We've been around the block...

We are back!!

Well folks we have been around the block!!! A fabulous time made even better by being able to share it with friends - and with you via this blog.
We landed together in Auckland and then the Youngs carried on to Dunedin to a chilly 7 degrees... argh!! - even my tan is shrinking!
The flight from LA was good with all of us getting some sleep at least! The flight from Auckland to Dunedin was perfect, though we did manage to sleep through some of it.
It was great to be met in Auckland by the familiar faces of my brother Graham, cousin Jan and her husband Don, after so many impersonal arrivals.
Our friends have really spoilt us, the fire was going and some supplies to keep us going.
Hoagie is happy to be home, though she is rather rounder than when we left, so obviously hasn't been pining for us.
Bags are unpacked, washing on the line and David is enjoying a marmite sandwich and Ella has ordered noodles for lunch.
Catch you all soon.

The feet return

The Feet return...

And these crazy shoes - the Youngs wore them on the whole trip (-and some of the Browns most of the trip) including the National Park walk in the rain - no other footwear!!. We left in them and arrived back at the house with them on. Mine have no tread left and are dangerous on smooth wet flagstones .. but they have been great ..... $15 from the Warehouse. Maybe I will write a poem about them..:-)

At LA airport

LA airport and we have very nearly come the complete circle. We were very lucky to all be able to come into the Koru lounge, so are enjoying Jaffas, pineapple lumps and yesterday's Herald! David and Ella are looking forward to some NZ Marmite which is on the menu tonight!!

Ella and I went 'shopping' this morning. We managed to catch buses to the closest Mall and return safely, inspite of all my worrying. David decided that he would make the most of Disneyland and spent most of the day there, with Craig, Annette and the kids. The airport is big disappointment, Heathrow had heaps of shops where we could spend our last pounds, while LAX has very few. Guess we will have to save our dollars for our next trip.
Looking forward to catching up when we finally get home. Thanks for the emails, texts and Blogg comments. Knowing that we have such great friends and family around the world has been very special.
Arohanui.



Screams of joy!!

Heading home

Tomorrow we head home - looking forward to seeing everyone again - but not to winter!!

Still having fun

Still having fun......

Disneyland

Disneyland, just as magical as we remembered. Being here midweek is great as the crowds are not too bad and the sun shines enough to add to our European suntan. Ella is not keen on the 'wild' rides - mind you, neither am I, but she is loving the 'girlie' stuff that is here.
We had a great flight from London. The plane had 100 empty seats, yet we were not seated together! Thankfully there was enought room and we were able to reorganise ourselves and could even sit with our friends, but you do wonder how hard it would be to seat three members of the same family together!
US immigration was a nightmare, the queue went forever. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) Ella was sick while we were waiting and not long after, an official came along and told families with children to move to another queue. It hastend the process hugely!
Our hotel is about 10 minutes wald to the main gates - 8 of those are through the parking lot. We can see the lights at night.
Off soon for another day of 'magic'.

Time to leave England

We are at Heathrow airport. We are ready to move on again. London has been great, but the weather was just as we remember. We met up with Geoff Young, David's cousin, for lunch and then Janine, my niece and her partner for a lovely pub meal last night.
So much to do, so little time. Despite the weather, we have had a fantastic time visiting landmarks such as Tower Bridge and Big Ben.

More from LA!

Fountain

London

Wow, London! It is still as dynamic, colourful, eclectic, and interesting as we remembered. We have packed a huge amount into the couple of days we have been here. We have 'done' Hambleys, The British Museaum, Changing of the Guard, Harrods, Madame Tussards, Tower of London, watched Tower Bridge being raised, Big Ben and some shows thrown in for good measure. I feel exhausted just looking at the list. Last night the girls went to The Lion King (awesome in Ella's words) and the boys went to see The Lord of the Rings. Tonight the girls have been to Mary Poppins, Craig and Cameron have been to Othello, at the Globe Theatre and David met up with his cousin and went to a comedy show. It is now after 11.00 on Sunday night and we are at Victoria Station waiting for Craig and Cameron to meet us before we catch the train out to Clapham.
The Hotel is great, not too far from the train station, and only a 15 minute ride into the middle of the city. Think we might need a sleep in tomorrow.

England and rain....

Back in England - true to form we got stuck in traffic and it has been raining! Think we might flag London and head back to the south of France!! Our flight was great, we had fantastic views over the French Riveria and the alps before hitting the clouds and murk further north. Air NZ could learn a lot from EasyJet, the plane was new and very quiet. We were very lucky because we had a child, we were priority, so were allowed onto the plane first, so didn't have to rush for seats.
It is great to be able to spend some more time with Joan and Martin and we had an English pub meal at their local pub last night.
Today we are heading back to London to meet up with Craig and Annette.
More news when we get a chance.

