Tuesday 12th April, 2011
So Helen and I were reminiscing about a summer when we had very little money and decided that a mini break was better than no break at all. We had been trawling the internet when another friend told me that P&O were doing mini cruises on 2 for 1. We booked it without hesitation and years later P&O mini 
cruises have become a welcome friend between work and bigger holidays. This year was no different. After me spending most of January in Canada and Helen buying a house funds weren’t great but P&O were tempting us with the pull of 2for1 and Pimms Jugs so on the last remaining holiday of the year I was picking Helen up from York train station and we were en route to Hull. The weather was amazing, brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies so a detour to Bridlington and fish and chips at proper seaside town was a great start to the holiday. We found a few interesting finds along the way and stopped to take photographs and enjoy the day, not needing to be on the boat till later.
Abandoning the car in Hull meant that for the next two days I didn’t need to drive anywhere and could visualise the Pimms as we boarded the boat. Unfortunately Pimms wasn’t on the menu but plenty of other delights were. We had a great first night and enjoying catching up and singing along, rather too loud on my part, with the on
board entertainment. Oh well, at least it gave us and the bar staff a bit of a laugh! The next morning the hours’ time difference meant we had very little sleep before the 6.30am wakeup call ‘Good morning ladies and gentlemen, the Four Seasons buffet restaurant is serving……’ Not for me, a shower and an extra half hour in bed will do me fine. We dragged ourselves onto the bus and by the time we arrived in Amsterdam we were ready to go. Again, we couldn’t have asked for better weather. We spend the day wondering round some shops and markets down quiet side streets and along more touristy routes. We both managed to be very restraint about purchasing anything, which I am positive, was much harder for Helen than me. We did find a great stall at the flea market where I picked up a leather bag which I adore and is now in constant use and has left me wondering how I ever managed without it.
Beer on the side of the canals with the gentle hum of boat engines going past, animated conversation at the next table and the ringing of bicycle bells kept us captivated for a couple of hours and I was well and truly in my element. I love it when you are on holiday and time has no meaning what so ever. I think I can got lost in that idea far too easily now and it was Helen that was telling me it was time to go. After one final look round we went back the central station to get back on the bus still looking forward to the night ahead.
The second night was very much like the first and regaining the hour back had very little effect and I still wanted to hunt down the Four Seasons multi lingual lady and throw her over the side of the boat in the morning. I didn’t, and made it through customs unscathed. By lunchtime we had been to Lincolnshire to collect the hoover, had a cuppa with my Nan, Helen had made her Dad a coffee and we were back in York sitting in a pub garden and walking through the museum grounds soaking up the vitamin D. What an amazing few days we had.
Friday 21st January, 2011
I can’t believe that I have been here over a week and all that has happened in that time. The journey is all but forgotten now but at the time, was a bit trying. The first flight went without a hitch other than the guy next to me constantly tring to stroke my leg and despite me elbowing him several times and telling him to stop he persisted throughout the whole 9 hr flight. I was very glad to be off the plane but then came the 2 1/2 hr customs queue at Washington which subsequently caused me to miss the connecting flight to Seattle. So instead of the stop over I had planned in Seattle, I spent the night in Washington and got the first flight to Seattle the following morning. Plan B was then set in motion and another flight there to Victoria got me safely through Canadian immigration (all of 30 seconds) and into the waiting arms of my parents. Like I said that is all forgotten now and I can try and sort it out with insurance when I get back.
The first couple of days I settled into holiday mode and only had minor problems wanting to go to sleep at 9pm on the second day here, but I blame that on altitude aclimatization here on the mountain side, rather than jetlag! Snow followed for the next few days and I quite enjoyed being stranded at the house with mum and dad not able to make it down to work. We set to making bread, marmalade and muffins and watched a number of DVD’s but I was relieved to see the snow retreating the following day before cabin fever really set in.
At the weekend we headed over to Vancouver Island on the early ferry and stopped for quintessential canadian breakfast of pancakes with blueberries and maple syrup. We ventured round the shops in Victoria and I bought a few absolute essentials! The really started to make its presents felt so we got in the car and drove up the Malahat to Nanaimo. Originally heading to Tofino we realised that the weather was going to put a real downer on the trip and fact that we had to be back on Salt spring for Monday morning meant that most of the weekend would be spent driving in awful weather so time for plan b again and Nanaimo was our destination. Called the ‘Harbour city’ Nanaimo is Vancouver Islands second largest city after Victoria and renowned for its outdoor culture. It has fantastic scenery, parklands and would be a great place to explore on a dry day. It was dark when we arrived so we settled into the hotel and walked down to a great little Greek restaurant just down from the hotel. I know they say you should never judge a place from the outside and that is certain true in this case. From the outside it looked really dark and there was the obligatory blue and white flag restaurant board. We walked in the door and I was amazed it was like a mini greek palace in a conservatory. The food was amazing an we were all stuffed when we left. I also got to sample a Greek red and I definitely approve.
