Travel Location: Europe

The next day, Tuesday, I was shown around the city, and saw most of the major sights: Big Ben, The London Eye, The Globe, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace. We ate dinner at the flat, and I had my first taste of peanut butter in 3 months, so delicious. That night we went out to another little pub nearby for a drink and to catch up more. All my friends had internships the next morning, so they needed to get their sleep. That night I was on facebook and Eric was on and told me he had a break from school for a few weeks, and asked if he could come to KBH, or if I could travel with him somewhere. So I was up till about 1am trying to figure out how we could work it all out. Long story short, he didn’t want to pay the money for the flights (I wouldn’t either), and didn’t come. So that was a lot of stress for nothing!

Wednesday morning I slept in while my friends all went off to their internships for the day. My shuttle bus to the airport didn’t leave till late afternoon, so I had a day to relax and wander around London a bit on my own. My flight to Amsterdam was delayed an hour or so, but I took a hotel shuttle to some random hotel, and arrived there at night time and my friend from SCU, Lily, picked me up. *I spent many days in Amsterdam, so it all kind of runs together now, so these events may or may not be in correct order* Lily does not have class Thursdays or Fridays, so it was a great time for me to be there. She took me all over the small city of Amsterdam. We saw lots of canals, tulips, souvenir stores, coffeshops, prostitutes, etc. Lily took me to the Heineken experience as my birthday present. We had a great time. Our friend Alex, also from SCU, arrived from Cork, Ireland with a group of her new friends, and it was so great to get to see her and for the three of us to be together. We quickly walked through and experienced the red light district, because Lily isn’t too fond of it. But I thought it was incredibly interesting, such a different culture than in America, or really, any other country. I flew back to KBH on Sunday night, just in time for my 8:30am class on Monday morning. It was a great two week break from school, but I was defiantly really thankful to be back to real life in KBH.

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Travel Location: Europe,United-Kingdom,Wales,Llanrwst

So visas and injections are sorted, few little piddly loose ends to tie up and then it’s just the butterflies in my stomach to tame.

So this is where we will be and when:-

12th November – Fly to Bangkok – stay for 2 nights

15th November – overland and boat to Koh Chang (Thailand) (staying here – http://www.remarkpuzi.com/)

26th November – boat then overland back to Bankgkok

27th November – Fly to Auckland New Zealand explore North & South Islands until……

11th January 2008 – Fly to Bombay/Mumbai – head to North Goa

India itinerary is not deffo yet, but aiming to head south to Tamil Nadu, Kerala then back up the middle somehow.

11th March 2008 – Back to Blighty

April 2008 – Back to Pilton!

That’s the plan anyway!

I shall try & post messages on here about how we are getting on and where we are.

Woo hoo!

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Travel Location: Europe,Russia,Northwest,Saint-Petersburg

The museum is dedicated to the peoples that inhabit the Russian Landt.

Notes …. as written while walking thru the second floor:

- entrance fee 350 rub.; little blue footsie slippers are required over outdoor shoes; people working are
not wearing footsies.
- finding the stairs to go up … daunting; found service stairs; official stairway all in marble and
slippery with the footsies.
- Skylight above and exhibits all around second floor bulastrade
- english explanations found …. Hoorah!!
- sample room of a mountain dwelling outfitted with wooden ladles, tree branch hooks, and appliqued
felt blanket
- from Siberia … teepee, skin drum, mukluks, papoose, birch bark utensils, suede, tools to soften
skins, seal skin clothes, toy dools, use of big glass beads to decorate clothes.
- a group could own a hundred reindeer used primarily for transport on the ‘taiga’.
- lassoes, tools for weaving, a saw to cut antlers and wooden bells were some of the artifacts
displayed.
- a needle for making fish nets, carved fish decoys, storage bags made of fish skin … big fish!…
- a mannequin sits in a birch bark canoe; snow shows hang in a display box; a crossbow made of
bent branches tributed to Evensk people.

In 1989, 30,000 of these indigenous people lived onthe tundra and taiga .. west of the Yensei River, north of the Arctic Circle, to Lena River and south to the Sea of Okhotsk. (sorry if this is a bit out …have no map of all of Russia … after all … it spans 11 time zone not 9 as formerly erroniously stated)

Flocks of sheep numbered 1000; muzzles of wood were placed on calves so as to wean them from mother’s milk; wooden traps were made for rabbits and ermine.

