We heard the British summer had been cancelled...

The day that we had been dreading dawned, we genuinely couldn't believe that our overseas adventures were over and we were heading back to the UK. We left Bruges and began the drive from there to Calais. It didn't take long and soon we were pulling up in the familiar car park at Cite Europe. A quick trip to Carrefour to stock up on wine, having drunk all the stuff we'd bought in Italy and meant to take home, and we were in the queue for the UK border control. The shuttle seems to take no time at all and soon we were on home soil again. I wish I could tell you we were thrilled to be back but the intermittent rain and the sheer volume of traffic on the motorways just seemed to reflect our mood. Still, we agreed the services at Teddington were far superior to those in Italy and Germany!

Arriving in Liverpool we got more excited, looking forward to seeing Liam again. Unfortunately Alex had a prior engagement with Jay-Z and Kanye West in Sheffield!!

It was fantastic getting together with eldest son and we began to feel a bit better about being in Liverpool - in the rain! However, as we left his flat we witnessed three blokes in hoodies smashing into the back of a car and stealing a handbag before legging it. Marvellous! Welcome home! A delay while we waited for the police then we checked into our home for the next two nights, an apartment in The Block at Kings Dock. It was pretty nice and the view over Albert Dock, where people were kayaking and rowing was quite spectacular.

We woke up on Friday morning, the day of Liam's masters graduation show, to torrential rain, the wind whipping up off the Mersey making the rain horizontal! I had brought a summer dress and sandals with me! Whoops! I put them on and paddled up to John Lewis to buy a more appropriate outfit.

Arriving at the Architecture studio we found Alex already there. Another exciting reunion then we lost ourselves in the brilliant work displayed around the studio.


Liam and his work partner, James won an award. We are very proud of both our sons but will be even prouder when they say the magic four words, 'I've got a job!'






We had a brilliant day and a great meal out that night then said goodbye to them both the next morning and began our drive to Pembrokeshire.

We are now staying in Honeysuckle Cottage, a pretty little converted farm building. We've got stairs for the first time in 10 months! I feel like we're playing house and, even though we're enjoying exploring the area, waiting to go home!!

We've had a real mixed bag of weather and experiences, Sunday and Monday were very hot, we did loads of washing the first day and on Monday we walked a chunk of the Pembrokeshire Coastal path from Strumble Head.








The scenery was gorgeous, we saw seals playing and, apparently, dolphins and porpoises were in the bay but we didn't see any. We picnicked overlooking the sea and, once again, everything was right with the world.


Then, it bucketed it down on Tuesday, it didn't just rain, it was so foggy you couldn't see beyond the hedges. We had a trip into Cardigan, it was dull, dour and depressing, still we sat in the theatre cafe and I ordered a new phone, two beds to be delivered on Monday and talked to Liam about van hire. Then we went to Haverfordwest, a bit prettier but still.... A trip to Wilkinsons and we had bought an ironing board, iron, bin, washing basket, mop and bucket, sweeping brushes, cleaning stuff, etc, in short all the boring replacements for the stuff we chucked last August.

Wednesday dawned foggy and rainy again but, determined not to be depressed, we went to the Botanic Gardens of Wales. It was great, there is a massive greenhouse designed by Norman Foster, but it was full of Year 6 trips. Too close for comfort I felt so we wandered outside.







The day slowly improved, going from very wet and drizzly...


To warm and humid...



To red hot and sunny!



It's now 9.30 pm, Spain and Portugal are on the telly, James is laid on the settee and I'm sat clicking away on this I-pad. Seems very familiar, can tell we're almost home!!


- Posted using BlogPress from Annie & Jim's I-pad

Location:Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire, South Wales

THE LAST NIGHT!!!

How can this have happened? Time is playing tricks on us, it can't be almost 10 months since we left home. I can distinctly remember how it felt to be driving away from home on 31st August last year and in 10 days time we'll be driving back!!

We've just got in after enjoying a dinner of mussels and chips, yummy. Thought we should have an early night, got to be up and on our way to Calais reasonably early tomorrow. Bet we don't sleep tonight.

I'll just back track to the Ardennes, tell you about our boy scout impression. We have been carrying a bucket barbecue all around Europe with us (along with our tent and sleeping bags, but the less said about that...)We finally decided to use the barbie after our bike ride and, armed with steak, lovely bread, salad and wine we set ourselves up in a wood next to a lake in the evening sun.

First job - take the cellophane off the BBQ, unpack all the bits and tip the charcoal out of the brown paper bag into it. So far so good, but .... there wasn't any charcoal in the brown paper bag, just a lovely silver coloured bowl with holes in the bottom to put the charcoal in. So there we were with our steak, lovely bread, salad and wine and no barbecue. But, we're not daft, we've watched Bear Ghrylls, we collected twigs, dry leaves, sticks and a brown paper bag and made ourselves a camp-fire. As the sun set, casting reflections in the lake, we cooked steaks over the fire, then ate them with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. How romantic!

Overnight there was an amazing thunderstorm but the day dawned bright and dry and we set off on a long walk taking us over all sorts of terrain. We were sad to leave the Ardennes, especially after sitting in the bright sunshine eating breakfast outside on Tuesday morning, but Bruges beckoned.

