We heart Ladybird

A video of our big trip

2009-01-31T03:41:00.001-08:00

I made this a while ago and was sure I'd posted it, but apparently have not! Here it is anyway, hopefully capturing the essence of our grand adventure... Enjoy!

The wonderful music is "Sunlight through Rails" by Chequerboard!

WE ARE ELECTRIC!!

2008-09-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

What a weekend we had last weekend! The Electric Picnic took over, now familiar Stradbally and we were, yet again, completely won over by the Pod Productions offering to the festival circuit! They create such a wonderland, with such attention to detail, and the whole affair is reminiscent of Disneyland... not a stone unpainted, not a fairylight forgotten!

The one thing I absolutley love love about the picnic is the absense of young twats out to cause mayhem... the whole crowd are pleasant, happy and there to relax, there is a sense of joviality in the air, displayed in even the most introverted getting their spotty wellies and zogabons on!

The line up is always interesting, the picnic constantly offering an eclectic mix of old and new, with nothing too contemporary, nothing to draw the teenyboppers!

We went this year with our children, and it was brilliant. Mary had a ball, feeling like one of the gang as she strolled through the crowds in her wellies and skinny jeans... Joe (equpped with ear protectors) enjoyed all the attention, and slept through most of the evenings entertainment. There was a whole section dedicated to children, with workshops ranging from basket making to stone writing! The rain held off nicely until the early hours of Monday morning and it seems the Electric Picnic did not fail to disappoint anyone.

The mix of music and art, with the most curious displays of puppetry, sand art, and performances from all sorts, is perfect fodder for those hungry for an alter ego, an alternate world....

One where they strip off the suit, the mortgage, the stresses and the strains and float back eagerly into the carefree existence they once knew as childhood!

After it all...

2008-08-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.”

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Homeward bound...

2008-08-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Well, with some resistance, we eventually pulled up in our queue for the Dun Laoghaire bound ferry, and after a short wait, we drove on board. Birdy found herself placed among some real grannies, and she was the baby for once!! Her engine was like a kitten purring beside these growlers!
The short sailing home was uneventful, and quiet... Our funds had expired over a cooked breakfast this morning, and so with barely enough for a shared cup of tea, we had little to do but talk about our trip and how, although it felt like forever since we had left, it had flown by!

Its hard to believe we won't be unpacking the van tonight, folding down our comfy bed and waking up to another new day.... in another new place.... with the open road ahead and the world at our feet...

Going home...

2008-08-15T03:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its time to go home, after all the wonderful experiences we've had and amazing places we've been... the time has come, to take off our nomadic sandals and step back into our regular shoes.... Booo....

For now, though, we're just driving, closing our eyes to the reality, the direction we are going and imagining that we are on our way to yet another city...

Llan-WHA?

2008-08-15T02:21:00.000-07:00

Bill is full of surprises, and a great example of this was last year, when we took trains across Europe, he shocked us all by saying the name of the longest place in the world, as our train passed through and the long never ending sign passed us by.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch...

So we demanded immediate lessons, and since then we have all been able to break out the tongue twister on demand...

At the end of our holiday last year, we diverted the trip and booked into a hotel in Llanfair p.g. which was great fun, the town comprises of a train station with the biggest gift shop you'd ever see, and a chipper - which we all concurred did the best fish and chips we'd ever had!

So this year of course, we had to stop by and try those fish suppers again! We weren't let down! The freshest fish, in a dark beer batter, with juicy salty chips and mushy peas... when you're hungry its manna from heaven!

Hi-de-HI

2008-08-15T02:10:00.000-07:00

Hello campers! Birdie made it!! Isn't she fab!!

So arriving in Britain to rain and wind, not much different than Belgium...! But thankfully by the time we arrived in Wales, the rain had stopped and the wind had died down, and so it was camping reminiscent of childhoods spent in Brittas Bay...

We had rang ahead and were greeted with a chorus of "Come on DOWN!" so we were looking forward to a bit of camp in camp!! We weren't disappointed as the reception was manned (I use the term lightly) by a very colourful pair, one who fell about in a mock swoon every time I spoke to him claiming to be a "goner for an irish accent!"

The campsite was spotless, with great facilities and a shortcut through the most scenic countryside brought us to a delightful little town on the sea!

We found ourselves, for dinner, in a hotel that didn't seem to have moved with the times, I kept expecting Benny from Crossroads to come around the corner!

After a pie and chips dinner, followed by treacle tart (never had it before - YUM!) we headed back through the fields, in the dark, to our campsite. It was eery and beautiful, but scary-scary and I swear I could hear Derek Acorah whisper "Whats that Sam?" when the wind picked up as we rounded the hill!

We keep remarking how it doesn't feel that the trip is over.... but it is.... tomorrow we'll board the boat to Dun Laoire, drop Birdie off to my moms, get back into our regular car and head back to our house... until next year!!!

Bill took a photo...

2008-08-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

Will wonders never cease?

Darling M...

2008-08-14T14:54:00.003-07:00

I love this shot of M... doing her best not to fall asleep after a day in Bruges!

Knock knock...

2008-08-14T14:46:00.001-07:00

The buildings in Bruges were just perfect, even the average joe, run-o-the-mill, coronation-street type houses had magic about them, even if it was just the door...

Dear Santa...

2008-08-13T03:14:00.000-07:00

Dub be good to me...

2008-08-13T03:11:00.000-07:00

We've only seen a handful of vw vans as we've travelled along, we saw alot in Britain and then one or two on our way to the mill. Then we saw none, bar one in our campsite in Florence, and we were shocked at the lack of them in Germany where we were sure they'd be rife!
In amsterdam there was rumours of one in the campsite, but I never saw it, and so we were delighted when we drove into our site in Bruges and saw we had a neighbor. This was a lovely van, with completely original interior, owned by a french couple taking their maiden voyage to sweden! We chatted with them, and told them what we had learned from our trip, and from those more expert than we!
The other vw van we saw in Belgium was turned away from our campsite, as it was full, and so they parked up outside on the street for a rest. It was a deep silver, and had been given a "pimp out" which I found really unappealling. It had blacked out windows, alloy wheels and a spoiler!! It looked like a thug! The vw can barely reach 60 miles an hour so why anyone would make it sporty is beyond me!
I really think the vw campervan should be made to look as close to it would have originally, modernising them just makes them look sad, like mutton dressed as lamb... it takes their personality (soul?) from them and they don't deserve that!!
They are old ladies, give them chintz and flowers, not leather and spikes!

Wheres Charlie?

2008-08-13T03:01:00.000-07:00

We were dying to get to see the chocolate factory and museum that Bruges boasts, and so after the Holy Blood and our carraige ride we shot down to catch it, as it closes at 5.

In we went and paid. WHAT A BLOODY WASTE OF MONEY!!! The most horrendous statues made of chocolate lined the halls, tacky and awful and then rooms and rooms of cups used to drink chocolate over the ages. WHO CARES ABOUT THAT??? There was an impressive display of white chocolate statues, made by a russian artist, I didn't get the name, as I was distraught that they were in a glass cabinet and so I couldn't lick them...

I wanted to see sweets on conveyor belts, a friendly fat chocolate maker singing as he dipped his finger in the liquid and then rows and rows of chocolate sweets would fall from the ceiling into my waiting mouth...

Instead a young bespectled choclatier told us, in six languages, how to make a praline sweet, in about six minutes and then ushered us out as the next group came in...

I was so disappointed, but consoled by the token tasting as we left the building... with a gob full of chocolate its hard to be downcast for long!

The Holy Blood...

2008-08-13T02:56:00.000-07:00

On a tight tight budget (we are broke, broke, broke) we had chosen our itinerary from things less likely to dig deep in our pockets! The Basilica of the Holy Blood was free, and since I am intrigued by and curious about relics, we headed there first. The relic is very precious as it contains the blood of Jesus Christ. Not only that but the blood becomes fresh again daily, then coagulates again at night.
You may be interested in my ommitance of words like "apparently" or "supposed to" but where relics, and religion are concerned I think its more respectful to present the information in definate language. Why not? Its a belief held by many people and so when on their turf I try to be respectful.