Mannequins dressed as a man and woman Shaman tell the story that the Shaman is the go between to the three worlds; above, below and here on Earth.

The Khakass nomads lived in felt yurts; six to eight wooden corners were those of less afluent families and the 12 to 14 cornered yurt denoted richness.

Metal tongs were displayed near a fireplace;
a wooden spindle has wool still on it;
a device for hulluing pine cones sits near a bee orientator … this being a piece of much contorted wood with a hole in the middle …
a press for separating the honey from the wax in the honeycomb shows the importance this delicacy had in earlier cultures.

There is even a wooden tool to separate the queen bee from the rest of the hive.

To make a very long list of extremely intersting sights come to the point let me say that the impression I walked away with was that the people of the outer reaches of the Russian land mass were very industrious, creative, ingenious and artistic:

using wool, felt leather and reeds for clothing,
making pails from birchbark to collect milk,
refining the art of honey collecting,
making felt hats, boots, blankets and houses,
training horses and decorating the beasts,
embroidering wondrous designs on leather and wool,
spining, knitting and weaving with tools of their own design,
trapping all manner of fur bearing animals,
making thread from tendons,
storing grain in earthen holes, wooden chests or wicker baskets covered in clay;
making sacks from animal skins to carry flour and
using large leather bags containing milk hung on horses to change state of the milk as the horse jogged along.
the collection of honey was a major enterprise … local honey still being sold in markets

ivory, horn, wood, amber, silver, gold, glass beads and bronze were materials used thru the ages to beautify, adorn and strengthen.

The English explanations stopped … sucummed … went down to pay for photograph privileges …150rub. It was worth every ruble.

Glass beads adorn headdresses, jackets, mittens, baby cradles and hore blankets. It seems that all cultures have at one time or other been inticed by trading for the ever alluring glass bead.

Red embroidery on white is a popular choice. The patterns are as various as the artists.

Coloured patterns in mittens and socks stem from a more recent period.

The influence of northern nomads, mongolian yurt builders, western steppe dwellers and mountain people can be seen as progress is made thru the rooms of richly displayed artifacts.

Two types of tents were in use by people living north of the Arctic circle. One, the well known teepee shape and the second a semi circular frame covered again in animal skins.
Wooden skiis with animal-skin coverings are displayed as well as snowshoes.

The use of tree branches to make hooks and braces is repeatedly demonstrated. The variety of artifacts is endlessly intriguing.

The use of wood for making spoons was an oft repeated topic of many displays.
Felt and the tools used to make the felt are aslo numerous.

Finally in desperation after seeing many tools of the same shape some very elaborately carved and coloured I asked one of the ladies sitting guard … the wooden rectangles were paddles for beating wool into the felt.

The mystery of other tools was also solved …sometimes with the help of a second or third person.

Let the pictures do the rest of the telling.

What a day! Did not manage to see the whole thing.

Did go to the cafeteria for a kaffe to drink with my cheese sandwich … was the only person there …

none of the senior group that was touring the place with a guide had come for a Kaffee ..

none of the crowd of kids in the place came in while I sat there planning the rest of my afternoon.

It was dark outside.

Walked back to the apartmant for shower, food, TV and knitting. HAd to rest after a busy day of being a conscientious tourist.

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Travel Location: Europe,Italy,Basilicata,Matera

The country of Italy is shaped like a boot and Matera is located near the arch of the boot. There are around 50,000 inhabitants of Matera and it is considered one of the world’s oldest towns. Built upon two ravines, Matera is famous for its sassi, stone houses carved out of the caves and cliffs, and once an area of extreme poverty with overcrowded caves home to livestock and their owners. Additionally, some caves were used as churches with detailed paintings of Christ and other Biblical figures. During the 1950s, over half of Matera’s population lived in the sassi and had an infant mortality of over 50%. These situations gained wide publicity and forced the government to take action by forcibly relocating 15,000 inhabitants to new government housing schemes – one of modern Italy’s great scandals. More recently, scenes from The Passion of the Christ were filmed in Matera’s sassi district.