Wow, how come we didn't know Bruges is so beautiful. Well, obviously we saved the best city for last.









It's got canals, gorgeous buildings, quirky art and sculptures, fantastic mussels, chocolate to die for, great shops and another fab B & B, called Villa Des Raisins, this time in an old town house. We've spent the last day and a half discovering the charms of Bruges, obviously including watching the England match accompanied by a few Belgian beers!














There is just one small shadow on our stay, there is a French couple staying at the B & B in the room above us and as I am writing this they are trotting backwards and forwards and the floorboards creak very loudly!

It has been a really hot sunny day today. You know after travelling all this time it is great to still be excited about discovering a new place!









Well, there we go then, back to Liverpool tomorrow. We've got an apartment at Kings Dock, we're meeting Alex off the train from Sheffield on Friday morning then we're all going to Liam's graduation show. We can't wait to see them, it's only been 12 weeks this time!

Next stop - Pembrokeshire, if it isn't flooded, hope to see you there.

- Posted using BlogPress from Annie & Jim's I-pad

Location:Torhoutse Steenweg,Brugge,Belgium

Country Number 16

Leaving Berlin felt like a grey cloud had lifted! The journey west was long, if uneventful. The countryside was very pretty but we used motorways all the way to speed up our travels a bit. For a lot of the time the speed limit was unrestricted but it goes up and down continuously and can take you unawares. Overtaking when approaching cars are travelling upwards of 130 miles an hour can be a bit hairy; speed is sometimes tricky to judge!!

We decided to have an overnight stop in Hannover to break the journey to Dusseldorf a little. Arriving at the hotel at 4ish we strolled into the town. Oh what a grubby place! The main street was lively and the buildings attractive but once again graffiti decorated the lower levels and there were lots of groups of people, of all ages, sitting in the streets drunk or on their way. It would seem that in Germany beer is drunk in the same way as bottles of coke are at home. Still we found a great little Vietnamese restaurant and tried to pretend we were back in south-east Asia.

Hitting the autobahn the next day, along with every lorry in Germany, we eventually arrived at our hotel in Dusseldorf. Phew, what a relief, faith restored! It has everything - a stunning old town, great restaurants and bars, loads of shops, a river, gardens, parks, modern award winning buildings and friendly people with a sense of humour!





We enjoyed a bowl of pasta watching the England game with a Dutch group in an Italian restaurant!











Saying goodbye to Germany with no regrets we crossed another border, this time into Luxembourg. It was raining - hard. Our hotel was in Roeser, 10 minutes outside Luxembourg City, it was a typical French restaurant, with rooms and pretty relaxed. We arrived early, before our room was ready so the nice man took us into the dining room and fed us a delicious lunch from the remainder of a sumptuous buffet. Replete, we headed into town. What a beautiful city, even in the rain. After the generally grey shabbiness of Germany it was a delight to have some lightness and colour back in our lives!!









Tucked under our brollies we meandered through the Grund, the valley which nestles between two impressive viaducts, a green and pleasant spot.
On Thursday we were up early and off, T-shirts on, brollies left behind as the sun shone brightly. Making the most of it we looked around the old town, visited the museum explaining Luxembourg's fascinating history then headed for the Bock casements, a UNESCO World Heritage site which is basically loads of tunnels cut out of the rock. Brilliant - uneven floors, some pretty damn dark, steep stone spiral staircases, canons, fab views. What more could you ask for?








We had a great night in the main square, eating outside being serenaded by a big band.





Reluctantly we left Luxembourg.

Day 281 saw us cross into Belgium, it was raining - again. A few hours in a shopping centre, oh joy. Then as the rain stopped we arrived in the Wallonia region, the French speaking part, an area which is predominantly woodland where we dumped the car in a village and picked up a long walk which took us through gorgeous forests. It seems ages since we've stretched our legs, so many cities, so little exercise and fresh air!





We now find ourselves staying in a lovely bed and breakfast, Le Perchoir, in Libin, a converted barn owned by Brigitte and Nicolas, a very creative couple and their adorable little daughter, Lily. Nicolas makes quirky objects from used metal and wood. Our room is off a mezzanine at the top of the house and is kitted out like a log cabin!








It was bouncing down again on Saturday so we went to Namur, the capital of this region. There was a market on, an enormous market where we passed a few pleasant hours then onto explore the citadel.

It's now 4pm on Sunday and we have just returned from a long cycle ride which took in some of the lovely villages in the area. We set off at 10.30 this morning, complete with picnic. This won't last, I'll never be up so early on a Sunday when I get home! The sun has shone all day, we've had shorts on, at last but apparently it's meant to rain again tomorrow. So much for summer in Western Europe!!

Three days to go then we're on that shuttle on Thursday.......

- Posted using BlogPress from Annie & Jim's I-pad

Location:Rue d'Hatrival, Libin, Belgium

Ich liebe und hasse Berlin

On our drive from Prague to Berlin we paid a flying visit to Dresden. A visit that was much too short!