So we went to see the Holy Blood and I actually got to hold the relic itself! I queued up and they allowed me place my hands on it. I couldn't take my eyes off it, and I have to admit I was open mouthed, and not in prayer! It was bizarre... a blood stained rag in a glass tube, but the blood was as new as if I had just dabbed it off a wound. Bright red and glistening. Amazing.

Of course there are those stick in the muds who say scientifically the blood changes because of temperature, but I say Booooooo to that! Why shouldn't it be the blood of christ? Why shouldn't it be revered and held in a precious vile? I think its brilliant, and I have to say I felt something when I placed my hands on the glass bottle, despite my curiousity for the world of relics, despite my questions regarding how the blood of christ ended up in Belgium, despite the obvious modern "oh come on!" reaction that most would have, I felt something as I laid my hands on the precious relic, a mixture of amazement and awe, followed by a definate feeling of encouragement.

Perhaps it was the curiousness of humankind that touched me, the belief in our uniqueness, the belief in God, or maybe it was the strength of the relic, who knows?

Thwarted Love...

2008-08-13T02:46:00.000-07:00

An example of mans intrusion on the animal kingdom, a big boat of tourists ruins the moment... we watched for a while after and they never got back together...

In Bruges... again!

2008-08-13T02:43:00.000-07:00

After a breakfast of waffles and coffee, we were off again to Bruges, with a list of things we wanted to see. So we queued and got on board a horse and carraige. The driver was very informative, with a great roll on his 'r's that amused us all, and we saw the sights in thirty minutes.
We always try to do a city tour, as its a great way of seeing everything in a day, but in bruges there was a very reasonable rate for a carraige ride, only five euro more than three tickets for the bus tour.

It was very enjoyable and well worth thirty euro!

In Bruges...!

2008-08-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Belgium is a country I know little about, and so I was none too pushed about visiting it, in fact it was barely factored into our trip. However when Fergal told me he was in Bruges and it was wonderful, we decided to forgoe Luxembourg and drive straight to Holland, then spend time in Belgium, going home through Dunkirk and Dover instead of Amsterdam to Newcastle!

We booked into a campsite near Bruges called Camping Memling. On arrival we realised that the photos on the website were taken cleverly, what we thought would be a large site turned out to be a tiny little nook with limited facilities, nonetheless lovely and very homely.

Still on the cycling buzz from Amsterdam, we hired bikes and cycled into Bruges!

Bruge is a medieval town, surrounded by a moat, there was once walls which don't remain but the four gates are still there and are very impressive... Cycling over the drawbridge, I would have given anything to be on horseback! The whole town is cobbled streets, and the buildings are out of this world! Pretty, dainty, fairylike, Bruges couldn't fail to grab you by the heart and wrap itself around your little finger... Despite the bustling queues for horse and trap rides, and canalboats and the fierce prices of the central restaurants, you forgive Bruges instantly for its tack and tourist gack, and adore every stone under your feet!

We hung around for the evening, going for pancakes instead of dinner, served by a grumpy landlady in a local creperie... I ended up having a bit of a "hit the roof" moment in school french with her after our visa was roughly denied (despite signs on the door) and she started telling other customers about us wanting to use a credit card as if we'd asked for tick!

Despite this, we concurred that the belgians, perhaps, were generally of surly charachter, and so it didn't put us off... we just couldn't wait for tomorrow with a whole day to explore!

Gargling Joe...

2008-08-12T14:15:00.001-07:00

We're lovin' it!

2008-08-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes everyone really needs a McDonalds...!

Anne Franks House

2008-08-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

I had wanted so badly to see the Anne Frank house, and Mary had read the diary between the mill and amsterdam, so on our way to Bruges we stopped and went in. There was only a couple of people there in the queue and so when it opened we had a wonderful opportunity to see everything without crowds.

It was a very strange experience, I wished I had reread the book beforehand but even so it was amazing to be in the house they hid in from the Nazis and to see her actual diary.

It was hard not to be upset, going through the secret annex as she had, walking along the corridors and up the stairs as she described, with her bedroom walls as they were, her height marked on the wall and videos from people who knew her sharing what they knew of her life.

What got me the most was how young she was, I had read the book as a child and so had seen her as someone older than me, I don't think I really understand that she died after everything, that really only struck me as I looked at her life size photos and saw a little girl looking back, like my own little girl, full of life and so so young.

The thing that I will remember most, though, is the footage of Otto Frank, Annes father, talking about the diary.

He said that when he came back to Amsterdam, after the liberation, and found out that no-one else would be coming home, he was glad to have annes diary, which she had always entrusted to him to keep safe and he had promised never to read. It had been in a case that was kept for him by friends. He said it took him "a very long time to read it" and that when he did he could not believe how deep she was, and how serious her thoughts had been. His final words have echoed in my ears all day and I'm sure I will always remember he said that the conclusion he came to, after reading Annes diary, was that no parent "really knows their children"...

Little snips...

2008-08-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Santa...

2008-08-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

If you can't beat em...

2008-08-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Torture Museum...?

2008-08-11T12:15:00.001-07:00

Why did we go and see this? What on earth did we think would be in it? It was a short experience but one that ensured we would have neither appetites nor restful sleep for quite a while.

I have always known that humans were cruel, and I knew that the middle ages probably topped the cruelty stakes but my good God, I didn't realise just how horrendous people were to each other.

Mary tries out the grill, this was used red-hot to torture traitors!

We walked around the Torture museum, all of us felt ill and wish we'd stayed away... Thankfully they had no recreations with dummies or any waxworks, because even the pictures depicting the scenes were bad enough.

We learned something though! Apparently if one was to be interrogated for information by the government around the 12th century or so, it was a customary method to place you under a piece of wood on which heavy stones would be put. This is where the saying "to be under pressure" or "putting pressure on" comes from!!!
I was delighted to know that!

"..but, I just can't stop thinking about those poor people..."

Finding Billo!

2008-08-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

Today was an adventure! We headed in to the centre on our bikes with plans to visit the Anne Frank House, but suddenly on our way myself and Mary realised we had lost Bill in the hub bub of city life - AND HE HAD JOE!!! It was an impossible situation, my phone was back in the van and I had Bills phone, but I knew he had no change on him and the dutch, from our experience, are not into being over helpful. We had no money, it was midday, I had Joes hat in my bag and so there was nothing for it but to just stop, stay in one place and hope Bill would come by. It was two hours later when I decided to leave Mary with the phone sitting by a monument in the crowd of Dam Square and circle around again. As I came around the side of the palace I saw BILL!!!! Poor Joe was asleep on the back of his bike! Poor Bill was exhausted, and we headed back to find Mary, who had strict instructions not to move.

Oh my throat closed over as we came closer to where I'd left her and saw she was gone, it seemed like forever until I heard her voice calling me. I could have killed her, but it turns out she'd left her spot because a young lad started asking her something in french and she got freaked out...

At that stage we knew the Anne Frank House would have a line a mile long, so we ditched it for some Dutch specialities and cold cold Heineken on Newmarket square...

Steak Tartar! YUM!

Mary hoped there was chocolate sauce in this cake!

There wasn't...

Joe discovers the delights of Chokomel!

Hard to look past it...

2008-08-11T01:11:00.000-07:00

Up at the crack of dawn and we were cycling off on our hired bikes. Amsterdam is amazing for cycling, as anyone who has been here will know, more bicycle lanes than car lanes and access all areas! Its so flat as well, cycling was a pleasure. We loved it.So we parked our lovely old bikes near Haarlem and strolled around the city. It is very lovely, tall houses on tree lined streets, canals running every which way and wonderful house boats.
I was enamoured with Amsterdam, couldn't breathe it all in fast enough, it is just so pretty.

