20 July 2006
Getting closer
Now its only 11 more sleeps until we fly out! Everyone keeps asking us if we're excited, but we aren't as excited as we would have expected really. We have been really busy; at work getting everything done, and at home trying to organise everything so we CAN go away for 5 months.
We have some great arrangements so far. In England: First we'll be staying with my brother Steven's best friend Vince Morse in London. He is owner/chef of the gastropub Ealing Park Tavern, so that is very exciting. In Oxford we'll be staying with our friend Carrie's sister Lilly and her husband Nick, and their beautiful, brand new baby Zena, and here's another exciting bit, on their converted barge in Oxford! Next we stay with an old friend Lisa in Bath, whom we met when we first travelled to Nepal in 1991! We have kept in contact, but haven't seen each other since. We are very excited about that. Then its off up to Sheffield to stay with my sister-in-law's sister Sue and her husband Rae. We also hope to catch up with their wider relatives and their friends, some of whom we know well and some we have just "met" over the internet. Finally in England to Chester, where we had hoped to stay with our great friend Tanya who moved over there recently. Unfortunately she will now be in West Africa (Mauritania) working when we get there, so that is a dissapointment. We'll stay with her partner Grae though, which will be nice, especially as they have a really nice flat on the river.
In Ireland we start in Cork, where we meet up with Irish colleague Will Roche and his wife Lisa, who just happen to be there visiting home. It's going to be great going to their favourite pub. Scary, but great! Then its off through Ireland including to Limerick to absorb some of Gail's Irish heritage, departing from Dublin. We fly to Frankfurt to stay with Edda's parents Bruni and Deiter in nearby Bad Homburg. This is where we pick up their campervan and head off up the Rhine to Dusseldorf to stay with Edda and Johnny. Now THAT is going to be fun. Then over to Amsterdam, where Tanya is going to come across and visit us, so we are going to see her after all! Then onwards through Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Portugal and back to Germany, drop off the campervan and then finish in Paris before going home via a couple of days in Singapore.
Onwards and upwards.
We have some great arrangements so far. In England: First we'll be staying with my brother Steven's best friend Vince Morse in London. He is owner/chef of the gastropub Ealing Park Tavern, so that is very exciting. In Oxford we'll be staying with our friend Carrie's sister Lilly and her husband Nick, and their beautiful, brand new baby Zena, and here's another exciting bit, on their converted barge in Oxford! Next we stay with an old friend Lisa in Bath, whom we met when we first travelled to Nepal in 1991! We have kept in contact, but haven't seen each other since. We are very excited about that. Then its off up to Sheffield to stay with my sister-in-law's sister Sue and her husband Rae. We also hope to catch up with their wider relatives and their friends, some of whom we know well and some we have just "met" over the internet. Finally in England to Chester, where we had hoped to stay with our great friend Tanya who moved over there recently. Unfortunately she will now be in West Africa (Mauritania) working when we get there, so that is a dissapointment. We'll stay with her partner Grae though, which will be nice, especially as they have a really nice flat on the river.
In Ireland we start in Cork, where we meet up with Irish colleague Will Roche and his wife Lisa, who just happen to be there visiting home. It's going to be great going to their favourite pub. Scary, but great! Then its off through Ireland including to Limerick to absorb some of Gail's Irish heritage, departing from Dublin. We fly to Frankfurt to stay with Edda's parents Bruni and Deiter in nearby Bad Homburg. This is where we pick up their campervan and head off up the Rhine to Dusseldorf to stay with Edda and Johnny. Now THAT is going to be fun. Then over to Amsterdam, where Tanya is going to come across and visit us, so we are going to see her after all! Then onwards through Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Portugal and back to Germany, drop off the campervan and then finish in Paris before going home via a couple of days in Singapore.
Onwards and upwards.
