Venice in Italy! When we crossed the border into Italy I was so excited, because I absolutely adore Italy. We arrived on the afternoon of 7th September, and accidentally drove across the bridge into Venice, which is a bit of a no-no. Well, we realised our foolishness (it is horrendously expensive to actually drive into Venice! Very limited space, and all that), and found instead a great big camperstop just across the water from where we could take a water taxi in the city. It was only 4 euros a night, bargain.
So we duly taxied into the city. Oh the city! What can I say? It certainly lives up to whatever romantic, lofty aspirations you may have. I could go on for hours, but that would be so dull so I shall surmise with telling you that we spent one glorious day there, and in that day we visited St Marks Square, the Rialto bridge, many various Churches and we ate pizzas. We walked for miles all around the city, across the grand canal and over many small bridges, each and every one being just like something out of a movie. We drank very expensive coffee but it was all worth it.
On the 9th September we left our camperstop and headed westish, past Verona and to the shores of Lake Garda. We stopped at a picturesque town called Peschiera del Garda and splurged out on a proper campsite. We stayed there until 12th and had many swims in the lake. The town was really pretty with a Medieval fortress right in the centre. They also threw a jazz festival while we were there, they must have known we were coming!
We tore ourselves away from our lovely ‘Camping Butterfly’(!) on the shores of the lake and drove southwest to the Mediterranean sea! We stayed the night of 12th at a seaside town called ‘Finale Ligure’ which was cool, our camperstop was literally on the beach, with waves splashing over the rocks as we slept. It was very hot though, and without mains power we couldn’t have any fans or aircon so we sweated pounds off in our sleep.
The next day we carried on along the coast, past Monaco and on to Antibes. We found a good campsite about 100 yards from the beach in Biot, a town about 30 minutes walk from the centre of Antibes. It was quite a touristy place, with various funny French themeparks close to the site. We settled in for a couple of very relaxed days, and then on 15th September Nick’s parents Tony & Den arrived on the train from Nice to see us. They had arrived in Nice a couple of days earlier for a fortnights holiday.
We spent the next week with Tony & Den, firstly going back with them to their friends apartment in Nice where they were staying and leaving our campervan on its own on the site in Biot. We went from Nice on the bus to Beaulieu Sur Mer and Monte Carlo, swam in the sea and marvelled at all the rich posers and their beautiful small city. We went on the train to Cannes and from their inland on to Grasse, which is famous for its Fragonard perfume. It is perched on a hilltop and you have to walk up many steps to get to the town centre from the train station. The apartment in Nice is right by the beautiful port and we went out for many lovely walks and meals around the city.
On Friday 19th September we picked up our van and with Tony & Den sat in the back we drove east across the Italian border to a town called Ventimiglia. They have a famous market there every Friday and I bought a kilo of sundried tomatoes and a massive jar of local pesto which has been keeping us going! We stayed in Ventimiglia for lunch then set off in the afternoon to stop over for one night in Ceriale, a small town along the coast. The morning after that we headed further along the coast, past Genova to Chiavari, a pretty, historic seaside town not far from the Portofino headland. We all wanted to visit Portofino but as there are no campsites close to it we opted for this town which gave easy access to it.
So on the morning of 21st Sep we took a train to Santa Margherita Ligure and from there a ferry on to Portofino. Portofino is regarded as a very beautiful, exclusive resort and is famous for its pretty harbourside with different coloured houses all along. It is where Wayne Rooney married Colleen, and we went to the Church and Castle where he had one of his three wedding receptions, apparentely. Not that I’m into all that I promise you! It is a very lovely Church though, perched right above the port with wonderful views out to sea and along the coast.
We said goodbye to Tony & Den the next day as they went back to their apartment in Nice on the train, and we stayed on in Chiavari. On 23rd we drove to Deiva Marina, another Italian seaside town and this is where I am now. We have found a very cheap proper campsite that again is on the beach, and we are just relaxing and chilling in the sea and editing our travel videos. We have bought flippers and have been snorkelling. We also have a double rubber ring which is hilarious although we do look like a right pair or twats in it, I have to admit.
I could go on and on in more detail, about the food we have been eating and the various little quirks and experiences that living in a campervan provides. Food highlights include a wonderful lobster linguini in Chiavari and stuffed moules in Beaulieu Sur Mer. Really, this is what Italy is all about, and the pizzas also have been much, much better than back home, as a rule! Of course, there have been problems with the van, but luckily so far we have been able to manage them. Nick replaced the water pump early on when we were in Holland and only yesterday we had to take apart the air conditioning unit and unbolt the front drivers seat to get to the electrics beneath it as we thought we had a short somewhere in the system. Turns out its just the bad electrics here at the campsite, we think.
If all goes well we will leave Deiva Marina in a couple of days time and head on down Italy first to Pisa, then we have to decide whether to go inland to Tuscany and Florence, or head straight down to Rome and come back via Tuscany. There are so many places in Tuscany that I want to visit… Siena, Cortona and many others and Florence is a really big must. My Italian is still pretty ropey and I want to improve it as I go.
So until the next time, I must say Arriverderci and Ciao for now, and please check out Nick’s facebook photos which include all our recent travels. The videos are also on Youtube, we have so far edited the UK/USA part of our travels and have just started on the Euro leg.
Last I wrote, we were just about to leave Holland. Well, we ended up staying another month!
Only kidding.
We did eventually prise ourselves from the delights of the Netherlands, to begin our long voyage southeast to Hungary. So, on the 22nd August we left the Hague and drove across the border into Germany, to stop off along the Rhine river in Dusseldorf. We found a camperstop on the river a couple of hundred yards from the bustling centre which was very handy, and we ventured in for a couple of extremely tasty beers that night. The next morning we were off, heading south and following the river through the Rhine valley which is exceptionally pretty and dotted sporadically with ruined castles and various photo opportunities. That night we free camped in a town called Mainz and met a nice German guy who checked out brakes for us (a warning light had been coming on and off), luckily they were fine, just a bit overheated from all the hills and valleys.
We carried on the next day, stopping in a typically Bavarian village called Gerolzhofen. Germany has thousands of camperstops, which are either free or really cheap where you can rock up for one or two nights. It is so campervan friendly, it really was a pleasure travelling through. So, onwards to the next day, which is the 25th August and we found another little town – Straubing and another camperstop. We met an interesting English couple called Nick & Lynn and ended up drinking with them for about 7 hours.
The following day we finally crossed our next border into Austria, home of Arnie and the Sound of Music style scenery – great! We actually just stayed in a service station that night which afforded a surprisingly good nights sleep… somehow the sound of lorries rumbling past is quite soothing. The next day, 27th August, we pegged it right on through Austria and all of its mountainous gloriousness into Hungary. As it had been a long drive we stopped just over the border, once we had gone through the rigmarol of getting a motorway vignette (they are toll roads and you have to provide your vehicle registrations documents and all sorts before they let you buy this pass).
We found a thermal spa hotel in a town called, wait for it…. Mosonmagyarovar… (there are accents above the vowels but I’m not sure where the buttons are to put those on)…which was OH SO GOOD. When we first arrived we didn’t know what the fuss was all about with these thermal spa things but let me tell you, they are simply glorious. You have all these various swimming pools, fuelled by underground mineral waters of various temperatures and mineral properties which are said to be healing. We just couldn’t get enough of them and spent so long rolling around like a pair of beached dolphins that we had extremely wrinkly fingers and toes by the end of it. They are also real centres of the local communites, where everyone hangs out and plays cards around the pools and gossips. After one afternoon, night and following morning of soaky warm wonderment we ended our epic journey and arrived in Budapest.