That is until you take a wrong turn and end up seeing Amsterdams main attraction. I have to say I've thought long and hard about this and the red light district is something the dutch should be ashamed off. In my naivete, before I came, I thought that the legality of prostitution and drugs here would mean that they were encorporated into normal life. I thought that you would just come across a dark burlesque window of sorts, where beautiful women (from what I'd been told) were coquettishly tempting passers by... I thought that the coffee shops would be what they said on the tin, but also on the menu, if you were into that sort of thing, would be some cigarettes of the gigglyweed variety...
Instead we found ourselves in a hell hole. Cheap tacky coffee shops decorated with drug paraphenalia... Low garish pvc doors lined the alleys, with unhealthy unhappy girls, wearing their underwear, ludely and rawkishly challenging passing men to come in. Porn shops and sex shops showed their wares by confronting you with the worst of it as loudly and brightly as possible (Marys eyes were strictly on her shoes for all of this!) and stag party after stag party lingered, egging each other on to "have a go, mate"...

I have never been anything but completely against the exploitation of women, in any sense, yet I had always thought prostitution being illegal was silly. I thought Holland had it right, decriminalise it, take it above the ground, and make it safe for people to do.
But it doesn't work - it becomes more seedy than it was. Putting a girl for sale in a window makes her nothing but a thing, no matter who does the putting, a pimp or her own volition. Prostitution is the oldest profession, or so they say, it should have a bit more respect than the Netherlands affords it.

At first I thought Amsterdam was lovely, a pretty little place with intelligence and class... then I realised she has her cheap knickers round her ankles, offering her heart and her soul to tourists for a dollar...

I AMsterdam!

2008-08-11T00:54:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Amsterdam mid afternoon, and were so relieved to see a signposts for our campsite almost immediately after we dawdled onto the ring road. Driving down a muddy track, lined with rusty clapped out bangers, I was delighted to see a large shiny sign for our site!

I judge campsites now on their signs as you drive in, as it usually reflects the site itself. Big hand painted faded signage on the wall is a bad omen, Big shiny plastic printed sign is good!

As we drove in, the place was buzzing, fantastic reception to greet us, and a great pitch for Birdy to rest her weary tyres... "Is there electricity?" was greeted "Of course but we only have gas in the lower site..." which made me jump for joy! Not one power source but TWO! Not that we can avail of it but its nice that its there!

Clean as a whistle loos and showers... Fantastic eaterie - Look at this for 4.50! There is a lovely little petting zoo beside our pitch, which is great for the kids, and helps them with the awkward friend making! I love this photo of Mary and a goat, the way the goat is looking at the camera cracks me up!

Every night there is a movie, although we had to forgoe watching "From Dusk till Dawn" after the first millisecond - Jesus Tarantino needs therapy!
But, being Amsterdam, there is the scores of people, here to partake in the "I can so I will" tourist culture that begets the city. It was interesting at first, everyone in a kind off festival mode, but then after a while, as we sat having a drink outside in the fresh evening, the tables began to fill up, and the smell of marijuana filled the air... No-one seemed to be concerned, lighting huge joints right beside our tables, and it struck me that even a chain smoker would have more courtesy where children are concerned. Saying that, even a chain smoker lighting ten cigs at once couldn't get anyone else high! The joint smokers didn't care much for the kids, and that is fair enough I suppose, so we left, the smoke thick in the air as their eyes glazed over and conversations dropped to nothing...

Bum Bum Anyone?

2008-08-11T00:50:00.000-07:00

This is an ice pop Little M spotted in Germany! It never failed to make me giggle when I saw it on the menus - and I fell around snorting like a pig when I heard Bill, in Munich Zoo, ask "Einen Bum Bum, Bitte?" - oh i nearly died!

Camping...!

2008-08-09T10:39:00.001-07:00

I realised today I haven't included much in this blog about the camping side of things, and to be honest, until now we haven't had an opportunity to do more than pull in, sleep, and drive off. One night stops in a campervan are a pain in the rear end, its not practical to unpack, throw out the awning and enjoy the environment, but yet you have to undo car seats and move stuff around to get the beds out. So its a big mess.

The campsites we have been in have been grand up until now, except for the Italian ones, which are smiling rip off places, full of bullshit and for example the one in Florence charged us 49 euro for a bit of a hill (which is always an uncomfortable nightmare in a 35 year old bus!)and we didn't even get electricity! Birdy in Florence, meets a little friend!

The van herself is grand, we've a fridge, cooker and sink and a big double bed and bunks. We have a lovely canopy out front, and comfy camping chairs. Great storage, under seats, overhead and side presses for all our gear (although it can get annoying when you've packed everything to go and the car seat is secured and then you remember you forgot to get something out from underneath!)

The vw campervan is a two night stop vehicle, if you've children, as one nights are just a merry pain in the neck... we haven't enjoyed the one night stops at all! Its too much hassle to undo everything and unpack everything just for sleeping!

Joe Cool...

2008-08-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Our little darling Joe has been so good. He has been nothing but good humoured and sweet for the whole trip... sure he gets pissed off when, for example, we end up doing 8 hours instead of 4 due to traffic jams, getting lost (if your tomtom says go left - GO LEFT!!)and other such shenanigans. He has munched his way through a million packets of bread sticks, a dozen packets of smarties and other things like that! He has a beloved collection of dinky cars that keep him occupied for hours, even looking out the window, for him, is like the best film ever!

Mary has been amazing at keeping him entertained during the ruff patches, reading to him, chatting to him and if all else fails allowing him to push buttons on her beloved DS!

Dusseldorf

2008-08-09T10:01:00.001-07:00

The Milan of Germany, thats what the guidebook said... and I can see why, Dusseldorf was chock-o-block with expensive suits and Louis Vuitton handbags. Chainstores with designer titles lined the streets and restaurants served crap for hefty fees.
We weren't mad about it, but the one thing I loved about Dusseldorf was these huge fern/tree combos that seemed to be on every street corner! They were lovely! We also ripped our (open) sun roof off going into a public car park which is just the biggest pain in the ass... I mean Birdy has little leaks here and there (like any old lady i suppose!) but this has added a whole new level to the water problem! Although I have to say I love a challenge and so yesterday I got up on the roof and did a good enough job on fixing the roof with heavy duty black bags and duck tape.
This picture was taken when we got back from a day in Amsterdam, to find our canopy had blown down... We had also just collected our laundry so don't mind the mess!!!

Ladybird in her homeland...

2008-08-09T02:49:00.000-07:00

The germans are very proud of volkswagen, and so they should be. Volkswagens are well built cars that last. They are obviously everywhere over here, along with the Merc and the Audis! So Ladybird fits right in...

...and she is well received! We attract attention of course, but unlike the med or even at home when the attention is a little over the top sometimes - see article here, here in Germany it is a little nod of appreciation, a wave, a smile or a thumbs up. My favorite is the mouthed "Good for you" that we get in traffic and one man who shouted "she is alive and beautiful, thank you!"

Funnily we have yet to see another t2 on the road, we've driven across Germany now and not one passed us! But I'm sure they are out there, peeping through the trees, wondering at this pretty foreigner steaming past... is that a wolf whistle I hear?

Frankfurter anyone?

2008-08-09T02:01:00.001-07:00

There are no campsites, that we could find, in Frankfurt. So since we had a tip from Fergal regarding Etap hotels, we stayed in one of those for the night! The Etap is a low budget hotel, basic rooms (no more than a ferry cabin really!) - its a fantastic idea! For 49 euro ( the same price as our campsite in Florence) we got the four of us a comfy bed, a hot shower and tv for the night!
You could do a car tour of Europe and use Etaps all the way, they are so reasonable. Every room has a double bed and a single bunk, and are very comfortable. The thing that we loved as well was they have no keys, and no reception! When you arrive you tap your booking reference into a computer at the gate and it gives you a pin number that you use to get into the building and your room! There are vending machine snacks too so you don't have to deal with humans at all! (which is great sometimes!)

Ich liebe dich, Nuremberg!

2008-08-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

I had expected the Germany of my imagination and was disappointed in Munich, but I got what I wanted in Nuremberg...

Nuremberg was right up my street, so we wandered about hers...