On driving into Dresden we weren't sure where we were in relation to the city centre and stopped outside a hotel. Jim went in to ask the receptionist if she could direct us to the centre, she looked at him with a perplexed expression and said, 'You are in it.' Thankfully she gave him a map.

Dresden is very pretty, with gorgeous buildings and views at every turn, from the Zwingerteich through the Augustusstrasse to Frauenkirche and beyond and we were blown away. Unfortunately we left the camera in the car so we cannot share the sights with you. After two hours, a whistle stop tour, coffee and plum crumble with cream, we set off again.

It began to rain and the nearer to Berlin we got the lower and darker the skies got, the heavier the rain became and the lower the temperature dropped. Our apartment, owned, with several others, by an Australian architect working in Berlin, was on Hermannstrasse which turned out to be about 5 miles long and it took us ages to understand the way the buildings were numbered and hence to find the place. Finally we pulled outside one of those massive, grim, dull German concrete buildings to be met by Thomas, the housekeeper. He showed us into a delightful little apartment. We had a good old chat and a bit of a giggle with him for half an hour then he disappeared and came back with a bottle of wine for us! What a nice man!

Actually, my husband and I have decided we are quite nice too. Why are you laughing? Everywhere we have been we have got on splendidly with people and in every apartment we have had lovely personal gifts of food and wine and some great follow-up e-mails. Anyway enough of blowing our own trumpets. Let me tell you about our impressions of Berlin.

The first part of the week we hated it, couldn't find any redeeming features at all and didn't understand what the fuss was about. The latter part of the week things improved somewhat as we explored further afield and got out into some busy suburbs.

We are staying in an area between Kreuzberg and Neukolln, a multi-cultural area, with busy shops and restaurants of all types. The buildings are not pretty, in fact they are downright ugly, great big apartment blocks, covered in graffiti. First impressions weren't great as we went food shopping on Monday. It was a day for getting our bearings, doing mountains of washing and generally relaxing after stints in hotels.

On Tuesday we took the U to Alexanderplatz which is a commercial square and the main travel hub and therefore many people's first introduction to Berlin. It is dire, with stark monstrosities of buildings, miles of concrete paving and lacks any buzz or warmth. There is graffiti and rubbish everywhere and groups of people drinking all over the place. Uggh. As Berlin is quite spread out we decided to take a sightseeing tour on an open- top bus, if only to help us decide where we wanted to explore further.


Brandenburg Gate was overlooked by cranes and scaffolding.


The Reichstag looked impressive, particularly Norman Foster's dome but we couldn't get in it, tours are booked up weeks in advance. Wish we'd known that, we could have booked it ages ago.



This sculpture represents the unification of West and East Berlin.


Street art? Painted in different colours the service pipes are above ground. There are loads of world class museums and art galleries in Berlin, along with the cathedral and several unusual churches but neither of us felt inclined to visit these places. Who comes to Berlin to look at Egyptian artefacts? The grand palaces and churches are located on Unter den Linden, however they are difficult to see as Unter den Linden is Unter den Scaffolding.

We returned on Wednesday and visited the reconstruction of the Cold War crossing point Checkpoint Charlie, there are loads of display boards nearby which document the division between East and West Germany, the construction of the Berlin Wall, people who died trying to escape, it's downfall, reunification and looking towards the future.





We followed the path, marked out by parallel lines of red cobblestones, of the Berlin Wall to a long section which is part of the Topography of Terror, a museum on the former site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters. It was ok, but the reading...... I got very bored. Better, and much more emotive, was the Holocaust Memorial. There are 2711 upright concrete slabs, all of different heights organised in a grid.





The exhibition underground tells real stories of Jewish families from all around Europe being torn apart.

We were putting the cities we have visited over the past 10 months in order on Wednesday night and at that point Berlin was bringing up the rear so on Thursday we decided to get off the tourist trail and find other places to visit. We began by taking a trip to Neukolln in the south of the city to a 90 acre park called Britzer Garten. It is gorgeous and was just what we needed, an oasis of calm. However, quite surprised that we had to pay €3 each to go in.








On Friday and Saturday we explored the suburbs of Friedrichshain, which is predominantly Turkish and has a fantastic market next to the canal, Hackescher Markt which has great restaurants, galleries and bars and Prenzlauer Berg which used to be a poor district but is now liberal, middle class and trendy. A bit like Chapel Allerton or Headingley in Leeds. The buildings mostly survived World War II bombing and are lovely. After three days relaxing and wandering, sampling different food, taking in the atmosphere in the markets, listening to some live music, having a giggle with stall holders and shopping for quirky souvenirs we felt a little differently towards Berlin.










We found, in a small park, what the locals refer to as Dicker Hermann (fat hermann.) Its a water tower that Hitler's SA turned into a prison for local Jews. Its now an apartment block.



Before we leave Berlin we thought we'd share our humble home with you.























Will we come back to Berlin? Probably ...... not!

Three hours driving to a stopover in Hannover tomorrow.


- Posted using BlogPress from Annie & Jim's I-pad

Location:Hermannstraße,Berlin,Germany