Now the reason we wanted to arrive in Budapest on this particular day (28th August) was that my Dad and his long term partner Maggie were also going to be there, as Maggie’s eldest daughter Kirsty and her husband Andy actually live in Buda and they were taking a holiday to visit them. Andy works for an airline out there and Kirsty teaches English, although she is really a dietician. For weird reasons, she’s not allowed to practise there.
We stayed in Budapest for 5 nights, and in that time did some really lovely touristy but nice things. We visited the city’s most famous and beautiful old spa and spent the entire day there (I should mention that is was blazing hot sunshine the entire time we were there – around 30 degrees I should think), all getting lots of relaxation and sunburn marks. Another day we drove out to Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in central Europe, which is decidedly green in colour and very refreshing to take a dip in with pretty villages around it’s edge. – The one we went to, Balatonfured, actually had a wine festival going on the day we were there.
We ate out in a fantastically posh riverboat restaurant called ‘Spoon’ which served fruit and champagne cocktails out on the deck and gourmet food all at reasonable Hungarian prices. Later that night Kirsty & Andy took us out for Zombie cocktails at a couple of pretty swish bars. We got decidedly drunk and were convinced we saw Sven Goran Erikson but in retrospect I think it was just some old poor bald guy who happened to look a bit like him. I wouldn’t say that Budapest is mega cheap these days, but it certainly is more so than London or Guernsey.
On the Sunday that we were there we went out to this fabulous old colonial style hotel, the Corinthia, which does this famous Sunday buffet. You stay there for 4+ hours, with all the drinks included in one price, and that includes champagne my dears! The food is overflowing and tempting, from sushi to thai curry to your typical Sunday roast. I overdosed on shellfish and the dessert buffet, which was extensive to say the least, Luckily I had a loose, babydoll style dress that hid many sins. There was even a string quartet, which for some reason serenaded me whenever I walked past! Those crazy Hungarians. Kirsty & Andy live near the citadel, just by the river on the nicer side of the city. They have a really roomy apartment there and we parked our van, Margo, just across the road from it.
On the 2nd September we finally said goodbye to our friends and family in Budapest and drove back the way we had come in, towards Austria. We went back to the original thermal spa place we had found on the way in and ended up staying for two nights for some relaxation. Unfortunately the site was mosquito-tastic and I was munched to pieces the entire time we were there. All the same, it was very nice.
We left Hungary on 4th Sep and entered Austria, where we made a beeline straight for Vienna. We found another cheapo camperstop on a vinery just on the edge of the city from where we could take a train into the centre. At this camperstop we met a terrific old Dutch couple, Don & Willma. Don played both the accordian and the harmonica while Willma sung. He serenaded us with Edith Piaf songs into the evenings. It was great. So we visited Vienna with them on the train and then went our separate ways. We walked for miles around the centre, taking in all the beautiful, impressive architecture and incredible riches the city has to offer. Vienna really doesn’t disappoint, and although we spent just the one day there, I can imagine getting really submerged in it all and wanting to spend longer.
We drove south from Vienna past Graz to stop at a village called Griffen. It is dominated by an old castle which is on this hill with almost sheer vertical sides that looms over the village. It really is epic and like something I would read in one of the fantasy novels I love so much. Well, that day it was really warm again and so we left the motorway to find some shade in amongst the trees in the surrounding hills. As we were parked up under a big tree in a country lane a car pulled up and this Austrian man got out and came over. Turns out he was curious about our strange Guernsey number plate (nb – we have been getting this a LOT). Anyway, we got chatting, and he invited to stay at his place that night. He had a large, empty, chalet style house nestled halfway up a hill and he let us park on the drive. He left us to it and we had a wonderful evening running around the garden and scrumping apples and plums. It was really very pretty, and we weren’t too concerned that he might rape and murder us both because he actually knew about Guernsey and Jersey and was thrilled that we came from there.
From Griffen in southern Austrian we blitzed the drive through to Venice in Italy! When we crossed the border into Italy I was so excited, because I absolutely adore Italy. We arrived on the afternoon of 7th September, and accidentally drove across the bridge into Venice, which is a bit of a no-no. Well, we realised our foolishness (it is horrendously expensive to actually drive into Venice! Very limited space, and all that), and found instead a great big camperstop just across the water from where we could take a water taxi in the city. It was only 4 euros a night, bargain.
So we duly taxied into the city. Oh the city! What can I say? It certainly lives up to whatever romantic, lofty aspirations you may have. I could go on for hours, but that would be so dull so I shall surmise with telling you that we spent one glorious day there, and in that day we visited St Marks Square, the Rialto bridge, many various Churches and we ate pizzas. We walked for miles all around the city, across the grand canal and over many small bridges, each and every one being just like something out of a movie. We drank very expensive coffee but it was all worth it.
On the 9th September we left our camperstop and headed westish, past Verona and to the shores of Lake Garda. We stopped at a picturesque town called Peschiera del Garda and splurged out on a proper campsite. We stayed there until 12th and had many swims in the lake. The town was really pretty with a Medieval fortress right in the centre. They also threw a jazz festival while we were there, they must have known we were coming!
We tore ourselves away from our lovely ‘Camping Butterfly’(!) on the shores of the lake and drove southwest to the Mediterranean sea! We stayed the night of 12th at a seaside town called ‘Finale Ligure’ which was cool, our camperstop was literally on the beach, with waves splashing over the rocks as we slept. It was very hot though, and without mains power we couldn’t have any fans or aircon so we sweated pounds off in our sleep.
The next day we carried on along the coast, past Monaco and on to Antibes. We found a good campsite about 100 yards from the beach in Biot, a town about 30 minutes walk from the centre of Antibes. It was quite a touristy place, with various funny French themeparks close to the site. We settled in for a couple of very relaxed days, and then on 15th September Nick’s parents Tony & Den arrived on the train from Nice to see us. They had arrived in Nice a couple of days earlier for a fortnights holiday.
We spent the next week with Tony & Den, firstly going back with them to their friends apartment in Nice where they were staying and leaving our campervan on its own on the site in Biot. We went from Nice on the bus to Beaulieu Sur Mer and Monte Carlo, swam in the sea and marvelled at all the rich posers and their beautiful small city. We went on the train to Cannes and from their inland on to Grasse, which is famous for its Fragonard perfume. It is perched on a hilltop and you have to walk up many steps to get to the town centre from the train station. The apartment in Nice is right by the beautiful port and we went out for many lovely walks and meals around the city.
On Friday 19th September we picked up our van and with Tony & Den sat in the back we drove east across the Italian border to a town called Ventimiglia. They have a famous market there every Friday and I bought a kilo of sundried tomatoes and a massive jar of local pesto which has been keeping us going! We stayed in Ventimiglia for lunch then set off in the afternoon to stop over for one night in Ceriale, a small town along the coast. The morning after that we headed further along the coast, past Genova to Chiavari, a pretty, historic seaside town not far from the Portofino headland. We all wanted to visit Portofino but as there are no campsites close to it we opted for this town which gave easy access to it.