It is the most picture perfect place, with flower sellers and fruit markets on the streets, a hundred and one clock shops, Sausages on every corner, wonderful buildings and amazing sculptures... ...and music everywhere...

Nuremberg we love you... we'll definatley be back!

Doppleganger!

2008-08-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

What actress would you say I think this girl is the image of?

I couldn't resist taking her picture!

Drive with us on the Autobahn...

2008-08-08T12:08:00.001-07:00

Turns out I'm a speed junky (by proxy of course) - I'd never have the nerve to go as fast as they do on the autobahn in Germany but I loved watching them zoom by!

I wish you could have been there! Oh but wait you can be!!

Driving in a vintage VW part two...

2008-08-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Little tips for you if you are ever driving along in a campervan...

1) If in Traffic, on a steep hill, try not to flood the engine. This may result in you sitting in afore mentioned campervan, in the stinking heat, for a long time, until you get a grip and stop trying too quickly to start it again. Remember, take a little break, read war and peace for example, then its ignition to start and foot to the floor - DON'T PUMP IT NO MATTER HOW ANNOYED YOU ARE!!!

2) If driving around Dusseldorf looking for parking, be careful not to enter one of the underground carparks there. This may result in you ripping your F*$&king sunroof off on the low ceiling as you go down the ramp. This may mean you are forced to climb onto the roof and stick plastic bags over the "i-used-to-be-a-sunroof-now-i-am-a-hole" to avoid smaller people getting wet in the rain.

3) Remember turning a vw campervan is like turning a boat, you need to take it slowly and give yourself plenty of time to get around those bends. Not following this advice may result in ones wife type person screaming with fear and losing her ice cream out the window.

Driving in a Vintage VW part one

2008-08-07T15:33:00.001-07:00

Okay, picture this, you are walking through your local park when you see a guy on rollerblades being pulled along by six huge husky dogs! His eyes are streamin from the speed, his hair is flying and a huge grin is on his face. You shout "Yeh" and catch his eye, "You go man!".

Or you are sitting on the beach when a huge kite comes by pulling two surfers along in the water, they are going the speed of light, screaming with delight. You scream too, its exciting to see - what daredevils they are...

Okay last scenario, you are driving along a motorway when you see an old volkswagen campervan, with a family inside. They are not going particularly fast, they look relaxed and peaceful. So why on earth do you drive up along side and start to scream "YEH YEH HIPPY WOOOOOOO GO MAN" in their window for ten minutes? Give them a surfers wave and yell "RAD MAN"?

What is that about?

Ice Bear Baby!

2008-08-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

The german for Polar Bear is Ice Bear... So when we heard excited shrieks of "ICE BEAR BABY!" we followed the crowd...

There he was, a gorgeous cub! About 6 months old and already the size of a horse!

Cow Whisperer...

2008-08-06T15:53:00.002-07:00

Joe shows off his fluent cow-ese...

Mary on a camel!

2008-08-06T15:53:00.001-07:00

What more can we say!

Bills new skill!

2008-08-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

A quick course in Blowgunning (?) and Bill is a certified Blow Gun Person, so anyone needing tranquilisation of a safe and painless nature can call us for help!

By the way, he scored at Olympic level on his lung power - not bad for an asthmatic!

Joe can't believe his eyes!

2008-08-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Joe seeing Elephants for the first time!

Munich Zoo...

2008-08-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

When I heard they had Prewalskis horse (I was obsessed with the idea of them as a kid!)in Munich Zoo, I had to drag everyone to see them... it wasn't a hard task and we had a lovely day! Prewalskis horse were lovely, I also got to see other animals I have never seen before...

...like Bison...
...and African Wild Dog!

Joe was delighted with what the zoo had to offer as well!!

Mary and a friend...

2008-08-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Munich Zoo was amazing, not only because I got to set eyes upon animals I hadn't yet seen, but because of the close proximity you can get to the animals - I don't know how they do it, and still protect both visitor and animal! The smaller monkeys have free run of the trees, yet don't go missing! This little guy was so close to us, in the trees as we walked along, yet he wouldn't take food (from someone else, we know better!) or interact. Could they have trained him? He was gorgeous and very curious about us!

Joes dream come true!

2008-08-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my awful guffaw in this video - I was a tad overcome!

Swatch this!

2008-08-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

Bill bought Mary a swatch watch a few years ago, and well over time (ha!) and after numerous straps it finally disintegrated just before we left for holidays. So it was agreed that Mary would get a new one when she was away... but in the Italian swatch shop they had few to choose from, and although she took some convincing, she agreed with Bill to wait until Germany as he was sure there would be a Swatch shop waiting for her there.

He was right, as always!

...It was like they knew she was coming!

Munich part one

2008-08-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

I've never been to Germany, and this is the picture I had in my mind...

Heads up Guys, its not what I thought... turns out, apart from the Lederhosen above, all the stuff I had in my head turns out to be next door in Switzerland. I was like, no goatherds? no chalets? where are all the watchmakers? Bill looked at me for a very long while and then said "in Switzerland?"

So, what do I think of when I think of Germany now?

Sausages of every size and description, Beer, Sore feet from walking, Beer, Braless Treelegged Frauleins surrounding me on the train, Beer, Pastries like you'd never believe even if you were eating them, long long long streets, Beer, Lots and lots of Goths! Amazing public transport, Beer, a language I could not even fumble with, fast driving like you wouldn't believe, long words, Beer and Beer.

...and thats just Munich, we're off North tomorrow!

here is a snippet of our few days here in Munich!

The first thing we noticed was the amount of beer everywhere, this is the small shop beside us... like a newsagent...
Well they invented the Kindergarten so of course they have Kindergartenwagens!

Surprisingly Joe loved these salty pretzels... I, however, did not at all!Man Food!Mary was delighted to find yet another new drink on her travels, this is the Spiff-Spaff (or as Bill asked one waiter "a Splidgy Splodgy") - a curiously wonderful mix of fanta orange and cola!Many of the shops stocked these, I would love one! I love cathedrals, inside this is actually a shopping centre and restaurant now, shame!Just outside the city centre, where we were staying, was this amazing river, people were barbequeing along the banks, keeping their beer in crates submerged under the water!

So thats part one of Munich, more later!

Me no likey...

2008-08-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

I can say now, officially, that I do not like Austria and will never go back there. Fair enough, we only got to one town, Innsbruck, on the road to Germany, a nice enough place but my my the people are meanies!

We were treated like lowlifes from the minute we set foot in the town, until we left. In one shop, while desperately trying to buy an adaptor, when we offered a credit card to pay for an overpriced basic model, the shopkeeper shut her till at the speed of light, and then said "NO CREDIT CARD - OUT OUT" to us until we scarpered. I found that very hard to take, I was almost in tears, it was so far from what I'm used to in our lovely little "apologise for everything" island!

Everywhere we went we encountered similar treatment. Asking directions and we would get shouted at, not understanding the menu and asking for help was greeted with a shake of the head and a firm but incomprehensible line in german...

But of course we managed to have fun in our own way...

Little M found amusement in the language...

Joe was introduced to his fathers favorite fare!

...and I enjoyed the buildings, even if they were adorned with 'out of place' statues every few feet! The crucifiction is such a powerful image, but it just doesn't sit right in between a chemist and a leather goods shop!

So Innsbruck, you should be nicer to your tourists, I will not be recommending your town to anyone, not even to stop over in. You can blame the Fraulein in Red Tag electrics...

First impressions last, don't they...

A town called Thirty...

2008-08-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

So a brief camp in Florence and we were on the road again. We were not afforded the luxury of electricity in the campsite and so it was a rough and ready existence, as you can see from Bills ten o'clock shadow!

I'd always been aware of the town of Trent in the north of Italy, because Chiara Lubich, the leader of the Focolare movement, which my parents were part of, was from there. However I'd always imagined it to be a large industrial town, grey and smoky, for some reason...

So when we realised Trent lay on the road we were taking, we decided to stop there for the night and see what it had to offer!

Thank God we did, for my impression couldn't have been further from the truth! Trent turned out to be a magical little town, with coloured frescos on the buildings and a medieval wall around its border. It was lovely. We spent the day there, walking around enjoying the sunshine!