Now, on our second train of the day, we passed by rolling fields and through olive tree farms. We finally arrived at Matera in the late afternoon and oriented ourselves to search for our hostel. The problem with small cities like Matera is that the guide book doesn’t provided a detailed map and it took some time before we finally reached our destination. I was struck by the beauty of all the buildings and public spaces. Grace and I ooh-ed and aah-ed as we passed the Cathedral of Matera. But it wasn’t until we looked in the opposite direction of the Cathedral that we saw the Sassi – BREATHTAKING! Primarily a hotel, Le Monacelle also has two, 16-bed hostel-like rooms, one of only two hostels in Matera. The hotel/hostel was a former monastery used by the Cathedral of Matera, the city’s main church. Now, it is a fancy bed and breakfast with room rates anywhere between 70-120€ per room per night – we were paying only 18€ per bed per night for staying in their hostel! And to top it all off, we had the entire room to ourselves the first night, and the hostel room had its own terrace balcony which overlooked the ancient sasso!

It was going to get dark soon; therefore, we dropped off our bags and explored the city for a bit. Not only is Matera comprised of the old historical sassi district, but it also has modern buildings with extremely expensive boutique stores – stores that budget travelers like us could not afford. To reward ourselves for the long day of travel we downed large cups of granita, Italy’s version of the slurpee (or something American’s turned into a slurpee). We first discovered granita in Naples, thanks to the suggestion of our friend Cat who lives in Florence. This was better than any 7-eleven slurpee you have ever tasted; not too sweet and amazingly refreshing.

There was very little activity when we first arrived to town. Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the city’s main square, seemed to be shut down as we passed through to get to our hostel. However, as the sun set and day turned into night, more and more people came out, stores began to open up and the piazza became a place to see and be seen. You could notice families on leisurely walks, children chasing each other, elderly men-sitting and having fierce arguments in Italian, teenagers hanging out and others having dinner with friends. Grace and I were obvious outsiders (the only other tourists we found in Matera were Italian), but the locals were very helpful whenever we were looking for a place or got lost – even though most only knew how to speak Italian. After only a couple hours, I had already fallen in love with this place, but there was still more to see the next day!

The following day we woke up and and had breakfast which was included in our nightly rate. Being deprived of good quality lattes and cappuccinos in Cairo, I almost teared up at how delicious the latte I was having out on the terrace with Grace. After breakfast, we explored the sassi, the cave churches, and a replicated cave house. There have been very few times when I resorted to the saying of “…words cannot describe…” but exploring the sassi left me speechless and in awe of its beauty.

For dinner we decided that we would splurge and eat at one of the nice, authentic restaurants in town. We researched several before deciding to go with one located off the main piazza in a narrow passageway. We arrived at the restaurant at 6:30pm and the owner/waitress/chef, a small Italian woman, seated us at one of the four tables located outside – the temperature was perfect. We were a bit early, for Italian standards and therefore the only ones dinning. But soon enough, all the tables, inside and out were filled. The menu was in Italian and we tried to use previous knowledge, my Italian phrasebook, and hand signals with the owner to decipher the items. We started off with a spinach and cheese keish appetizer, followed by our antipasta selection of pasta with chickpeas and bacon (delicious) and a juicy, tender rabbit fillet. Dinner was accompanied by a carafe of the red house wine. This was Grace’s and my first time trying Italian wine since arriving – seven days overdue, believe it or not. This dinner definitely makes the top 10 best dinner list.

After dinner, we wondered around the piazza for some good people watching. We came upon an Irish pub with outdoor seating and decided to have a couple drinks. Again, after months of not-so-tasty Egyptian beer I was treated to a great tasting stout. The alarm at one of the museums went off while we were at the pub and didn’t shut off until after 30 minutes. We thought our night was over, but as we headed towards our hostel, we heard music reverberating through the streets. We followed the sound and were welcomed by a crowd of people, a DJ, and free mojitos in front of a Illy cafe. The DJ looked exactly like Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the Pirates of the Caribbean. The night was concluded by two Italians signing karaoke – unlike American karaoke where most people embarrass themselves, Italian karaoke is serious and only for those with the ability to carry a tune.

As Grace and I walked to the hostel, we took in the sassi, illuminated in the dark, for one last time. The cathedral’s tower jetted out in the black sky, and the rest of the sassi glimmered in hues of yellow and orange. I thought to myself of the wonderful time I had in Matera and if my exploration of Italy were to end that night, I would be completely satisfied.

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Travel Location: Europe,United-Kingdom,Scotland,Hamilton

We both want to thank everyone for all the kind messages and wishes you sent him – we’re sure it helped speed his recovery.

I’ve just about got the washing cleared and the house back into shape and I’ve even started my preparations for Christmas… so I suppose I’ll need to start looking for a job soon.