On Sunday we started the day with wafel making at the hotel and then went out round Nanaimo. After a brief drive round the city, which was really more a town, we went to Chemanius. Chemanius is the town that is home to the world famous wall painting. I was here 20 years ago and when we arrived memories of certain areas came flooding back. We walked round the wall paintings, which are far more extensive then they were all those years ago. The skies had cleared and the sun was out and it felt lovely walking around taking photographs.
After Chemanuis we went to Duncan and we went for coffee at an organic cafe and then took the Totem tour. Basically, the Totem tour is a series of yellow footsteps painted on the pavements that guided you a round the40 plus Totem poles around the town, each one unique on its colours and carvings. A quick visit to Maple bay for a walk on the beach and more photo opportunities, although I didn’t manage to get one of the man falling out of his canoe, before returning to Salt spring on the ferry from Crofton.
Saturday 29th May, 2010
Wednesday morning I went out into the drizzling rain to walk to Granville Island. It was a nice fresh morning a part from the rain and I wanted to go back to Granville market as this was one of the things I remembered
from my trip as a kid. Granville Market is one of the main things on the Island but there are loads of studios and galleries around this where you can see the artists at work or browse round the shops. I spent a long time walking into and out of the hundreds of different studios from glass blowing to iron work to quilting it is all here. There is a childrens market that houses all the old wooden toys, games and kites in a huge array of colours everything bold, bright and eye catching.
Granville Markets itself was much smaller than I remembered it being but it is strange how a child’s eye see’s things so differently. I sat and had a coffee and took in the atmosphere. I took photographs of the flower stalls and the neatly piled bundles of carrots and pyramid stacks of cherries and strawberries. One thing that is definitely different about America and Canada is that everything they sell has to be presented in the most ridiculous fashion. Each cherry strawberry or carrot is inspected for any signs of soil or natural sugar marks and polished within an inch of its life. It is no wonder that kids grow up believing that fruit and veg are cultivated in a sterile environment right inside that supermarkets and grocery stores.
When I left the market it was really pouring down and so I caught a bus up to Gastown, a large proportion of original building and a huge tourist area. I was again revisiting childhood memories and I went to see the Steam clock and had a late lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I immediately realised that this was the perfect place for backpackers and budget travelers to go because you buy a main meal and get bread, salad or soup, tea or coffee and ice cream all in the price and the food was really tasty. Feeling very full I left Gastown and walked to the library to use the internet. After which I walked through the shopping centres as far as I could to get back to the hostel trying on a few clothes but managing to resist temptation. I watched a movie and managed to get to bed reasonably early for my 5am start.
I dragged myself out of bed and packed the rest of my stuff in the dark and went down to wait for the taxi to the train station. It arrived within minutes and delivered me to the train station 45 minutes ahead of departure time. I really don’t understand why they tried to insist on an hour, I was too early. We got loaded up and set off stopping numerous times to pick up and drop off passengers 10 minutes to stretch the legs before another few hours on the road. The day started off raining and then we came across blue skies and the cloud lifting from the snow capped mountain tops. We traveled further still and the scenery was looking more and more impressive. The cloud had however started to descend again but it seemed to add a new dimension to the patterns on the mountains and the sky line. I had been told that no 2 days looked the same in the Rockies but I got the impression that no 2 minutes looked the same in the Rockies. At 9pm we finally arrived in Banff and was thankful for the walk to the hostel after so many hours being in the bus. It was bloody freezing though.
The Same sun hostel in Banff was not too far out of the centre and had a real ski lodge feel about it. It has a nice courtyard in the centre with chalet style rooms coming off that and en suite rooms which meant not having to freeze to go to the bathroom. I was in a 4 bed room with only 1 other person in. A girl called Kristy from New Zealand. I talked to her about my new found love for New Zealand and she said she was on a working holiday visa exploring BC and Alberta before going to work in a Summer camp near Toronto. The following morning after a breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup we walked into town and she went off to the cave and basin while I explored Bow Falls. There were really pretty and it was a nice walk from the town centre a long the side of the river. I took loads of photo’s for me and a couple for other people. After this I went to warm up in a coffee shop and then explored to town centre.