The Austrian influence was really strong there, I had a red cabbage risotto for my dinner! and the Italian was mixed up with German as well!

Joe spots some little birds...Who were happy to come and eat from our table!

I'd love to visit Trent again, with more time, I have a feeling we only brushed the surface on the magic the little town has to offer!

Mary writes some postcards!

Carrot ice-cream believe it or not!

Mary Express!

2008-08-05T02:46:00.000-07:00

Mary, after weeks of begging to try an espresso coffee, was granted her wish!

Back to my childhood...

2008-07-31T16:37:00.000-07:00

With Fergal and Catherine over, we all decided it would be a good idea to go to the Waterpark again, since they've never been.

So we all piled into the van and off we went. It was the best day!

For some reason, Fergal being there made me feel like a kid again, and believe it or not I went on all the slides! Some I regretted (ouch!) and some I went on over and over again... Fergal and I spent alot of our childhood summers bounding up steps to slide down the local waterslides called the "rainbow rapids" and I swear there was one stage today when I was back there, heading up the steps behind my big brother, putting on a brave face as I launched down the fastest slide after him, hearing his yells of excitement mingling with mine as the rush of water carried me away...

It was a really fun day, we could not get enough of the Lazy River, although it was hardly lazy, sitting on huge inflatable donuts we were gushed down around this wide slide, holding hands and laughing our heads off as we were spat out the end! At one stage there was a bit of a pile up and poor Bill got flattened by Fergal as he came along! Bill was laughing so much he swallowed water and ended up half 'drownded'! (The reason there are no photos of us having all this fun is because we were busy having all this fun!)

Great craic!

Yeay!

2008-07-31T01:33:00.000-07:00

My big brother Fergal and his wife to be Catherine have arrived, they will stay on after we leave! The Mill has never had so many people under her roof!

I'm also delighted because we won't have to do all the dirty jobs like putting the pool away when we leave!! Ha!

Sora...

2008-07-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

We have two towns near us in the mill, Cassino and Sora... We prefer Sora, it is to Cassino what Greystones is to Bray, and I love it!
Its plonked up high, in the middle of the hills...

and has the prettiest streets, all candy pink and baby yellow...
There is also lovely restaurants......where you can make new friends...

Sora, Sora, Sora...

I love it mostly though because of the doors!

Nearly every door is a lovely door in lovely Sora!

The Mill - an inside peek!

2008-07-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

All the doors and windows line up which is really good for light and breeze!

The Kitchen...

...which is usually a big mess!

The sitting room with its huge fireplace, this was the mill room originally where the huge mill stone would have been(we're still thinking of things to do with it!). They left some stone showing through the plaster around each window and door, there are lovely fossils in some of the bricks, which are all either part of the original building or from the ground around about...

Bedroom

The architect included this seat, which shows off the lovely views...

Our mill is called the "New Mill" - this is the old mill...

Surrounded by fields...

Some local wildlife...

Here we are!

2008-07-24T09:19:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't said hello in nearly a week! Here is a bunch of posts I've been keeping by, waiting for an opportunity to get uploaded... there are a few so make sure to click through to the older posts page where they continue so you don't miss a thing!

Dear Santa...

2008-07-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

An Orderly Cue...

2008-07-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

M learns to play pool, and kicks ass!

Poor Bill Part Deux

2008-07-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Bill seems to be fodder of choice for the wildlife on this trip! He came out of the sea with this weird burn... It was little blisters that are now little scabs... No idea what it is, maybe some sort of Jellyfish... Send your postcards to...

Traffic

2008-07-24T09:05:00.001-07:00

The usual view out the back of our old bus!

Nice not to be the one under pressure this time! Even birdie was muttering "Oh come on!"...

A pidgeon flew onto the window ledge of my room when myself and m were getting changed...

2008-07-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Mary meet Sea...

2008-07-24T09:00:00.001-07:00

...Sea, this is Mary...

They hit it off!

Mary and co...

2008-07-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

Oh thank God.

Mary has met other children.

We haven't seen her since... except when she arrives to have food stuffed in her beak...

The other night, the gang were heading to the nearby Bowling alley, and she was gone till half eleven.

As Ciara says, she was a couple of inches taller when she came back to us...

I was a couple of stone heavier from chewing my own hands off...

To the coast we go!

2008-07-23T06:19:00.001-07:00

The heat here in the mountains can only be described as relentless... and don't get me wrong, its brilliant but you can only lie in it for about 20 minutes at a time before even the most hardened sun worshipper would be running for the cool indoors...

So yesterday, craving breeze like a reformed smoker lurking outside a pub, we headed to the coast and the sea...to Gaeta with its palm trees and busy marina...

...and its lovely Lido style beaches...

...where the sand is clean (not like the public beaches, a friend of mines child stood on a syringe a few years ago!)and the water clear and warm...

Why is it impossible to resist a cigarette on the beach?

How does the sand always make its way into your sandwich!!

Joe had a great time, bar two sand-in-eyes incidents which had me almost implode with helplessness, and another wave-in-face incident due to bad timing (mine).
But the sea air wore him out and he slept for most of the day!

The day was great, Bill swimming miles off shore though nearly giving me a heart attack, but mostly I was found, sqwauking like a chicken, making an absolute show of myself, at one point helplessly flayling, like a limp hotdog in a small childs hand, off my Lido bed, all at Charlie Brookers Screen Burn, if you haven't read it do yourself a favour - get a copy now - I defy the most pebble minded dullard not to weep with laughter.

At about half 3 we suddenly noticed all the italians (ie the whole beach) packing up frantically and running like mad. Like a scene by Roland Emmerich, as we turned we saw the darkest navy blue clouds rolling into place, soon to be above our noggins! We ran like hell, and just jumped into the van as the most enormous raindrops started crashing like enthusastic cymballists onto our little tin bird!

Mental!

Happy Birthday Bill Stafford!

2008-07-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

27...!

He had already got my present for him in Barcelona, a new pair of shades...

So it was just the kids left to surprise him - something practical from Joe - an alarm clock (we are oh-shit-its-quarter-to-nine-we'll-be-late-again type of people, and some pool toys from Little M!

"A barbie boat! Its what I've always wanted!"

"Best buds!"

I have...

2008-07-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

...itchy feet!

And its not from the mozzies!

The Mill...

2008-07-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Over 500 years old...

Double take...

2008-07-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

What makes the sea so blue...?

2008-07-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Cosy Classics

2008-07-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

When we decided to buy a VW campervan, we were of course daunted by our lack of knowledge... The last thing we needed was to be sold a pup and it delayed the process for us incredibly.

Previous car buying experiences have left me suspiscious, even of those “check out services” you can get, I had one of those check out my first car, an Austin, and had nothing but serious trouble with it from the minute I drove it away, it turned out to be a “cut and shut” in the end. Then we came across Cosy Classics and our problems were solved.

Michael offers a great service, he’ll find you a good van, restore it – two choices full restoration or part – and, the most important bit, guarantee it for one year. This is what sinched the deal for us, and we have found it to be no swizz. Michael really cares about his vans, and so when our battery had an issue two months in, he was genuinely concerned and fixed the problem. He not only fixed it, but put another part in to ensure we would not have the problem again. Not that the problem was negligence on the part of Cosy Classics either, there was a switch that the previous owner has installed for fog lights on the bull bars it had on at that time, and I had kept flicking it on, wondering what it was for!

Then, when we told him about our trip, he offered to tune up the van for us before we went, and he gave us the parts most likely to be needed should we find ourselves in strife! Where do you get service like that?! On this trip alone we have needed advice from Michael three or four times and he has always been happy to help.

Driving a forty year old bus is not for the faint hearted, and the little quirks and quacks come with the territory, but for the novices like us, having Cosy Classics there if we need advice is brilliant. So for all of you out there, who are considering getting a vw bus but daunted by the prospect – Cosy Classics is the only way to go!

Funny Ha Ha!