I promised in the last blog that I’d grab some time to post this final entry with some images we missed along the way and a few thoughts on the overall trip. When I spoke to Jan Ryan the other night she said she was looking forward to the ‘out-takes’ of the holiday – so here it is. I’ve posted the photos in chronological order of when they were taken.

It probably goes without saying, but we are both delighted that we took the trip. Every day truly was an adventure. At times we were a wee bit out of our comfort zone – for example, now that we’re home safe and sound we can tell you about our none-too-clever decision one night to take a shortcut back to the hotel in Vancouver and ended up smack-bang in the middle of Junkie-ville’. It was like the Night of the Living Dead. But that’s all part of the rich tapestry, I suppose

Jim picked up a great quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn while we were away: “Let your memory be your travel bag”. And if that’s the case then we should have been paying an excess baggage fee on the return flight to Glasgow!

The memories of this trip will live with us forever – most of them very enjoyable, funny and rewarding. We met some wonderful new friends; renewed some valuable and treasured ‘old’ friendships and enjoyed some fabulous hospitality.
We saw some stunning sights – including five of the seven wonders of the world (depending on whose list you consult) – Milford Sound, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef, the Red Fort in Agra and Sydney Opera House. We tried some strange new food and learned some new words and phrases (some of them clean). We lost a day that we’ll never get back and still don’t understand where it went? Jim says at his age he simply can’t afford to lose even one day and will be taking the matter up with the relevant authorities!

We saw an amazing assortment of wildlife while we were away – everything from grizzly bears and elk, via koalas and banded sea snakes, to humpback whales and kangaroos……. oh and don’t forget the famous cassowary.

We only realised when we got to Singapore that the full trip had actually been a tour of former British Colonies – how very Raj of us. This wasn’t intentional but it was very interesting nevertheless to see how different countries have fared post-Colonisation.

And we only made one really big mistake by not taking a laptop with us which meant it cost us a fortune and a lot of hassle trying to find internet cafes everywhere we went. Better to have sacrificed the travelling ‘light’ for ease of access methinks. Won’t make that mistake again.

Some statistics. During the 13 weeks we:

• Were on 15 different aeroplane flights – plus one helicopter flight
• Flew just under 30,000 miles
• Drove almost 6,500 miles
• Took three train trips
• Set sail on 11 boat trips/ferries
• Stayed in 43 hotels/motels – as well as an overnight with Mel & Colin and a week with Alan and Jan at the Old Kent Road B&B in Bellambigong
• Visited approximately 25 laundromats/guest laundries
• Braved four cable car/gondola rides (I believe my medal of valour is in the post)
• Had our bank cards stopped about eight times
• Bought about 30 phone cards and made dozens of calls to the “kids” (who even answered sometimes!)
• Took over 1800 photos and downloaded photos from the camera 15 times
• Recorded over 16 hours of video on the camcorder
• Visited umpteen internet cafes

It certainly was a busy time – we’ll need a holiday now to recover. But, as Dorothy (or Judy Garland) once said – there’s no place like home. Even in the wind and rain. We are glad to be back.

We did inevitably get a wee bit tired and weary at times but the wonderful, heartfelt messages on this blog – as well as the texts, emails and phone calls – warmed the cockles of our wee hearts when we were thinking of home. Thanks so much for them – and for still speaking to us after we’ve bored the pants off you with all our adventures.

Roger, over and out….(at least until the next time!)

Love
JandL

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Travel Location: Europe,Ukraine,Dnepropetrovsk

So I finally arrived in Dnipropetrovsk at 7am, by train. There I was pleased to see a smiling reception waiting for me, of Era, Ola and Ola (will try to get photos soon). I soon discovered that names are a bit confusing.. There’s the Russian name, the English variation of that name, and then the English name too sometimes. So my ‘buddy’ assigned to me is Olya (i think), but she says I should call her Ola, or Helen. She explained how it went to Helen, and although I don’t remember now, it made sense at the time. Apparently there’s 9 girls named Ola in the LC, so that might make remembering names a bit easier.

So after a nice breakfast, we headed back to Ola’s flat, whom I would be living with until my accomodation was sorted. This is not my buddy Ola, but the other Ola, whom I will refer to as Osa, to make things easier.

Transport here is in the form of a scary van like thing called a marshrutka. They’re fairly packed, drive at breakneck speeds, and I’m looking forward to when I can travel in one by myself. Things aren’t too scary in terms of people, it’s just the fact that there aren’t any people out and about that speak English, except the students that I’m with.

