... try and find us

Thanks to Storm Éowyn, flights and trains were cancelled and hire cars became impossible to come by.  We were stuck in London for another day!  (One thing we do struggle with is the lack of sympathy from our friends!) The Tower Bridge, not to be mistaken for the very pedestrian London Bridge. A wander along the Thames to check out the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge was in order.  Neither of us had been there for more decades than we care to admit and oh my, how it has changed!  Booking is now required to visit The Tower and you are given a time slot with strict instructions that if you are late, you may be denied entry. The ticket pricing is some hefty, particularly considering they recommend a mere two hours for your visit.  Kate back in 1989 - gotta love those shoulder pads!  Under glorious blue skies, we opted to walk along the Thames, cross the Tower Bridge and check out St Katharine Docks - a marina snugged up under the Tower Bri...

On our way back to Wales, a visit to the Prime Meridian in Greenwich was a must do considering our current reliance on latitudes and longitudes.  We had an awesome day.  We played the ultimate tourists and straddled the Prime Meridian, a foot in each hemisphere.  We are actually yet to sail across it but will do this summer as we cross the top of Scotland. The must have photo - one foot in the Western hemisphere and the other in the Eastern. And of course, waltzing across the hemispheres! We ate lunch is a snug pub with a fire place and all the charm of its multi-century history. We passed on the eels but tucked into the warming soup and a sandwich, washed down with a local ale of course. Eels - yeah, skipped that one! History upon history upon history... The Cutty Sark has been fully restored since the last time either of us visited. She is now in a glassed-over dry dock with a magnificent space under its keel.  They have done a fabulous job. ...

So we are back at Boot, this year as actual boat owners rather than future ones.   Dusseldorf has a river, but bridge clearances would not permit a visit on Chinook. We took the train instead. Boot Düsseldorf - the world's largest indoor boat show. We are pretty pumped to be here. Oh, the things to spend our money on.  We had a list to buy, to look at, to try on...  The show is so huge, a plan is required to make sure we got to the things we wanted to. Messe where Boot is held, is enormous.  For Melbournians, think sixteen Geoff's Sheds .  Calgarians, it's sixteen Big Fours .  Filled to the brim with all things boating. Boot has a hall for sailing destinations, packed full of charter companies and regions promoting their waters for your next adventure.  We had a great chat to the guys at the Morocco and have it sitting high on our list of Places To Go.  The facilities there have improved over the last few year, making it a great ...

Much to the astonishment of our European chums, we decided to pop by and visit Florence in Obernai on our way to Düsseldorf.  We were so close, only a couple of hours on the train.  "Close" we discovered, is a term that holds a different meaning to our friends in France.  They were dazzled that we had made such a l-o-o-o-ong side journey! And it was so worthwhile. Florence has done such an amazing job renovating her house.  From the purchase to the interior demolition job and into a beautiful, fully functioning home ... all on a very limited budget and including a huge amount of hard work.  Florence, we are so proud of you.  The cosy living room The super functional kitchen Guess who had a little play with the pantry?? Florence organised a little party, bringing together friends we have made over the years we have been visiting.  With local wines and spirits flowing freely, it was the wee, small hours before we staggered off to bed.  Next mornin...

A delightful surprise - Kate's Oyster card had £7.80 on it! It's been a while since either of us have been to London - as Kate's Oyster Card will attest!  We had a couple of very important engagements there.  The first was Kate's appointment at the Swedish Embassy and the second was catching up with Brynn Murphy! As you may know, the Schengen Area is the group of twenty-nine countries that have abolished border controls at their mutual borders.  Very handy for mobility, but the catch is that holders of non-EU passports are limited to 90-days in a rolling 180-day period within the zone.  This includes the Azores and the Canaries which are jump-off points to crossing the Atlantic Ocean.  With our plan to spend the summer in Norway and Sweden then sail through the Kiel Canal , along the European coast and down to the Azores, we have a major issue with the 90-day limit ... for Kate .  Sean, with his golden Irish passport, can remain in Schengen , Ir...