Back at the hostel I told Kristy the merits of the Old Spaghetti Factory and that night we went there for dinner and then to the cinema to see Robin Hood.
Monday 17th May, 2010
I got out of the hostel in Auckland on Saturday morning, went to the Library to check my emails and then caught the bus to the airport. Not wanting to leave New Zealand left me feeling more than a little sad to be checking in my bag again America bound. At 1pm I boarded the plane after going through double security checks (for America only) and had a 12 hour flight unable to sleep again. Therefore my journey consisted off Brothers, Twilight: New Moon, Pam Ann: Live in London and my new favourite Australian film Bran Neu Dae. The Plane landed in LA at 6.30am and I went through Customs and Immigration with a very nice officer who was asking me all about England. He wanted to go but didn’t think he could face the flight.
Going into terminal 3 was a different story, the immigration people were just moody and I got stopped at the security gate and was told they ‘wanted to check my pants’. Having lived in Newcastle for the past 9 years and watched enough American TV to know that they actually wanted to check my trousers but I was still a bit taken aback. After doing all this I still had another 3 hours to wait but I had a book, my ipod and a Starbucks so it wasn’t long till boarding. Another 2 1/2 hours and I had arrived in Seattle with sleep deprivation really kicking in. It is weird to think that because of crossing the international date line I had arrived before I set off.
From the airport I got the light rail to Chinatown and walked to the hostel. As soon as I dropped my bags in the room I went for a shower to wake myself up knowing that I had to stay awake to go to bed tonight and minimise the jet lag. I did feel better after my shower and set off on my orientation walk. I walked up 3rd Ave and past the library and the art gallery then stopped for coffee at Seattle’s Best Coffee Co. (I am trying to avoid Starbucks in its birthplace) where I got talking to a lady that told me it was the cheese festival this weekend at Pike Place Market and I asked her about the buses (free in the CBD) and a couple of the visitor attractions. Someone on the plane mentioned a great seafood restaurant on one of the Piers so I am hoping to go there when Helen arrives (note the when not if). I walked down to Pike Place market but it was already 5pm and people were packing up, I wandered round a bit knowing that I could have a better look on Sunday. On the way back I found a great Thai takeaway so with my Prawn Pad Plik I went back to the hostel.
Finally giving in to sleep at 9.30pm I got up at 10am having slept 12 1/2hours and feeling like I had woken from hibernation. I caught the bus to Waterlake Centre and wandered round the shops before heading down to the market. Seattle is an easy city to navigate, with a better workout for legs than most. The lady in the coffee chop yesterday said that she, like many locals, had found routes through the buildings in the lifts to get up the streets. I am amazed that Hong Kong has outdoor escalators but cities in America don’t. I figured that I am more likely to get myself lost in the shops and definitely spend more money so I keep walking up the hills. It doesn’t have as many as Auckland.
Anyway down at the market and this place is crazy. Loads of stalls with all different kinds of cheese but yo have to fight your way through to them. This market is in every guide book and tourist leaflet for Seattle but also frequented by the locals for the fresh produce like seafood directly from the piers below. There are flower stalls and loads of people walking around cradling bouquets like babies or with them high in the air away from bodies. I ate at one of the seafood restaurants in the market over looking the piers, the aquarium and Elliott bay. I picked out some salmon and vegetables for dinner and after satisfying my market fix I walked back up the hill to the library for my 30 minutes free internet time.
Friday 7th May, 2010
Unfortunately this post needs to start with a warning, DO NOT travel round New Zealand on your own. There is absolutely no way that you can drive, read the map, gawp at the scenery, take photographs and add in all the oohs and aah’s of appreciation on your own, it is like hell on earth. Having said that, this is some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever experienced and I am really pleased to be here.