So on the morning of 21st Sep we took a train to Santa Margherita Ligure and from there a ferry on to Portofino. Portofino is regarded as a very beautiful, exclusive resort and is famous for its pretty harbourside with different coloured houses all along. It is where Wayne Rooney married Colleen, and we went to the Church and Castle where he had one of his three wedding receptions, apparentely. Not that I’m into all that I promise you! It is a very lovely Church though, perched right above the port with wonderful views out to sea and along the coast.
We said goodbye to Tony & Den the next day as they went back to their apartment in Nice on the train, and we stayed on in Chiavari. On 23rd we drove to Deiva Marina, another Italian seaside town and this is where I am now. We have found a very cheap proper campsite that again is on the beach, and we are just relaxing and chilling in the sea and editing our travel videos. We have bought flippers and have been snorkelling. We also have a double rubber ring which is hilarious although we do look like a right pair or twats in it, I have to admit.
I could go on and on in more detail, about the food we have been eating and the various little quirks and experiences that living in a campervan provides. Food highlights include a wonderful lobster linguini in Chiavari and stuffed moules in Beaulieu Sur Mer. Really, this is what Italy is all about, and the pizzas also have been much, much better than back home, as a rule! Of course, there have been problems with the van, but luckily so far we have been able to manage them. Nick replaced the water pump early on when we were in Holland and only yesterday we had to take apart the air conditioning unit and unbolt the front drivers seat to get to the electrics beneath it as we thought we had a short somewhere in the system. Turns out its just the bad electrics here at the campsite, we think.
If all goes well we will leave Deiva Marina in a couple of days time and head on down Italy first to Pisa, then we have to decide whether to go inland to Tuscany and Florence, or head straight down to Rome and come back via Tuscany. There are so many places in Tuscany that I want to visit… Siena, Cortona and many others and Florence is a really big must. My Italian is still pretty ropey and I want to improve it as I go.
So until the next time, I must say Arriverderci and Ciao for now, and please check out Nick’s facebook photos which include all our recent travels. The videos are also on Youtube, we have so far edited the UK/USA part of our travels and have just started on the Euro leg.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Ode to Holland
Oh Holland I will miss you
And your siropwaffles too
With your lovely canals
I don't think I'm anal
If I want to come back for a few!
We have been here for ages. But are finally departing today... on a week long road trip to Budapest, Hungary. In the last week we went to Leiden and stayed on a beautiful lake complete with a nudist area and went rowing and cycling to our hearts delight. We also spent 5 nights in Amsterdam, again on a lake called Gaasperplas which is just southeast of the city. We met up with Alex & Jess who visited the city for a couple of days. We visited some coffeeshops and also walked for miles around the city and stayed in an absolutely huge campsite that felt like a festival ground, there were just hundreds of students and travellers dotted around in tents.
Leiden is a highly beautiful city full of old 15th and 16th century buildings and obviously canals and windmills too. Rembrandt went to school there and we saw the building. Talking of art we also went to the Mauristhaus Museum in the Hague to see Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring and lots of other amazing old paintings. I would go to Leiden again in an instant, it is very peaceful and friendly with winding little cobbled streets to cycle down.
We are back in the Hague for one night, which was last night, and so later this morning we are going to hit the road and head to Germany. We need to find somewhere cheap, we went a bit over budget in Amsterdam going eating nice Wok to Walk food and so on. I am certainly going to miss all of the Dutch bakery treats, but it will probably do me good to have a break from syrupy sugary goodness for a while.
And your siropwaffles too
With your lovely canals
I don't think I'm anal
If I want to come back for a few!
We have been here for ages. But are finally departing today... on a week long road trip to Budapest, Hungary. In the last week we went to Leiden and stayed on a beautiful lake complete with a nudist area and went rowing and cycling to our hearts delight. We also spent 5 nights in Amsterdam, again on a lake called Gaasperplas which is just southeast of the city. We met up with Alex & Jess who visited the city for a couple of days. We visited some coffeeshops and also walked for miles around the city and stayed in an absolutely huge campsite that felt like a festival ground, there were just hundreds of students and travellers dotted around in tents.
Leiden is a highly beautiful city full of old 15th and 16th century buildings and obviously canals and windmills too. Rembrandt went to school there and we saw the building. Talking of art we also went to the Mauristhaus Museum in the Hague to see Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring and lots of other amazing old paintings. I would go to Leiden again in an instant, it is very peaceful and friendly with winding little cobbled streets to cycle down.
We are back in the Hague for one night, which was last night, and so later this morning we are going to hit the road and head to Germany. We need to find somewhere cheap, we went a bit over budget in Amsterdam going eating nice Wok to Walk food and so on. I am certainly going to miss all of the Dutch bakery treats, but it will probably do me good to have a break from syrupy sugary goodness for a while.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Holland Update!
Well, further to my previous blog entry I have to say that we left our friends Katy & Jans, went a few kilometres up the road to a place called Duinhorst at the edge of the city for two days... then we came back! They invited us back for Sunday night and also Nick is getting a gas alarm posted here, it should arrive today so we are hanging around until it does. We broke the past one we had in the van by accidentely shorting out the electrics, so had to get a replacement. I'm not particularly worried about these so called 'gas attacks' you hear about but we do have a gas fridge, cooker and boiler in the van so we do need some kind of alarm if we have a leak.
The van is so lovely, I haven't really described it. The bed is at the front above the drivers seat and it is on a big hinge so folds down and up again when you want to drive off in the morning. It means no faffing around with cushions, you can just push it out of sight. There is a shower room down one side with a pretty decent strength shower cubicle in it, plus a toilet and oval sink, and there is lots of handy cupboard space for all out bits.
Opposite the shower room on the other side, running down the side of the camper is the kitchen with 3 ring gas hob, oven with grill & rotisserie and proper fridge with freezer section. There is a two bowl sink, pull out bin and cupboards above, plus an extractor fan, window and light right above the sink and hob.
So you walk down the corridor between the kitchen and the shower to the end where there is a table with U shaped sofa all around it. We tend to have a side of it each and there is plenty of room. Down at the end there are windows on all three sides plus a skylight above, and we have the entertainments! Ie a pull out flatscreen TV that Nick fitted, the sky+ box and PS3. I also have my bookshelf which is in a drawer and behind the sofa are tucked the games: mastermind, scrabble and upwords! I did want to get a big
So now you can imagine my new home. We are definitely off to Leiden today, followed by Harleem then finally Amsterdam in a weeks time. Katy & Jan are off to Edinburgh festival this afty so we really can't stay in their hosue any longer! They've been such amazing hosts, as anyone who knows them will appreciate. We went back to the beach yesterday for a drink while Jan surfed then came back in on the tram and Katy cooked a mean risotto.
The van is so lovely, I haven't really described it. The bed is at the front above the drivers seat and it is on a big hinge so folds down and up again when you want to drive off in the morning. It means no faffing around with cushions, you can just push it out of sight. There is a shower room down one side with a pretty decent strength shower cubicle in it, plus a toilet and oval sink, and there is lots of handy cupboard space for all out bits.
Opposite the shower room on the other side, running down the side of the camper is the kitchen with 3 ring gas hob, oven with grill & rotisserie and proper fridge with freezer section. There is a two bowl sink, pull out bin and cupboards above, plus an extractor fan, window and light right above the sink and hob.