Later that day, I met up with some other AIESECers at the city centre shopping mall, as well as meeting some other interns. There was Angela from auckland, Alice from Canty, and Steve from the Philippines. Steve is my hero at the moment, having been here for about 2 months, he’s already picked up quite a lot of the language, and can get around by himself quite well. I’m hoping to pick up some Russian while I’m here too (no pun intended).

The mall that we were at was very modern, which was quite a contrast to the rest of the buildings and areas outside. (I’ll add photos later). It was always nice to see some familar stores, music or movies though, a small area of familarity in an otherwise foreign place. It was also good to talk to the other interns as well, about NZ, our experiences so far, or just talking in conversational English. One pretty cool moment was when we were outside the mall, and one guy casually pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds and passed them around. I was like, cheers bro! Although I don’t think he understood.

Once we got back to the flat, I pretty much fell asleep for a good 12 hours. After nights of packing, trying to sleep on planes and in airports, and a bumpy sleep on the train, a nice bed never felt so good. Needless to say, I thought I would be in equilibrium in the time after that, but I think it will take me some time to adjuct to the time difference, the flight, and the early sunset..

The people I’m staying with at the moment are extremely nice; Osa and her brother have been very warm and welcoming, and go out of their way to make sure that I’m doing well (especially with the whole vegetarian thing). Her brother Denis, is an AISEC alumni, so I have long conversations with him about different things, both about AIESEC and Ukraine, which is quite informative. Her father, although lacking English, is very nice and welcoming. Last night for dinner, he insisted that I join him and Denis for some traditional Ukranian drinks with dinner, which was an interesting experience.

Something to ponder about..

There’s a lot of little things that you don’t really prepare for, but still have to get used to. Cars drive on the right side of the road, so aside from the craziness of the drivers, I need to get used to looking left when I cross the street.
It’s quite cold outside.. still the start of winter, but about as cold as mid-winter in NZ. However, inside anywhere is quite warm, hot even. So I need to get used to shedding and adding layers quite often.
Hanging out with the AIESECers is a bit tricky for me, because they usually speak Russian with each other, so I pretty much tune out. But then when they speak to me, they are quite avid story tellers. I’m used to ‘A because of B’. But here, it’s more like ‘A, by then way, C,D,E,F.. and yeah, B’. So I’m really getting a chance to develop my concentration ability.

There is more, but I’ll save it for another time. Feel free to comment, nice to know that people are reading this =].

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Travel Location: Europe,Ireland,County-Wicklow,Wicklow

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Dublin, Ireland (with a tour of the Wicklow region)

My last day in Dublin! Woke up at 8am so that I could be at the Tourism Office at 9am to be picked up by the Wild Wicklow Tours! In one way, I wish I had done this tour first because it had other Americans (they do exist!) and the bus driver was very entertaining. However, the day ended with me cold and drenched and ready to leave the lovely Dublin weather.

Our first stop was at a shopping place called “Avoca” in Wicklow which was a craft type store where they stick us tourists in a room full of crap and try to pressure us to buy. Oh, and I got a really pretty Christmas ornament!

Up next was a little town where crazy people were swimming in the bay (just south of Dun Laoghaire). The spot was called Forty Foot. We watched them jump in the water, and then we jumped into the bus, about a 5 minute stop total.

Then, Glendalough in Wicklow County, Ireland. This is the site of an old church and graveyard and other historical factors that you can read about on the previous link. Also, after a 25 minute walk in the rain, we got to the Lower Lake where movies such as “Braveheart” have been shot. It was very pretty, but very cold and wet and I was stupid and thought I didn’t need an umbrella since I had a rain slicker (live and learn- then get Luvs!). Each time we got back in the bus, our tour guide (whose name I can’t remember but the odds are pretty good it was Michael or Stephen) would offer us a shot of whiskey. Needless to say, I passed but everyone else seemed pretty darn happy!

After that, our tour guide decided to chance a drive up to an overlook on Loch Tay (or Guiness Lake). The reason why I type “chance” is because he had been up there the previous day with a tour group and the roads were iced over. While they weren’t completely iced over today, there were ice patches. And it WAS COLD with freezing rain pelting us. However, we ventured out of the bus for a minute to take some pictures- it was amazing. The lake we were looking down on was where many movies were shot, including “P.S. I Love You” (chick flick that I totally love). This is now the location for a more important event, the first non-US “Pinch of Nancy” was done here. I am hoping that Mom forgives me for leaving her in freezing rain conditions, but surely the view will make up for it.