2008-07-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the photo we bought from the Aquarium, you know it was one of those cameras snapping away as the travelator brought you along. We were on our second trip around so knew about it, and suddenly Bills face contorted into an "O", Little M followed suit... I tried but was wetting myself laughing at Bill and Mary! The girl selling the photo was tickled pink by our comic effort, she put it on the big screen for everyone to see!

You can't pool me...!

2008-07-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

We had to buy a new pool, an overground type, because the other one is in bits! So we headed to the local toy shop and picked out the biggest one they had, 15' x 1m, grand for what we need!

Anyway when it was bought, paid for, loaded into the van and I was just shutting my door the old woman in the shop ran out and started telling me it was actually fifty euro more! She grabbed the receipt out of my hand (a crucial document if stopped by the financial police!) and started demanding more money!

I stood my ground, followed her back into the shop and in my best italian asked her son if he really thought I was going to pay more? I asked his mother if tomorrow, would she come and knock on my door looking for a euro more for the car we bought Joe in the same sale? The son was mortified but the mother was going mental! I grabbed my receipt back, told her I was not paying any more and the son said to me to just go. As we hit the road we could hear her still shouting and him shouting back!

Mad or WHA???

Big Adventure!

2008-07-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Okay before I write this I just want to say PLEASE don’t write me any comments about how we could have done things differently, you can take it from me, what happened was the best and safest option for our family. Oh and Emily... Don't read on!

The Story of the Bees

So we arrived at the mill, excited and weary from the journey, dying to get inside with the pizza we’d purchased, dying for an ice cold beer we knew would be in the fridge, dying to just relax for a few weeks...There are about twenty keys for the house, and so baggage underarm, Bill began the process of elimination required to enter the house. Just as he got to the last key, and began to turn the lock, Little M said quietly “Look at all the Bees”...

There, coming from a crack, camouflaged against the stone work, were a score of bees. We looked up and saw more coming, landing, and entering the crevice. We backed away, slowly.I am allergic, only stung once on the hand which swelled like a balloon. If I’m stung again, the same may happen, or I could go into anaphalatic shock too, so I have to be extra careful. Alot of my family suffer reactions to Bee stings as well, my cousin was hospitalised after a sting on the neck, so I am also cautious for my children.

We came into the house from the front door which is rarely used, and were not at all prepared for what we saw. In the space between the wooden outer door and the glass inner door, at the back of the house, was an enormous hive, maybe twelve or more stalactite like compartments hanging down in the space.... And, my god, the bees, there was thousands and thousands of them.

We sat listening the droning hum for a few moments, but then Bill realised they were coming through the house as well and so we stuck the mosquito net up between the rooms and sat wondering what the hell we could do. It quickly turned from “we’re safe here” to “eh run!” when the bees, seeing the light, were suddenly all over the mosquito net and some managed to get through the space. It was like something from 'The Swarm'! By this time I was a nervous wreck and Little M was in hysterics. It was getting hard to handle.

Our caretaker was over like a shot when we rang him, he said it happens sometimes, but even he stood in awe at the creation between the doors. He said the local beekeeper would be happy to take it away and we could kill the ones in the house and just seal up the door for the night. But then after he made a few phone calls everything changed, and the next thing we knew he was spraying the hive and the bees were dropping dead onto the doorstep in their thousands.

It appeared the bees living in our doorway were aggressive, and the local authorities were trying to get rid of them, the local bees were being run out of town by these larger aggressive bullies... So they were killed.

Its hard to know if that was what should have been done, or whether the bees we had were as dangerous as thought. But that is what was done, the bees were killed, quickly and painlessly of course, but as they lay dead in piles around their empty hive, I felt so guilty. As the hive was ripped down and discarded, and the clear golden honey dripped and ran down the gloved arms of the men, I wished I could go back... but we couldn’t... and even when we thought about it logically – killing them was still the only solution. We could have got a second opinion but that probably would have probably been to kill them anyway... and we couldn’t have risked staying in the house with them until Monday...

Its sad but its how it happened. The bees made a mistake, and unfortunately they lost because of it. This may sound oversentimental to some, not sentimental enough to others, but thats how it is. This is our house, they made a mistake building a hive here, and that had to go. Our childrens safety, and our own safety comes first. I remember my father saying he would not swerve to avoid an animal on the road, for the sake of his passengers, I know what he means.

Now in the cool morning the men are sweeping the last of bees away, the hive is gone, and the wax burned off the walls... The only job left is for me, to scrub the honey off the stones before the ants arrive... As I scrub, one lone bee arrives home and lands on the door where he knows his home should be... he sits there for a moment, before circling the door a few times and then he slowly flies away.

Eurostar Barcelona

2008-07-16T08:19:00.003-07:00

The Eurostar Barcelona is a great ship! It has 'Love Boat' written all over it, there is velure everywhere and the staff even wear white uniforms, which I think looks great - all those working at sea should wear white!

I have some videos of the ship which I'll upload as soon as I can, its hard to find wi-fi, thank god this little internet cafe is USB stick friendly!

A terribly embarrassing thing happened us on the ship, after taking the visa welcome signs as our queue to avoid running around in the heat looking for an atm, we headed down for our tea in the ships canteen only to be greeted with signs saying "due to technical satellite problem payment by visa is not possible" - YOU ARE KIDDING!

So off we went to see the captain, a lovely lady, to ask for mercy! We were star-ar-ving! She agreed, after what seemed like a lengthy consultation with everyone on board (including the ships doctor - I'm telling you it was the Love boat) and we were frog-marched to the canteen for our dinner, in exchange for Bills passport and word that he would pay as soon as we docked. Its funny because even though we were eventually paying for the meal, we felt we shouldn't look like we were enjoying it too much and ordered very humbly indeed...

I have to say the difference between sailing on the atlantic, or Irish sea, and the meditteranean is massive, I hate sea travel because I feel so ill, but not this time. The sea was like glass the whole way, being on deck was like being at the beach... they even had two pools, which as the sun came up and we were sailing with Sardinia on one side, and Italy on our other, the two kids... sorry Mary and Bill, were up, togs on so fast you could still see bum as they launched into the clear sea water... I won't say whose...!

Bill and kids in the baby pool...

Joe with his new found ability to make faces...

Barcelona - Civitavecchia

2008-07-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

Barcelona was wonderful and we were all sad to see the fairytale architecture fade into the mist as our ferry sailed away... It was brilliant to see Bimo as well, I never manage to catch him when he is home and so I was so glad to spend some quality time with the "maestro" (he was my guitar teacher and the best guitarist I know)... It was two days of great conversation and fantastic sightseeing...

One conversation which was ringing in my ears as we queued for the boat though, was the one we'd had about how and why it seems to take the spanish (and the Italians for that matter) so long to anything official. Opening a bank account is like applying for a U.S. visa, form after form after form. Even buying bread can sometimes have you nearly hopping over the counter and saying "look its easier if you...", In the times I've spent living and working in Spain it drove me close to mental breakdowns, and I know my mother has had similar experiences in Italy. For example in the video shop my mom used when she lived in Turin, you could not bring a video back without your card... ???

So as Bimo and we agreed, you just have to go with it, and we did... as the porters beckoned the cars individually onto the boat. Yes, individually. Unlike at home where you are lined up ready to go a half hour before the boat docks and then in it comes, voom voom voom, and out it goes... No, here they wait until the boat docks and then they choose cars by size to go on. The waiting and then reversing mayhem that ensued had me close to tears, especially since the clutch on the van needed to be tightened and was grinding and slipping like a b*tch!

When we docked in Rome by the way... No-one told anyone to drive off, I sat there for ages thinking any minute now and eventually I followed suit, and the other drivers off the boat and into Italy.

These crazy meditteraneans... but don't you just love them?

Revisiting 1995...

2008-07-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

Remember your first go on the internet, how everything took an hour and staring at the tiny little screen surrounded by all that off white plastic gave you the spins... well I'm back there... the internet cafe (I know, I know, at least there is one) has no wi-fi and two ancient computers...and the dreaded dial-up!!!... and so here I am with a laptop full of great pics of the adventures we've had over the last few days and no way to share it with you! My USB stick isn't even compatible with this enormous computer!