So you walk down the corridor between the kitchen and the shower to the end where there is a table with U shaped sofa all around it. We tend to have a side of it each and there is plenty of room. Down at the end there are windows on all three sides plus a skylight above, and we have the entertainments! Ie a pull out flatscreen TV that Nick fitted, the sky+ box and PS3. I also have my bookshelf which is in a drawer and behind the sofa are tucked the games: mastermind, scrabble and upwords! I did want to get a big
So now you can imagine my new home. We are definitely off to Leiden today, followed by Harleem then finally Amsterdam in a weeks time. Katy & Jan are off to Edinburgh festival this afty so we really can't stay in their hosue any longer! They've been such amazing hosts, as anyone who knows them will appreciate. We went back to the beach yesterday for a drink while Jan surfed then came back in on the tram and Katy cooked a mean risotto.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Still in Den Haag...
We are still in the beautiful Hague but are off this afternoon to Leiden where we intend to spend the weekend, before driving to Amsterdam for a few days.
It's been a brilliant week, we've made a great holiday video of the city for a friend back in the UK who is poorly to entice her to come and visit once she's better. We've cycled everywhere, been to the sand dunes and the beach, played lots of games of 'what is my thought like' with Katy & Jan and generally had a lovely old time. I will try and put a link up of the vid once we have finished editing it. It will probably go on Nick's facebook.
I am just finishing a big pile of washing as I took advantage of our friends machine. Who knows when we will next have this opportunity to be clean...
By the way if anyone is in Holland they have to try the "Old Amsterdam'' cheese, it is truly AMAZING.
It's been a brilliant week, we've made a great holiday video of the city for a friend back in the UK who is poorly to entice her to come and visit once she's better. We've cycled everywhere, been to the sand dunes and the beach, played lots of games of 'what is my thought like' with Katy & Jan and generally had a lovely old time. I will try and put a link up of the vid once we have finished editing it. It will probably go on Nick's facebook.
I am just finishing a big pile of washing as I took advantage of our friends machine. Who knows when we will next have this opportunity to be clean...
By the way if anyone is in Holland they have to try the "Old Amsterdam'' cheese, it is truly AMAZING.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
In Den Haag
Wow we are finally in Europe, staying with Katy & Jan in the beautiful city of the Hague. We arrived in Dunkerque last Wednesday, drove up the coast a bit to Bray Dunes for a few days which is just on the Belgium border. We swam in the sea loads and free camped at the side of the road. We had one panic in that we lost a bit of our campervan, an important plastic cap off the side but we managed to retrace our steps and found it which was incredibly lucky.
After that we drove through Belgium into Holland and stopped over at a campsite just outside of Breda for 2 nights where we did some repairs to the van and generally relaxed. The water pump was playing up so Nick took it apart and fixed it.
So now we're here in the Hague, the van is parked outside their apartment and we have been cycling around, which is what everyone does here. The city is wonderful with cycle paths everywhere and very beautiful typically Dutch architecture, plus there is a wonderful long sandy beach with cool cafes all the way along it where the surfers go. The cafes have massive outdoor beanbags and hammock chairs, they are brilliant. Today it seems the sun is out and its going to be a scorcher so after Nick is out of the shower I'm going to hop in and get ready for a nice day out.
PS Catherine, no! Not pregnant. That would be funny, a baby on the travels!
After that we drove through Belgium into Holland and stopped over at a campsite just outside of Breda for 2 nights where we did some repairs to the van and generally relaxed. The water pump was playing up so Nick took it apart and fixed it.
So now we're here in the Hague, the van is parked outside their apartment and we have been cycling around, which is what everyone does here. The city is wonderful with cycle paths everywhere and very beautiful typically Dutch architecture, plus there is a wonderful long sandy beach with cool cafes all the way along it where the surfers go. The cafes have massive outdoor beanbags and hammock chairs, they are brilliant. Today it seems the sun is out and its going to be a scorcher so after Nick is out of the shower I'm going to hop in and get ready for a nice day out.
PS Catherine, no! Not pregnant. That would be funny, a baby on the travels!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Duuuuuude.
A good week in Southampton, punctuated by the trips to Salisbury, Sandbanks and Bosham. Weather has been sunny, but rainy today, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Oooh I am reading such a great great book right now. 'The Blade Itself' is it's name, and it is by a young British author called Joe Abercrombie. I picked up the book from a local charity shop and there are 2 more to finish the trilogy and I actually had to make a special trip into West Quay this morning just to go to Waterstones and buy the next two. Yes yes I know, I am a literary geek, but the thing is that I am going to be on the continent (not incontinent) rather soon, Thursday in fact, and who knows when I might find a good reliable bookstore in the future??! It is a worry.
I have also been amusing myself by watching Dr Horribles Sing-A-Long Blog (a musical masterpiece), Heroes Series 2 (booooooo! First was miles better and I'm upset about who they killed off in the final episode. I hope they bring him back to life in S3.), Gavin & Stacey (utter genius) and that's about it really. We have Pushing Daisies to watch but I haven't really got into that yet.
I am feeling a little chubby, although I have good hair at the moment. The one cancels out the other which is good.
Aparentely I am wanted in the van so must go. Off to Dunkerque on Thursday folks!!
Oooh I am reading such a great great book right now. 'The Blade Itself' is it's name, and it is by a young British author called Joe Abercrombie. I picked up the book from a local charity shop and there are 2 more to finish the trilogy and I actually had to make a special trip into West Quay this morning just to go to Waterstones and buy the next two. Yes yes I know, I am a literary geek, but the thing is that I am going to be on the continent (not incontinent) rather soon, Thursday in fact, and who knows when I might find a good reliable bookstore in the future??! It is a worry.
I have also been amusing myself by watching Dr Horribles Sing-A-Long Blog (a musical masterpiece), Heroes Series 2 (booooooo! First was miles better and I'm upset about who they killed off in the final episode. I hope they bring him back to life in S3.), Gavin & Stacey (utter genius) and that's about it really. We have Pushing Daisies to watch but I haven't really got into that yet.
I am feeling a little chubby, although I have good hair at the moment. The one cancels out the other which is good.
Aparentely I am wanted in the van so must go. Off to Dunkerque on Thursday folks!!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Rah Rah Rah
I am currently sat in the study of Nick's parents house in Southampton, enjoying the shade and the view out of the window. It has been a scorcher of a day and Nick, Den & I took the Punto with the roof down to Sandbanks in Poole for a lovely lunch at the Haven Hotel and a trip across the chain ferry to the long beaches. There is a nudist beach there but we didn't walk that far, I was very disappointed not to see it! >>>
Flash forward, as I was writing the above I heard the shout that dinner was ready so I've just consumed a half bottle of white wine and some quite tasty coronation chicken with rice and salad. As it's such a sunny evening we ate in the garden sat under the tree with the last of the sunshine on our backs. I've had a couple of menthols as well which is a bit naughty but there you go.
So to catch up again then, I think I let off when we were in Swansea which was the last time I had access to internet gubbins. We spent a week there and witnessed Ralph & Rowan's first birthday which was great, they loved the wrapping paper way more than the toys and were so full of beans it was wonderful. We left Wales on Friday 11th July and headed that night to a campsite known as "Old Down Touring Park", just south of Bath on the way to Glastonbury. We spent 2 nights there and on the Saturday went to our friends Marc & Gabie's wedding in a little village called Litton at the King's Arms pub. It was just the reception and didn't start until 5pm as they had a very private wedding and it turned out to be a great night. We caught up with Bob, Keely, Claire & James plus Helena & Matt, all really lovely people that Nick knew back in Exeter when we were at Uni. We had a geriatric taxi driver, Brian, who got utterly lost on the way there AND on the way back from our campsite to the pub and insisted on playing the Wurzels at full volume and getting maps out every five minutes.