After that we drove back to Dublin, about a 50 minute drive. I grabbed a sandwich and was standing in a warm shower (without the sandwich) by 5pm- so cold! My clothes are still laying over the radiator in my room. The rest of my evening was spent trying to repack the monster backpack. Tomorrow I’m going to catch a bus to the airport (public transportation intimidates the hell out of me) and my flight for Edinburgh leaves at 11am and gets in at Noon. So, I’ll have the afternoon/evening to explore and remember the good Edinburgh times (and then a full day on Wednesday.)

Goodnight Gracie!

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Travel Location: Europe,Montenegro,Kotor

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Move over Paris, Milan, London….Montenegro is one of the most fashionable and trendy places! More funny becasue we just didn’t expect it…and a bit bummed we didn’t get some pictures of the street fashion to prove it!

We had heard and seen some pretty amazing things about Montenegro and were a bit bummed we would wizz through this gorgeous country!

We were lucky and got a ride from Stjepo the guesthouse owner in Dubrovnik to the town just over the border in Montenegro. He was going to buy cigarettes becasue Croatian cigarettes cost 1euro in Montenegro as opposed to 3.50 euro in Croatia!

The drive down the coast of Croatia into Montenegro is absolutely gorgeous…in particular the area between the borders of the 2 countries is breathtakingly beautiful!
We said goodbye to our friendly host from the last few days and took a bus and headed towards Kotor which is another old city on the UNESCO list! We wanted to camp but after visiting the town nearby with camping found it was closed and also the ground was too wet from recent rain. Kotor is a pretty amazing place…breathtaking and just stunning…magical mountains and mysterious lake…you just have to check out the pics to see! We managed to get a really cheap room from a guy at the bus station which was quite handy with the cold weather! The family who rented the rooms were really friendly and opened their home to us in the evening to warm up in front of their fire! We checked out the old Kotor city which I thought had a lot more character and charm than the old city of Dubrovnik! Beautiful streets and old buildings and an amazing wall which climbed up the hill. The next day we took nice stroll in the hills next to where we were staying where we saw some amazing old buildings and came across an interesting goat shepherd! We shared an nice meal that evening with Johno, an Aussie guy we met who was staying at the same place! Really interesting traveller who gave us some tips for China and funny enough worked at the Red Cross in Melbourne (small world) and knew someone we both knew!

We left Kotor and headed south and decided to stop at a small town to camp, we later found it was a pretty deserted beach town and then left the following day. We took a taxi after he was quite persistent and offered us the same fare as a bus to the next town…and then during the ride we ended up getting a ride to the Albanian border!

en francais

ca commence par un drole de ville du nom de Herceg Novi!!! alors on n’y reste pas et on prend le bus pour la baie de kotor!!! magnific le long de la mer et double baie avec des montagnes qui ce jetent dans la mer!!!! plein de vieille histoire tout partout!!! arrivee a kotor une ville construit par le venitiens pour le commerce!!! un mur d’enceinte a flan de montagne!!! une belle ville remplie de jeunes gens hyper friques!!! la mode est partout on ce croirait a paris ou londres!!! enfin bon un homme nous propose un maison a loue et voila on y est dans un petit village au bord de mer!!! la nature est belle comme les montagnes!!! un berger, le reflet de la montagne dans la mer!!! un paix immense!!! on part apres quelques jours pour la plage!!! et quelle plage un peu surrannee, un peu vide et froide aussi!!! on reussi a se faire un dinner montenegrin au feu de bois!!! le camping est froid la nuit, pas grave!!! un belle histoire de matin, quand un taxi s’arrete et change les plans de la veille et fait faire au temps un poussee d’acceleration vertigineuse!!! 3 heures plus tard on est a la frontiere albanaise!!! ca y’est l’europe d’autrefois!!!

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Travel Location: Europe,United-Kingdom,Scotland

He did lots of reading with Great Nanny & Great Aunty Lou, lots of cuddling with his little cousin (admittedly she was more enthusiastic than him)! He went for a ride on Dylan the Dog (until Dylan got away from him), learnt all about beards and was generally spoilt rotten by everyone!

Then on the flight on the way home he sang his ‘ow-ow’ song at the top of his voice for the whole plane to enjoy (we think it’s endearing, but perhaps not everyone else feels the same!), flirted with the girl sat next to us and then crashed out asleep on the tray table. It would have taken his Dad at least six pints of Stella to do all that!

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Travel Location: Europe

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