SOB!

Everyone has left such lovely comments - thank you all so much! I will hopefully get some wi-fi time soon where I can upload the most dramatic adventure of all which I'm dying to tell you about!

Fish whisperer...

2008-07-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

Lots more videos over on my you tube if you fancy a gander!

Shout out to Ruadhan from Mary - she says Check out the sunfish!

On the bus!

2008-07-11T00:45:00.001-07:00

Man to man...

2008-07-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Poor Bill!

2008-07-10T17:42:00.001-07:00

Out of all of us, Bill suffered the most with those biting flies I told you about... I have one bite which is driving me mad... So I can only imagine what Bill is going through...

I haven't heard him give out once...although I wouldn't blame him if he did! Poor guy!

Something fishy!

2008-07-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

The aquarium in Barcelona was brilliant! Something for everyone! We also took advantage of those novelty pictures which I hope to scan on here soon!

Meanwhile... here is how we got on!

Waiting to buy a ticket...

Maggot gets so excited she splits in two!

Buzz light Joe...

Zvish...

Little m makes a friend...
M in the water chamber...
...and in the panoramic tank...
Little m gets a new outfit...

Barcelona Part Two...

2008-07-10T17:19:00.001-07:00

When I saw this...I had to see for myself!

Little M proving happiness is a new type of fanta you never tasted before...
Paella Mixto and my favorite Arroz nero...
Joe is a big rice fan!
The most amazing creme catalan...
The kids grabbed the opportunity to write to friends...
I grabbed the opportunity...
Little M...Joe gets a new car...

And a regretful farewell to Bimo, before we headed to the Aquarium...

Barcelona Part One...

2008-07-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

We saw Barcelona today... all of it! Up at the crack of dawn and onto an open top tour bus! The only way to see a city on a hot hot hot day!

A hug to start the day...

Then coffee, cake and kisses...

Slush puppy love

Little M not too impressed with the onboard headphone guide

An open top bus is a great way to see the sights....

...and see what the locals are up to...

Having a whale of a time...

Then lunch with Bimo - There he is!

Guess what?

2008-07-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

We are feeling very clever today. The one thing that had really bothered both of us about this trip was the waste of time we felt the south of france would be, and the expense. Don't get me wrong the south of france is beautiful, and the food is fantastic, but we've been there done that, and felt the time it would take getting through that was taking from the countries we've never been to! On top of that, at this time of year the campsites there are so expensive, and full to the brim. We were not looking forward to the possibility of "no room at the inn"! So when we realised we could skip it, courtesy of Grimaldi ferries, we thought "why not!" - it means we get more time to see Germany, Belgium and Holland!

So on Friday we hop on board the Eurostar Ferry to Civitavecchia, and get an extra week if you like for our trip!

Yeay!

Bimo!

2008-07-10T00:34:00.000-07:00

Yeay we met up with Bimo yesterday! Looking ever the native, he took us on a fantastic tour of the city centre...

Driving

2008-07-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hello!

2008-07-09T07:57:00.001-07:00

We haven’t seen another camper since we were queueing for the boat when there were two others. We saw quite a few in Britain, even one type 1 barndoor which was beautiful! We went part of the journey with a lovely little white bus alongside and birdie seemed to enjoy the company. Then when queueing for the boat, Bill said “Oi what are we doing over there?” and when we looked there was an identical bus to our own. Exact colour match and everything! Their interior was that awful plaid that seems to be the choice of so many vw owners – Why? Its awful!!

Windmills

2008-07-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

The country side is unbelievable as I type away here in the back of the van. Its like spaghetti western country, quite like our ultimate destination in Casalvieri actually but much flatter. There are huge areas covered in lines and lines of windmills, majestically modern in a sea of red earth. I’ve tried to take photos out the window but none do them justice.

Peeyooo – just now there is an unbelievable stench of manure coming in the window and Little m is howling with laughter! Joe is just about nodding off, Bill is driving and I am typing. We have Groove Armada on the i-pod... “if you’re fond of sand dunes...” – even with the stink its just bliss!

I never told you - my new camera had a bit of a fall at the very start of this trip and the lense is completely broken, so I've been like a dog with no tail! Taking a picture takes so much effort - no quick snapping here! Hopefully we'll get a new lense soon but until then - apologies for the bad camera work!

No flies on me... eh yes there are!

2008-07-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

So we got halfway, and are camped in Zaragoza, and let me just say where the French have camping down to a tee, judging by the two campsites we’ve stayed at so far the Spanish have camping down to a ZEE... mid slapping the swarms of flies away from our faces, and spraying our insecticide to stave away the horrible bloodsucking flies we found time to laugh about it, but not for long as we were attacked by angry ants who were piling out of a hole in the ground where we had plonked our camper. Really we can’t wait to move on – Barcelona here we come!

Bill made an executive desicion to stay in a hotel in Barcelona, the campsites are all quite far from the city and I’ve never been so we want to take it all in leisurely without bus timetables and camp curfews to worry about – also we get to see Bimo, my old friend, and so we will be living it up in a small hotel for the next two nights... then across France to Italy and the mill.

Just a note, we looked up the black biting flies... have a look here....ugh!

Basque country

2008-07-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

Up at 7 and straight on the road. After a few wrong turns due to the Spanish system of the slow lane suddenly turning into a turn. But tom tom steered us on course – we both realised how essential GPS is and recalled our parents struggling with maps, our journey has been relaxed and easy because of our little TomTom... The only thing is when we plugged it into our cigarette lighter the charger started hissing and smoke bellowed out of it so we only have the battery, and then it needs to be plugged into the USB on this computer... makes for an interesting time when both batteries run out!

Our confidence is building with the van, everyday its less of a stomach churning nail biting “will it go?” moment. We keep having to say out loud “it has been overhauled, it is a machine, it works” and every hour that gets easier to believe. Its funny because the only vehicles we’ve spotted broken down on the side of the road are brand new, and as someone said before we left the older an engine the simpler it is, it has less parts to go wrong!

One thing that we’ve noticed with the van is how cool it is inside – so many people remarked on how stupid we were to go without air conditioning but we maintained that we didn’t need it. Air travels from the front windows through the van to the sunroof, so a constant breeze of cool air flows around us – as we travelled along I actually got quite cold and has to put on my cardie! Okay its not by any means the hottest part of our journey but its a good indicator of whats to come. In fairness I’ve never liked air conditioning much, I like windows open... smelling the air, feeling the heat of the sun on the metal as I rest my arm into the cool air.

2008-07-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

So, we slept like logs in our little cabin and then this morning we rose and had our breakfast of Pan au chocolat and hot coffee! Again the french did themselves proud! Then we sat facing the prow of the ship and watched the shadows of Santander become brighter until we could see the windows of the houses! Then the call came for us to get back to our cars and it was no time until we were driving up the ramp and off the ship, into the smokey bustling town, following all the other cars around and out onto the open road.

Bill never dithered once, driving on the right as if he’d done it all his life. TomTom directed us calmly to the tiny town of Bayero near Bilbao where we found our little campsite (with a huge pool that drew squeals from Little m) and we set up shop for the night. The campsite is sweet, quite big, and high on a hill so the views are amazing... but the loos are horrific and there isn’t much to do or see, so we’ll move on in the morning and head for Zaragoza.

Ferry good...

2008-07-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the ferry was like being a kid waiting for a party – I wanted to open the door and wail “can we go now?” – it seemed like forever before the men started ushering us on board, a little left, a little right... STOP!

Brittany Ferries Plymouth to Santander is an award winning route and the minute we stepped on board we knew why, the ship was pristine and the staff helpful and friendly. After a quick check of our cabin, which is roomy with a huge porthole, we headed to the cafeteria for some dinner. Gordon Ramsay once said that the food in rest stops on highways in France is better than the majority of posh restaurant food in the UK, he can lump Ireland in there too for good measure, because the steak we got on board was probably equal if not better than many we’ve eaten in restaurants! It was when the chef said to us, as we queued, “medium or rare?” that we knew we were on to a winner.