On Sunday 13th July we left our gorgeous friendly campsite and headed a bit south to Clarks village in Street for some retail outlet action and then on to a little village called Somerton to stay in the field of someones house. It was just south of Glastonbury and we could actually see the Tor from our site. It was very peaceful, we had a barbecue and the whole site to ourselves, apart from the chickens. There was a white fluffy bantam that resembled a large cotton ball, quite something.
On the Monday we drove down to my Dad's cottage in Kennerleigh, mid Devon and spent a week there chilling out with the folks. We popped into Exeter a couple of times, went to the rather marvellous House of Marbles at Bovey Tracey (think massive marble runs with snooker balls instead of marbles), Trago Mills (for old times sake! Only bought a saop dish - very restrained)) and some great old school country pubs like the Black Dog and the Beer Engine. Met up with Shirley & John a couple of times as well. Nick had man flu for a couple of days and was laid up in bed so I went through a load of old boxes in the garage which contained my old school work and various other things from my childhood. I was thrilled to find my old recorder plus a couple of ocarinas and I have kept the ocarinas for the journey with the intent to improve my skills and also to teach Nick, who is not musically inclined. I also bought some Poi from a shop in Exeter, but they broke and I ended up taking them back so I will not be learning how to do Poi just yet until I find some more.
Now we are back in Southampton where we will be staying for a week or so until we head off to Europe. We popped to Salisbury last night to catch up with our old friends Alex & Jess at their new house and we met their doggie Matravers, or Matty who is a very exciteable 8 month old springer/pointer cross.
And that's about it. Since we've been back in Soton we've been to Bosham and Sandbanks (today obviously) and the weather is really really lovely for once. Life is going well, I have rediscovered cider as a drink and am getting very brown. I have also discovered Reggae Reggae sauce which you have to marinade chicken kebabs in before barbecueing! Very tastysome., om yom yom. I realise I am droning on about nothing now so am off. xxxxx
Flash forward, as I was writing the above I heard the shout that dinner was ready so I've just consumed a half bottle of white wine and some quite tasty coronation chicken with rice and salad. As it's such a sunny evening we ate in the garden sat under the tree with the last of the sunshine on our backs. I've had a couple of menthols as well which is a bit naughty but there you go.
So to catch up again then, I think I let off when we were in Swansea which was the last time I had access to internet gubbins. We spent a week there and witnessed Ralph & Rowan's first birthday which was great, they loved the wrapping paper way more than the toys and were so full of beans it was wonderful. We left Wales on Friday 11th July and headed that night to a campsite known as "Old Down Touring Park", just south of Bath on the way to Glastonbury. We spent 2 nights there and on the Saturday went to our friends Marc & Gabie's wedding in a little village called Litton at the King's Arms pub. It was just the reception and didn't start until 5pm as they had a very private wedding and it turned out to be a great night. We caught up with Bob, Keely, Claire & James plus Helena & Matt, all really lovely people that Nick knew back in Exeter when we were at Uni. We had a geriatric taxi driver, Brian, who got utterly lost on the way there AND on the way back from our campsite to the pub and insisted on playing the Wurzels at full volume and getting maps out every five minutes.
On Sunday 13th July we left our gorgeous friendly campsite and headed a bit south to Clarks village in Street for some retail outlet action and then on to a little village called Somerton to stay in the field of someones house. It was just south of Glastonbury and we could actually see the Tor from our site. It was very peaceful, we had a barbecue and the whole site to ourselves, apart from the chickens. There was a white fluffy bantam that resembled a large cotton ball, quite something.
On the Monday we drove down to my Dad's cottage in Kennerleigh, mid Devon and spent a week there chilling out with the folks. We popped into Exeter a couple of times, went to the rather marvellous House of Marbles at Bovey Tracey (think massive marble runs with snooker balls instead of marbles), Trago Mills (for old times sake! Only bought a saop dish - very restrained)) and some great old school country pubs like the Black Dog and the Beer Engine. Met up with Shirley & John a couple of times as well. Nick had man flu for a couple of days and was laid up in bed so I went through a load of old boxes in the garage which contained my old school work and various other things from my childhood. I was thrilled to find my old recorder plus a couple of ocarinas and I have kept the ocarinas for the journey with the intent to improve my skills and also to teach Nick, who is not musically inclined. I also bought some Poi from a shop in Exeter, but they broke and I ended up taking them back so I will not be learning how to do Poi just yet until I find some more.
Now we are back in Southampton where we will be staying for a week or so until we head off to Europe. We popped to Salisbury last night to catch up with our old friends Alex & Jess at their new house and we met their doggie Matravers, or Matty who is a very exciteable 8 month old springer/pointer cross.
And that's about it. Since we've been back in Soton we've been to Bosham and Sandbanks (today obviously) and the weather is really really lovely for once. Life is going well, I have rediscovered cider as a drink and am getting very brown. I have also discovered Reggae Reggae sauce which you have to marinade chicken kebabs in before barbecueing! Very tastysome., om yom yom. I realise I am droning on about nothing now so am off. xxxxx
Saturday, July 05, 2008
RRAAAAAAhhhglebloeaoitelakneltjb
Due to lack of internet access this blog has not been updated for a ridiculously long time. We are both alive and well, however, and loving the travelling.
Florida was awesome, just warm, sunny, beautiful and themepark-tastic. We checked out Seaworld on my birthday (feeding dolphins, stroking stingways, seeing Shamu the killer whale and some really amazing fireworks), plus Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and we also had a once in a lifetime experiece hearing the sonic boom of the Discovery Space Shuttle land at the Kennedy Space Centre. All in all an amazing time. We ate loads of grossly fattening All American food but also walked loads which hopefully balances it out. We met an astronaut from the Apollo 15 mission, he was cool. We shopped, and also went on a Gentle Ben style airboat ride to spot Alligators. Orlando is undeniably tacky and those Americans are huge gas guzzling mega consumers but you just have to love it.
After Florida we spent a couple of jet lagged days in York, then bombed it up to Berwick Upon Tweed for a glorious week with Bob & Miles. There was lots of music, Victorian parlour games, long long walks along the river and a trip to the epic Bamburgh castle.
We then went up to Edinburgh for a cool night out with Bob & Miles on her birthday, then we left them there and went up to the Scottish Highlands - Loch Lomond, Glen Coe, Ben Nevis and all that malarky while we stayed in a village called Onich on Loch Linnhe.
After that we drove down to the Lake District, saw the Ullswater and went for a bike ride in the rain around Windemere, before a random trip to Blackpool for one night, and now we are in Swansea with my sister, her husband and the twins. Blackpool is really nasty, I fully intend to not visit it again!
All in all a fantastic few weeks, the camper is doing great, we are very chilled out and happy.
Florida was awesome, just warm, sunny, beautiful and themepark-tastic. We checked out Seaworld on my birthday (feeding dolphins, stroking stingways, seeing Shamu the killer whale and some really amazing fireworks), plus Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and we also had a once in a lifetime experiece hearing the sonic boom of the Discovery Space Shuttle land at the Kennedy Space Centre. All in all an amazing time. We ate loads of grossly fattening All American food but also walked loads which hopefully balances it out. We met an astronaut from the Apollo 15 mission, he was cool. We shopped, and also went on a Gentle Ben style airboat ride to spot Alligators. Orlando is undeniably tacky and those Americans are huge gas guzzling mega consumers but you just have to love it.