Antibes

The old and the new - Fort Carre sourrounded by playthings of the rich! - from our last evening walk around the old town of Antibes.

Next London!

Venice to Nice

Bonjour! We are back in France ready to fly to London tomorrow morning. Hopefully we are going to prove that all of the stories you hear about Easy-Jet are not true! We did a trial run to the airport tonight and even know where we have to return the car in the morning.

We drove from Venice to Nice today and were here in time to spend an hour or so on the beach - warm pebbles, blue sea and lots of topless sunbathers - almost too much for our 'prudish' ten year old to cope with! Visited a few of the outlet stores near our hotel, but the cost of everything was still very high when compared to the NZ dollar.

Tomorrow we will collect another rental car to drive down to Kent where we will spend one more night with family, before heading back to London to meet up with our friends and to explore London for four days.

Yesterday we spent an enjoyable day in Venice - mainly just walking, gawking and soaking up the atmosphere of that beautiful city. A gondola ride was just the thing to complete the day..... expensive but worth it and something Christina and I had said we would do next time we visited Venice.








Ella was fascinated by the waterways and around every corner was a new sight! The sun shone and it the city wasn't too crowded, so it was perfect. We loved the buskers both on the land and in the gondolas. We even got back in time to have a swim at the camping ground where we were staying in a cute wee cabin. Once again it was enjoyable because there were very few people about.

Exploring the castle

Liz...

Travelling north

Slovenia today! and back to hot sunny weather!
Yesterday we explored the island of Krk in Croatia.


The coastline is dotted with fishing villages and we managed to find one that sold hot chips - Ella was delighted! The island is accessible by an impressive bridge, built in 1980 and seems popular for tourists, probably because you do not have to catch a ferry to it. The weather was OK, still overcast, but not pouring with rain as it had been. David and Ella had their last swim in the Adriatic Sea when we were back on the mainland - too chlly for me.

We decided to head north to Solvenia and had the usual boarder crossing to 'survive'. Not sure yet what difference joining the EU has had to some of these countries, except that they now have food in their supermarkets!
Spent the night in a chalet, in a camping ground, in the forest. It was great, could back the car up to the door and not get wet. This morning we visited a 12th C castle in Predjama, which is built around a number of caves. We also went though one of the caves - 1 km long and climbed up 80 m. It was brilliant. Slovenia is very pretty and appears similar to Austria in many ways. Lots of 'story-book' houses. We expect to see Julie Andrews appear over the hills singing, at any moment!
Back to Italy tonight and Venice tomorrow.

Rain! All day!

Friday... RAIN!!!! Ah well - we walked Plitvice national park anyway. As well as getting completely soaked we were treated to the most fabulous sights. Much of the tracks are boarded walkways over karst rock with waterfalls every where - even walking across some of them. Fantastic - even in the rain. This is a must see place!

Brist - Croatia

Back in Brist that night were treated to a BBQ by our host - insisting that we sample the local meats and his home made wine. Ah well someone has to do it!!!


Next day we headed north and inland towards Plitvice National park. Apart from the rain the journey was great - fantastic coast with high rocky cliffs then a climb inland to the new motor-way. Managed to see how fast the car would go as well!!

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is certainly a charming city to visit - very well preserved and restored. e particularly enjoyed walking the narrow city streets - and no cars within the old city walls. Some streets were only a metre wide. Walking the walls gave great views of the city and the surrounding area - with the sea adding a magical touch! We are going back some time!!

A ticket....:-(

Oh - and today I received my first traffic ticket!!! Wonderful...not!

Croatia

We are currently in Dubrovnik - wow what a beautiful city! We have just finished walking the city wall - whew - Ella is munching her way thru an icecream to cool off. Then off for a swim in the sea! I have found this www access down a tiny back street. (free too!!)

The ferry crossing from Ancona as smooth - and very exciting for Ella - sleeping in a tiny cabin below the deck. Woken at 10 to 6 for probably the worst supplied breakfast we have come across. The pizza in Dubrovnik has made up for it!
We visited Assisi on the way to Ancona. Fabulous! - had a great time in the tunnels of the old fort - then a walk around the stunningly beautiful old village and a visit to St Francis church.



Yesterday we were taken, by a local, to Mostar in Bosnia, visited the old town and had a tiki tour on the way back to Brist where we are staying. Mostar old town was beautiful - and through the rest of the town you can still see evidence of the war with bullet holes and ruined buildings. The Muslim influence is very evident. Was good to get a local's view of the conflict.