After that we went through the ships shop with a fine tooth comb looking at everything at least once to pass the time, they had lovely stuff for sale, but the only thing we took away was a foreign adaptor... oh and two volkswagen dinky cars which Joe wouldn’t let go of once we pointed them out to him. His love for anything mechanical still fascinates me, diggers are his favorite but anything with wheels and metal and Joe will open his little mouth into a large O. He has brought a few on holidays and we have had to restrict him to two at a time otherwise he gets frustrated and cries when he can’t “voommmmm” all of them at once.

So here we are in our little cabin, just about to go and watch the sunset from the deck – the sea is calm and the winds low – hopefully it will be a good night at sea so we can start tomorrow fresh as daisys... or would that be margeritas?

Panic in Plymouth!

2008-07-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

What an amazing trip so far! Coming down through England, with hot pot, cream tea (thank you devon!) and pie and mash! Yesterday we had the most amazing pie in a tiny little village, the pastry was that soft suet type that you can never get right at home and the steak inside was fab! So we finally hit Plymouth at about midday today after an eventful journey!I suppose murphys law makes any Irish man nervous on a trip like this and so when a red light came on in the dash at about half ten, and then the petrol gage suddenly dropped from full to past empty, well we thought the worst...

We pulled white faced into a garage – Okay we’ll just catch the next boat, get the van seen to, go later in the week... We didn’t panic or get upset, we just figured it out. Looking into the simple engine, not too hot, belt fine, all is well there... Then as I leaned over to get the list of local mechanics I have printed for every region we hope to be in, I spied it. A little fuse sat on the floor beside Bills humungous man feet! Popped it back in and WOO everything fine again! So I cried a bit, Bill smoked a cigarette, we had a breather and back on the road. Birdie taking a breather after her little scare!

Funnily it only made us love Birdie all that more... Its true that the experience with your vw becomes a personality of sorts... you bond! I could just about here her chatter “would i let yez down?” as she steamed on ahead for Plymouth and ever closer to the north coast of Spain...

So soon?

2008-07-05T23:51:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't expect to be blogging so soon into our trip - but it appears the darling U.K. is chocoblock with free wi-fi zones! So here I is!

Yesterday was eventful - with the wonderful world of the M6... Notorious as it is, of course we didn't fail to follow tradition and get lost... twice! Its inevitable really isn't it! The rain thundered down and the little red ladybird steamed along, unfazed by the pandamoniom in the back as our Tom tom ran out of battery, and I struggled to retrieve a road atlas from under the back seat!

So it was with great pleasure that shortly after 8 we booked into a lovely Travellers inn, and rested our heads on the cold white pillows!

So here we are having breakfast - ready to set out to Plymouth and the boat to Santander - a 3 hour drive and overnight ship! Our Tomtom charged, our spirits high - HERE WE GO!

Quick question... Did the english invent the cooked breakfast or did we?

Something old... something new...

2008-06-30T01:52:00.001-07:00

Ladybird meets a lovely bug, 30 years her junior!

Solstice!

2008-06-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

So we found ourselves again on this doorstep, with the sun on our backs thankfully! The solstice party went ahead and was a great success!

We had arrived early, to grab a prime position before the tents got there! And so we got to sit in the bliss, watching the sun climb the sky...

Then suddenly there was a party! Sounds of laughter across a crackling fire... great music good food and familiar faces!

The children had a great time, independant and very seriously exploring the beach which stretches across Ciara and Jays front doorstep...

Then the dusk lingered into a short night....

...and in the morning, friends sought each other out again, for a recap on the nights conversations and promises of "see you next year!" floated through the air....

Surprise in the post!

2008-06-19T03:31:00.000-07:00

Look what I got in the post today - a lovely card from my friend Ingrid Miller!

Ingrid and I have known each other since we were babies, and have grown into good friends over the years... I am so touched by this card which had written inside "saw this - thought of you"!

The 1960s have always inspired me, I love the clothes, the music, the message... and the VW bus encapsultes it all - doesn't it? This card encapsulates the VW bus... a symbol of a symbol... How wonderful!

I just wish Big B would let me paint a few peace signs on Birdie, I know she'd love it!!

June Bank Holiday

2008-06-06T02:14:00.000-07:00

So for the second bank holiday weekend in a month, we found ourselves back in Hidden Valley for another blast of summer! The weather was unbelievable - 25 degrees! It is the perfect heat, not too hot to be out in and yet hot enough to sunbathe... Oh we lapped up the vitamin D, faces to the sun. It was good incentive to look up though as a NASA space rocket flew across Ireland late saturday afternoon... We'd been watching for it all day...
Its a pity I'm not this houseproud in my actual house!!

Seeing this smoke pluming out from behind some bushes I hurried to discover its source - A PIG ROAST!!! Amazing, and strangely horrifying too.
Little M was fishing all day, catching so many little fish we lost count, my suggestion that we cook them (none bigger than my finger) was surprisingly met with "yeh lets"!!! Of course we didn't... They would have fed a family of fairies, but wouldn't have touched our hunger.
Later on, meeting her little friend Clare again, which is the great thing about motorhoming, Little M went boating. I love the security, yet freedom, that Hidden Valley affords children. They can run around, go boating, fish, build fires and be children without the obvious eyes of adults. Everything is set up for them to get on with it, within view of the campsite and it is simply a matter of rising from your chair to see where they are, and what they are doing.

In the evening we decided to light the barbeque for warmth, and, we think because of the old coals, we were subject to a spectacular show from the fire fairies. Ribbon sparks twisted and twirled for a good fifteen minutes, bringing an audience to watch - It was amazing, like a small firework display!

It was a fabulous weekend, again. Sitting around "gassing" as my aunt would say - what more could you need?

Chester

2008-05-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

We were so excited about taking Birdy to Chester! Her first trip on the ferry! However last minute ferry complications meant we had to leave her behind and go on the train! Little M was heartbroken but there was nothing we could do. Connor and Annas wedding celebrations were going ahead with or without us and we wanted to be there so what could we do?We were glad we went ahead as we bumped into my dear Aunt Gina and her daughter Ger on the ferry which was a wonderful surprise! Sorry Birdy, maybe next time! Little M soon cheered up with promise of a visit to Chesters famous sweetshop and a bit of shopping for summer gear. So off we went!

I love Chester, its so lovely with its tudor buildings, muddy canals and stunning scenery surrounding it. It has so much to see (and snap!) that the day we had wasn't enough so we will definatley be back, not only of course to see Connor, Anna and Cian who always make us feel so welcome!The next day we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the canal with Connor and Cian before heading home... which had a few dramatic moments but overall was a peaceful lovely walk!

Hidden Valley

2008-05-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

So our first real camping trip, we headed to Hidden Valley for the weekend. It was brilliant! We got there early enough to have our pick of the bays and we picked the very last one which overlooked a small beach by the river. The campsite has been recently done up and is fantastic, each bay has its own tap and electricity and the facilities were really great.

Setting up camp was great fun, although there is not as much work with a van as with a tent, we were quickly relaxing in the sun... It was so warm and so Big B decided to take a dip in the river, which turned out to be colder than it looked! He said he felt amazing afterwards, but wouldn't be doing that again in a hurry!
Little M found some friends and spent the day catching little fish in the river, while the Grub enjoyed the freedom of this new "walking" malarky! Our little dog Bo spent the weekend playing with other dogs and it was thought by all of us that she had the best time of any of us!
By the end of the day the campsite was full up with huge motorhomes, which left our little van looking quite out of place! Cute as heck though!

We spent the evening sitting around a camp fire, making s'mores! They are just too good to resist!

People say you are either the camping sort or not, well we are! I spent nearly every childhood holiday in a chalet tent, and have a special fondness for running across dewey grass to the loo in the early hours! Big B also had a childhood of camping in France and we love the "do nothing"ness of the whole affair... Nobody is busy, nobody on their way anywhere. Camping is for families who enjoy the company of one another without external entertainment, for whom each other is enough... and thats us!