After Florida we spent a couple of jet lagged days in York, then bombed it up to Berwick Upon Tweed for a glorious week with Bob & Miles. There was lots of music, Victorian parlour games, long long walks along the river and a trip to the epic Bamburgh castle.
We then went up to Edinburgh for a cool night out with Bob & Miles on her birthday, then we left them there and went up to the Scottish Highlands - Loch Lomond, Glen Coe, Ben Nevis and all that malarky while we stayed in a village called Onich on Loch Linnhe.
After that we drove down to the Lake District, saw the Ullswater and went for a bike ride in the rain around Windemere, before a random trip to Blackpool for one night, and now we are in Swansea with my sister, her husband and the twins. Blackpool is really nasty, I fully intend to not visit it again!
All in all a fantastic few weeks, the camper is doing great, we are very chilled out and happy.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
See Y'All Later!!
Wow guess what! We are going to FLORIDA tomorrow!!!
How the hell did that happen?? I am not entirely sure myself.
To backtrack....
We ended up taking a week and a half out at Leni's place. It was just so lovely there and they are both so incredible welcoming and chilled out we just couldn't tear ourselves away. We eventually did on Sunday afternoon and did a big old drive up to between Stoke on Trent and Derby, to a little town called Uttoxeter. For those who care, it is famous for its racecourse and we stayed in a special Caravan Club site which is within the racecourse. First time we've stayed in a Caravan Club place, the people are a little bit overly nosy. But hey ho its cheap.
The great thing about it was that it was only 7 miles away from Alton Towers, which is where we spent Monday and Tuesday of this week. It is so huge you really do need two days to do all the rides, and that was with the fast track tickets as well. The scariest ride by FAR has to be Oblivion. Oh my GOD I couldn't speak for screaming but literally the funniest thing I have done in years. You sit firmly strapped into this rollercoaster seat as it winches you slowly up an immense slope. By the time you reach the top plateau it is really peaceful and the view is breathtaking and you are lulled into a lovely comfortable revery, and then... you PLUNGE literally vertically downwards into a huge gaping hole in the ground and by that point you realise you are screaming like you have never screamed before. Highly recommended but I couldn't go on it twice.
The Air ride was also very good, but my favourite was the Spinball Whizzer, which is a fast rollercoaster with spinning seats, so you are thrown backwards, sideways and forwards at a huge rate of knots. We both loved that one.
So after 2 silly days we left and drove here to Dunham Massey near Manchester which is where our friends Catherine & Damian live in a beautiful cottage within the grounds of a National Trust house with Damian works as the gardener. There are deer wandering around and it is generally all very Jane Austen. It is lovely. But Nick has had really apppaulingly bad hayfever the last few days which is what inadvertantly led to the Florida escapade.
It was yesterday afternoon and for fun we started looking online at cheap last minute flights from Manchester airport (as its only a 15 min drive from here) and we found a ridiculously good deal to Orlando. OK it is rainy season so we might get a bit damp but we really couldn't say no. We fly tomorrow very early morning and we have a hire car and a hotel which is on a bed & breakfast basis. It's right on Universal Drive I believe, so USA here we come! Its strange - with only 2 days notice you really don't have time to get excited. We spent all of today adding extra security measures to the camper which we found at B&Q as we have to leave it in an airport carpark for a week. Hopefully it is now Fort Knox.
I do have some photos but none of the camper, weirdly. It is a Hymer S630 if you google it? Nick has put some on his facebook page. When I have more time I will load some on here but I have just realised how long this blog entry is and I need to go and do something else now! Next time I blog it might be from the States!!
How the hell did that happen?? I am not entirely sure myself.
To backtrack....
We ended up taking a week and a half out at Leni's place. It was just so lovely there and they are both so incredible welcoming and chilled out we just couldn't tear ourselves away. We eventually did on Sunday afternoon and did a big old drive up to between Stoke on Trent and Derby, to a little town called Uttoxeter. For those who care, it is famous for its racecourse and we stayed in a special Caravan Club site which is within the racecourse. First time we've stayed in a Caravan Club place, the people are a little bit overly nosy. But hey ho its cheap.
The great thing about it was that it was only 7 miles away from Alton Towers, which is where we spent Monday and Tuesday of this week. It is so huge you really do need two days to do all the rides, and that was with the fast track tickets as well. The scariest ride by FAR has to be Oblivion. Oh my GOD I couldn't speak for screaming but literally the funniest thing I have done in years. You sit firmly strapped into this rollercoaster seat as it winches you slowly up an immense slope. By the time you reach the top plateau it is really peaceful and the view is breathtaking and you are lulled into a lovely comfortable revery, and then... you PLUNGE literally vertically downwards into a huge gaping hole in the ground and by that point you realise you are screaming like you have never screamed before. Highly recommended but I couldn't go on it twice.
The Air ride was also very good, but my favourite was the Spinball Whizzer, which is a fast rollercoaster with spinning seats, so you are thrown backwards, sideways and forwards at a huge rate of knots. We both loved that one.
So after 2 silly days we left and drove here to Dunham Massey near Manchester which is where our friends Catherine & Damian live in a beautiful cottage within the grounds of a National Trust house with Damian works as the gardener. There are deer wandering around and it is generally all very Jane Austen. It is lovely. But Nick has had really apppaulingly bad hayfever the last few days which is what inadvertantly led to the Florida escapade.
It was yesterday afternoon and for fun we started looking online at cheap last minute flights from Manchester airport (as its only a 15 min drive from here) and we found a ridiculously good deal to Orlando. OK it is rainy season so we might get a bit damp but we really couldn't say no. We fly tomorrow very early morning and we have a hire car and a hotel which is on a bed & breakfast basis. It's right on Universal Drive I believe, so USA here we come! Its strange - with only 2 days notice you really don't have time to get excited. We spent all of today adding extra security measures to the camper which we found at B&Q as we have to leave it in an airport carpark for a week. Hopefully it is now Fort Knox.
I do have some photos but none of the camper, weirdly. It is a Hymer S630 if you google it? Nick has put some on his facebook page. When I have more time I will load some on here but I have just realised how long this blog entry is and I need to go and do something else now! Next time I blog it might be from the States!!
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Chilling out in Suffolk
We have been in Suffolk since Thursday and I just feel like I could stay forever. We are parked up at Leni & Dom's place on their whopping drive and have been relaxing loads. I have a slight throat infection and unfortunately had a weird funny turn when we were out at a pub in Stowmarket last night but apart from that it is amazing here. Our friends live in a little cottage that they are about to extend and they have around an acre of land which is given over to apple trees, chicken coops and tricking brooks. There is countryside all around and birds sing constantly in the trees. They have a mentallist cat called Squeak that attacks anything that moves and their baby boy Huckleberry is 4 months old and a very happy little fellow.
We are off to a farmers market in a bit then I think we are going to pop in and see Leni's folks as I haven't seen them for years. We are trying so hard to keep to our daily budget but it is very difficult. Not as hard as London though, that is such a pricey place to visit.
The camper is working out great so far - it's really feeling like home as we sleep in it every night and have the awning out so can sit outside and keep dry if it's raining.
