What a shame to leave Scotland so soon! But there was so much beckoning us southward. We had a couple of nights booked in Durham and also wanted to try and see the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on the way south. Fortunately the tide times were well-timed for us, as Lindisfarne is only accessible via causeway, passable during the hours of low tide. What a strange and beautiful landscape we found. Wind-swept, barren, yet beautiful, this ancient island has such a story to tell.

Aidan went from Iona in Scotland to Lindisfarne in the North East of England and began a monastery there in 635AD. The ruins visible today are from a priory built following the Norman conquest in 1066. The beautiful little St Mary’s Church beside the crumbling priory is said to have been founded by Aidan in his first year at Lindisfarne.

We walked out to the Castle, originally an Elizabethan fort protecting the north from Scotland, and eventually becoming a private family home in 1901. There is a small community living on the island which takes great care to protect the environment and landscape, as well as the stunning history of this place. Continue reading TOURING GREAT BRITAIN | North East →

A long weekend in Scotland sounded wonderful and we were looking forward to it, especially as a great place to celebrate a birthday for Chris.

The pelting rain as we journeyed north from Windermere was enough for us to consider bypassing Glasgow and to just get to our accommodation in Stirling. But we were so glad we took the chance as we had a spectacular afternoon in sunshine [!] seeing the Glasgow Necropolis, St Mungo’s Cathedral, and various other beautiful city buildings. Good decision.

Glasgow Necropolis

St Mungo’s Cathedral

St Mungo’s Cathedral

River Clyde, Glasgow

For Chris’ birthday we spent the day touring west from Stirling seeing Loch Lomond near Balmaha and we chose to climb the local Conic Hill for some views over this famous Loch. It was a steep climb, but the views at the top were spectacular and definitely worth it. We also found ourselves in the middle of the filming of an independent feature film. The scene they were doing was about two girls scattering ashes, and they were using a remote drone camera to get aerial shots around the edge of the hill and over the loch. This was a new experience for us as we watched the three remote operators guiding the camera upward and outward, circling around, as we and other walkers, as well as the production team were asked to stand back. We retraced our steps back down the hill, and continued on our scenic drive through the Trossach Region of this wonderful National Park. This gifted us with more beautiful lochs showing off amazing reflections and magnificent stately stone homes with stunning situations on the hillsides over the lochs undoubtedly giving residents enviable vistas every day. We again felt very blessed as the sun shone down.

Continue reading TOURING GREAT BRITAIN | Scotland →

Our four nights accommodation in Cheltenham was not disappointing to leave. Its only redeeming feature was that it had a little microwave which meant we could save some money on food.

We journeyed north towards Chester and the Wirral peninsular with the express intention of visiting a couple who have been friends of my Mum for 70 or so years. It was a delight to spend some lovely time over a pot of tea with Margaret and Norman. We saw, displayed in their lounge room, a porcelain lace-draped bell made by Mum, a cedar vase sent as a gift from Mum & Dad for Margaret & Norman’s 40th wedding anniversary, and Norman took great pride in showing us his souvenir boomerang bought on their visit to Australia 20 years ago. We had great conversation covering so many things, and we drove back to Chester with very glad hearts.

Continue reading TOURING GREAT BRITAIN | Chester | Peak District | Lakes District →

There was a sense of sadness to be leaving London.  We had such a wonderful two weeks. There was however, also a sense of great anticipation to pick up a car and begin our 4 week journey exploring the rest of this great island.

After walking to the Hertz pickup location and getting back to the Highbury Centre to pack our belongings in our little Red Fiat 500L, we began our journey, getting out of London, and venturing first of all south east to Canterbury in Kent, before our first night booked in Hastings on the south coast. We were so glad to have brought our GPS from Australia. Navigating London is such a challenge.

Continue reading TOURING GREAT BRITAIN | The South →

Having two wonderful weeks in London has been absolutely fabulous!

We had a day here prior to our Europe tour, following which we came back for our focussed two week stay.

In that two weeks we have covered some incredible sights … from monuments to houses, from castles to museums, from gardens to towers, from churches to dungeons.

Hampton Court Palace Gardens

Hampton Court Palace Gardens

Hampton Court Palace Gardens

Hampton Court Palace Gardens

Hampton Court Palace Gardens

Hampton Court Palace Gardens

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace

Kensington Palace

Windsor Palace

Windsor Palace

Windsor Palace Chapel Royal

Windsor Palace

Tower of London

Tower of London

Tower of London

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

London has certainly kept us busy, and on our toes! Alertness is needed for tube travel, for city walking, for reading menus, for reading maps.

We have been stimulated by all that there is to do and see here. The history is mind-boggling, the architectural treats are amazing, and the people are friendly, quirky and fun. Continue reading LONDON →

Our first glimpse of the French Riviera as we crossed the border from Italy was very pretty. The rain had stopped, there was a little sunshine, and we had great hopes for a change in the weather. However, the rain returned and there was quite a downpour driving into Nice.

We were very thankful that the rain cleared for our evening visit to Monte Carlo, to have a little look around and share in a meal. We saw the Cathedral where Grace Kelly married Prince Ranier, and the road where she lost her life, we saw the Royal Palace, and a statue of the benevolent Grimaldi, the prince who used to dress up as a pauper and roam the streets incognito to find out what his people were thinking and saying. This tiny principality of Monte Carlo is only 2km square, but is one of the most expensive places to live. Real estate prices are exorbitant; Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Bentleys are everywhere; luxurious yachts fill the marina. Needless to say we didn’t exactly feel the right fit for this place. The casinos are the main attraction and the lineup of cars out the front convinced us of the wealth in this place. Continue reading FRANCE →

Venice | Assisi | Rome | Florence | Montecatini | Pisa

The journey from Austria to Italy took us through more beautiful terrain as we drove from the mountains on to the plains. Anticipating Venice, after hearing about it for years, did not prepare me for the reality. Crossing the low bridge as we approached the Venice lagoon, it was an incredible sight to see the shallow water which just seemed to gradually emanate from the mainland. The only access to the Venetian islands is by boat, so we boarded our water bus. The Queen Elizabeth cruise ship was docked as well, which we quietly greeted and smiled, as we did when we saw it in the Port of Piraeus in Greece. The sky was a little hazy so our views were not as great as they could have been, but it was quite surreal to pass the iconic landmarks so often photographed.

The uniqueness of this ancient city is unparalleled, and our walk around was breathtaking at every corner. We did the obligatory gondola ride from which you could see that ‘ordinary’ life, of a sort, with washing hanging out from the windows above the canals. We walked past glass-blowing shops, clothes shops and leather shops, as well as hardware stores, kitchenware shops and hairdressers. ‘Ordinary’ life it is, and ordinary life it isn’t.

Continue reading ITALY →

Belgium | Switzerland | Austria

After two nights and one absolutely supreme day in London with perfect Autumn weather, we began another tour, this one definitely to be a whirlwind time. With mostly one night stops, this tour is only a taster for us rather than thorough.

We drove from London to Dover to catch the ferry across the Channel to Calais. It was a coolish day with a bit of wind, but the journey was quite comfortable. We left the white cliffs of Dover and arrived to similar looking cliffs in France. But France was fleeting as we boarded another bus and were whisked across the countryside, quickly getting to the border with Belgium. Belgium was a founding member of the European Union and Brussels is where the EU has its parliament. Continue reading BRUSSELS | LUCERNE | INNSBRUCK →