We are off to a farmers market in a bit then I think we are going to pop in and see Leni's folks as I haven't seen them for years. We are trying so hard to keep to our daily budget but it is very difficult. Not as hard as London though, that is such a pricey place to visit.
The camper is working out great so far - it's really feeling like home as we sleep in it every night and have the awning out so can sit outside and keep dry if it's raining.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
London Shenanigans
So this is what we've been up to over the Bank Holiday weekend, up until now. Sorry it's in boring diary format but it's realy for my own benefit so that I can read this back in a few months time and remember what we did!
Saturday - had a relaxed one in Loughton, sunbathed, went for a short bike ride in the afternoon, ate lots of food and stayed up and played on the PS3 in the evening.
Sunday - went on the tube to Spittlefields market which was really good, lots of interesting small designer stalls with great outfits. Only spent £3 on a bracelet which was incredibly restrained. Went then to Oxford St to Selfridges and checked out an Urban Art show in the basement level. Pottered around there with James & Donna then back home for tea before heading to Woodford to see Indiana Jones & Crystal Skull at the pics. Quite enjoyed it but I didn't like the whole Alien route they went down to be honest - I much preferred the Holy Grail/Ark stuff from the previous films.
Monday - rain rain rain so stayed in all day. Went for a nice curry in the evening, before home to watch Cloverfield which OH MY GOD is the most amazingly good film all apart from the terirble CGI but apart from that I have to say one of the best films I've seen in a long time.
Tuesday - Nick & me into London to the V&A Museum which was great. Really impressed by what it had on show and it wasn't too busy. After that we walked to Harrods as we were in South Kensington and bought a pastie plus yumsome choc brownie thing to share. Sat outside Natural History Museum to eat it. Then went into Nat History Museum but being half term it was absolutely cram packed full of kid so we quickly saw the main bits then legged it back home. Last night I cooked some salmon and we had an early night as walking around London REALLY makes you tired.
Today we are relaxing this morning at James & Donnas house while they are at work. We plan to go into London after lunch to the South Bank to go to the Tate and we're going to stay out in London for a bite to eat this evening. I quite fancy Soho for a Chinese but we're finding the budget hard to keep to here! I guess this is the most expensive place we'll probably visit so it's not too bad. Tomorrow we're hopefuly meeting Ranx & Fiona for lunch before heading off to Suffolk in the evening.
Saturday - had a relaxed one in Loughton, sunbathed, went for a short bike ride in the afternoon, ate lots of food and stayed up and played on the PS3 in the evening.
Sunday - went on the tube to Spittlefields market which was really good, lots of interesting small designer stalls with great outfits. Only spent £3 on a bracelet which was incredibly restrained. Went then to Oxford St to Selfridges and checked out an Urban Art show in the basement level. Pottered around there with James & Donna then back home for tea before heading to Woodford to see Indiana Jones & Crystal Skull at the pics. Quite enjoyed it but I didn't like the whole Alien route they went down to be honest - I much preferred the Holy Grail/Ark stuff from the previous films.
Monday - rain rain rain so stayed in all day. Went for a nice curry in the evening, before home to watch Cloverfield which OH MY GOD is the most amazingly good film all apart from the terirble CGI but apart from that I have to say one of the best films I've seen in a long time.
Tuesday - Nick & me into London to the V&A Museum which was great. Really impressed by what it had on show and it wasn't too busy. After that we walked to Harrods as we were in South Kensington and bought a pastie plus yumsome choc brownie thing to share. Sat outside Natural History Museum to eat it. Then went into Nat History Museum but being half term it was absolutely cram packed full of kid so we quickly saw the main bits then legged it back home. Last night I cooked some salmon and we had an early night as walking around London REALLY makes you tired.
Today we are relaxing this morning at James & Donnas house while they are at work. We plan to go into London after lunch to the South Bank to go to the Tate and we're going to stay out in London for a bite to eat this evening. I quite fancy Soho for a Chinese but we're finding the budget hard to keep to here! I guess this is the most expensive place we'll probably visit so it's not too bad. Tomorrow we're hopefuly meeting Ranx & Fiona for lunch before heading off to Suffolk in the evening.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Londontown
Wooo we are in East London and I am about to go and sunbathe in my friends gorgeous back garden. but first a catch up...
We ended up spending nearly a fortnight in Southampton. There were various things to do to the camper and we ebayed a load of items and had to wait for stuff to arrive in the post to fit to the van so we ended up loitering at Nick's parents house for ages! I must admit it was very relaxing, although I did find myself wondering what to do. I ended up going on little shopping trips and visiting the City art gallery which is free and actually really really good, they have Chris Ofili, Bridget Riley and even some Lowry there and it is a lovely vaulted building, very peaceful.
We have invested in a pair of electric bikes!! They are AMAZING. Mine is blue and Nick's is dark grey and they are very shiny. They strap to the back of the camper and are a much better idea than a scooter, which is what we originally were going to get. We took them for a ride around Southampton common and they go like the clappers! You just pedal gently and the engine pushes you along so there's no effort and then if you want a quick burst there is a throttle just like on a motorbike that you twist and whooooooom! Off you go. Brilliant fun. I think when we're in Europe going up and down the hills they will be a Godsend.
So we are staying in Loughton, near Epping Forest and Chigwell in Essex, East London. It's on the central line so we can pop into the city whenever we like which is great. Today we are chilling and recovering with slight hangovers and then tomorrow there are a couple of markets we're going to visit. And we are contemplating going to see Indiana Jones in Leicester Square. OK my batteries running out I've got to go!
We ended up spending nearly a fortnight in Southampton. There were various things to do to the camper and we ebayed a load of items and had to wait for stuff to arrive in the post to fit to the van so we ended up loitering at Nick's parents house for ages! I must admit it was very relaxing, although I did find myself wondering what to do. I ended up going on little shopping trips and visiting the City art gallery which is free and actually really really good, they have Chris Ofili, Bridget Riley and even some Lowry there and it is a lovely vaulted building, very peaceful.
We have invested in a pair of electric bikes!! They are AMAZING. Mine is blue and Nick's is dark grey and they are very shiny. They strap to the back of the camper and are a much better idea than a scooter, which is what we originally were going to get. We took them for a ride around Southampton common and they go like the clappers! You just pedal gently and the engine pushes you along so there's no effort and then if you want a quick burst there is a throttle just like on a motorbike that you twist and whooooooom! Off you go. Brilliant fun. I think when we're in Europe going up and down the hills they will be a Godsend.
So we are staying in Loughton, near Epping Forest and Chigwell in Essex, East London. It's on the central line so we can pop into the city whenever we like which is great. Today we are chilling and recovering with slight hangovers and then tomorrow there are a couple of markets we're going to visit. And we are contemplating going to see Indiana Jones in Leicester Square. OK my batteries running out I've got to go!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tooth
Level two of the travel quest is completed, the Guernsey leg. We are now in Southampton enjoying the comforts of my in-laws house with the camper parked on the driveway outside. Nick is busy fitting various alarms/stereo speakers as I write this. It is a gloriously sunny day and I had to hide indoors for a while cos I could feel myself burning in the garden. I think we will have a BBQ tonight after I've popped to Waitrose for some bits. Waitrose!! Oh it is SO good to be back in the UK. I do love my Waitrose, although I have more of a Lidl's budget these days...
As we were waiting for the ferry at the Gsy check-in a bit of my tooth fell off in my mouth!! How very surprised I was. It felt like a small pebble or bit of grit and then I realised I had a jagged gap that I could feel with my tongue! Well after the novelty wore off of playing with the jaggedy bit with my tongue (which lasted a few hours) I got a bit pissed off that it had happened. Especially as I was onboard the ferry and leaving behind my lovely dentist in Guernsey. Luckily I managed to find a good local practise here and I no longer look like a pirate. It was my first ever filling, he built it up to match the colour of the rest as well! They are so clever these people. I still can't stop running my tongue over the new bit though...
Well I think we are going to do another BBQ tonight, being that it is absolutely glorious and scorching out there.
On Liberation Day we were at a BRILLIANT BBQ party for Laurie's 30th birthday. Gosh we all got drunk and trampolined and allsorts, it was a great send off as most of our Guernsey mates were there. It was a great day and night. Carried on into the wee hours and then Nick & I slept over in the camper so no driving home! Result. It did mean we were around to do the clean up the next morning though. Rachel bought me a Hello Kitty lipstick lolly as a going away present and she got Nick a locust lollipop with an actual real locust in it! Awesome.
As we were waiting for the ferry at the Gsy check-in a bit of my tooth fell off in my mouth!! How very surprised I was. It felt like a small pebble or bit of grit and then I realised I had a jagged gap that I could feel with my tongue! Well after the novelty wore off of playing with the jaggedy bit with my tongue (which lasted a few hours) I got a bit pissed off that it had happened. Especially as I was onboard the ferry and leaving behind my lovely dentist in Guernsey. Luckily I managed to find a good local practise here and I no longer look like a pirate. It was my first ever filling, he built it up to match the colour of the rest as well! They are so clever these people. I still can't stop running my tongue over the new bit though...
Well I think we are going to do another BBQ tonight, being that it is absolutely glorious and scorching out there.
On Liberation Day we were at a BRILLIANT BBQ party for Laurie's 30th birthday. Gosh we all got drunk and trampolined and allsorts, it was a great send off as most of our Guernsey mates were there. It was a great day and night. Carried on into the wee hours and then Nick & I slept over in the camper so no driving home! Result. It did mean we were around to do the clean up the next morning though. Rachel bought me a Hello Kitty lipstick lolly as a going away present and she got Nick a locust lollipop with an actual real locust in it! Awesome.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Sunny Sunny Sunshiney Days
It has well and truly been a busy old week. We have had Margo parked around the corner in a friends field for the last few days while we have been pimping her up good and proper. We had an absolute nightmare registering her in Guernsey, we were given very bad, incorrect information before we brought her back here to do with the registration process and Tuesday was in fact a day from hell but then yesterday we managed to resolve the issues and she now has a spanky new Guernsey number plate.
We are out tonight for Rachel's birthday then tomorrow there is a large barbecue going down at Perelle for Laurie's 30th, on Liberation Day so a double party whammy! Then we're off for the forseable on Sat pm, if the camper can get on the ferry with the new sat dome we've installed on the roof which is quite tall.... fingers crossed! UK first for a few weeks, before the Euro leg of the trip.
I'm off for a spot of lunch in the sunshine now, it is an absolute cracker of a day, blazing sunshine and all that, lovely.
We are out tonight for Rachel's birthday then tomorrow there is a large barbecue going down at Perelle for Laurie's 30th, on Liberation Day so a double party whammy! Then we're off for the forseable on Sat pm, if the camper can get on the ferry with the new sat dome we've installed on the roof which is quite tall.... fingers crossed! UK first for a few weeks, before the Euro leg of the trip.
I'm off for a spot of lunch in the sunshine now, it is an absolute cracker of a day, blazing sunshine and all that, lovely.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Back from the first leg...
I am back in Guernsey with our new friend Margo. She is a large German Hymer campervan that we picked up just outside of Hamburg and we have driven her back through Belgium and France here to kit her out.
We left Guernsey last weekend and flew to Hamburg via Manchester. We spent a couple of days there in a hotel while we sorted out the camper purchase and the nitty gritty. We left Hamburg on the Wednesday and drove it down to Cologne where we found a campsite on the river. The next day we ploughed on through Belgium and made to into France, to a little town called Mauberge which was pretty. Next day we overnighted just ouside Caen before heading to the ferry at St Malo to cross back to the rock on Saturday night. It's now Monday, woo! So a busy old week and lots of fun. I quite like driving it which is a huge relief.
So we're here for a week before leaving for the UK for a few weeks of touring. Then we're off to Europe and who knows...
The camper is great. Really better than I thought it would be. It has a decent double bed which folds down over the front seats, a proper fridge, oven, 3 ring hob and U shaped lounge at the back. I like her. It has a poop tank you have to empty, HA HA! That's Nick's job. Everything is really dinky and well thought out, they have thought of everything. This week we are modifying her and installing various gadgets that we think we will need while travelling.. PS3, telly, a tracking satellite dome... anyway I have lots more to go on about but it's late and I'm quite tired. Back soon!
We left Guernsey last weekend and flew to Hamburg via Manchester. We spent a couple of days there in a hotel while we sorted out the camper purchase and the nitty gritty. We left Hamburg on the Wednesday and drove it down to Cologne where we found a campsite on the river. The next day we ploughed on through Belgium and made to into France, to a little town called Mauberge which was pretty. Next day we overnighted just ouside Caen before heading to the ferry at St Malo to cross back to the rock on Saturday night. It's now Monday, woo! So a busy old week and lots of fun. I quite like driving it which is a huge relief.
So we're here for a week before leaving for the UK for a few weeks of touring. Then we're off to Europe and who knows...
The camper is great. Really better than I thought it would be. It has a decent double bed which folds down over the front seats, a proper fridge, oven, 3 ring hob and U shaped lounge at the back. I like her. It has a poop tank you have to empty, HA HA! That's Nick's job. Everything is really dinky and well thought out, they have thought of everything. This week we are modifying her and installing various gadgets that we think we will need while travelling.. PS3, telly, a tracking satellite dome... anyway I have lots more to go on about but it's late and I'm quite tired. Back soon!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Last Thursday at work...
...Waaeaeaeawaeaeaeaea!!
Woo Wah Wee Wah.
And the sun is shining. And my husband is AMAZING he worked until 2am last night covering the local Government elections and hosted a live show for around 4 hours that went out live on the website. And then this morning he went along to the GSPCA and got to play with the lion cubs again! Apparently they know both weigh around 13 stone and one of them pinned him to the ground! It's going out on tomorrow nights programme, and tonight he is hosting the news at 6pm as it's an election results special. Go to www.channelonline.tv to watch it afterwards, they put the news programme on line a couple of hours after it airs, usually.
Ah well I am feeling rather spritely I must admit. I must go now and not do any work for two and a half hours.
Woo Wah Wee Wah.
And the sun is shining. And my husband is AMAZING he worked until 2am last night covering the local Government elections and hosted a live show for around 4 hours that went out live on the website. And then this morning he went along to the GSPCA and got to play with the lion cubs again! Apparently they know both weigh around 13 stone and one of them pinned him to the ground! It's going out on tomorrow nights programme, and tonight he is hosting the news at 6pm as it's an election results special. Go to www.channelonline.tv to watch it afterwards, they put the news programme on line a couple of hours after it airs, usually.
Ah well I am feeling rather spritely I must admit. I must go now and not do any work for two and a half hours.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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