After catching the bus and picking up the car I drove from Auckland on the impressively named Thermal Explorers Highway (no A1 here). This route took me via Hamilton and Cambridge but I wanted to get to Rotorua. I knew I was there when the smell hit me. Seriously, it smells like a rotten egg diarrhoea with a bit of red wine vomit thrown in for good measure. I wandered around the town for a while and down to Lake Rotorua before going to the Government Gardens and Geothermal Springs. I had to catch the ferry at 2pm the next day and so had to drive further south today. I was pleased I did as I discovered the Huka Falls and Lake Taupo. The falls were really impressive and made you appreciate the true power of nature. Millions of gallons of water with tremendous force charging through a narrow gap in the landscape and the purest blue colours in everyshade. I walked around both sides and took plenty of photographs. Lake Taupo was beautiful and the water from Huka falls fed into it. It is just a massive expanse of water and I drove round the side of it for about 30kms stopping to take photographs of the sun setting over the mountains in the background. I think other people then had the same idea as I passed people stopping their cars and getting out the cameras. I made it to Turangi YHA and managed to talk the lady into giving me a free upgrade so I had a sound nights sleep in my own room for an early start in the morning. Just time for dinner and a soak in the indoor hot tub before bed.
Tuesday morning 7.30am I filled up with petrol and took to the road once more for the run down to Wellington. Check in for the ferry closed at 1pm and I had been told that it would take anything from 3 1/2 hrs- 5hrs to get there. The roads were pretty clear and I only got stopped for sheep crossing twice. I travelled round Mt Tongariro and Mt Ruapehu where the snow fields are and although there was snow on the mountains the roads were clear. I kept in the same road and travelled through mountains and along the river with the temperature climbing the further I went. The road went within a few kilometers of the beach and I was making good time so I stopped in Waitarere for a walk along the beach. The sand was black and littered with shells and drift wood. I picked a couple of good ones and got back in the car. I arrived at the ferry terminal at 12.30 and sat in the sun till they loaded us up into the ‘bloody big metal ship’ (sorry reference to movie Australia which I saw twice while I was there).
3 1/2 Hrs later and freezing cold from staying outside to take photographs of the Marlborough sounds we arrived in Picton. Nelson was the nicest hostel in the area and on the route that I wanted to take to Christchurch so I decided to stay there, the only down side was that it was a 100km drive along very twisting roads up and down the mountain sides in the dark. I crossed over the bridge into Nelson all lit up and was happy I had arrived. The Youth hostel is lovely so I made dinner and settled into a film in the tv lounge, excited to see what Nelson looked like in the day light.
Next morning and I took a little time to explore Nelson. I booked the next 2 nights accommodation for Hanmer Springs tonight and Christchurch city for tomorrow. I am trying to sort things out but realised that if I want to get back to Auckland in time without flying I will need to get off on Tuesday which means only 7 days on the South Island. I think I am going to have to fly again but on the plus side this is much cheaper than any alternative. After I left nelson I drove down to Lake Riotiti and took a load of photographs I could have stayed there all day. It was really beautiful and so tranquil, until a bus load of Kiwi Experience arrived. The scenery I have seen today has been truly mind blowing and words can not do justice to how beautiful the landscape is. I stopped on numerous occasions and had lunch at Maruia Falls where I was mesmerized by the rainbow over the falls. A few people went to the lookout but otherwise I had the place to myself. I later found out that Maruia Falls were formed by an earthquake when the course of the river changed. The drive continued through Lewis Pass and on to Hanmer Springs where I spent the night. On exploration of the village I found the Hanmer Springs Spa so went for a soak in the warm bubbling waters before making dinner.
Thursday and on to Christchurch. I dropped off the car without any hassle and got to the city and the hostel. I had a vague idea of how the next few days would pan out but I seriously needed to book things and make the plans a reality. I didn’t need to worry because no sooner had I put my bag down and made my bed Ben, one of the hostel guys, had booked my accommodation for the next 5 nights, transport to Queenstown and the TranzAlpine train trip for tomorrow. With my credit card still smoking from his efforts, I went for a walk round Christchurch to try and get my head around the early starts, amazing experiences and long journeys that were ahead of me.
Tuesday 27th April, 2010
Catching the bus outside Flinders Station I was leaving Melbourne to go to Braybrook to pick up the van to Adelaide. Having driven the Ocean Rd the last time I drove between the 2 cities I wanted to go inland and see the Grampian Ranges. I thought that I would stay the first night at Halls Gap right in the middle of them. This time I was driving a Nomad 3 berth camper which was definately a nicer size for parking spaces. I 
stopped in Balarat for groceries and then carried on through Ararat and arrived in Halls Gap. It was still only mid afternoon so I had a bit of time to explore before finding a camp site. I drove through Halls Gap and Found the visitor centre adn Brambuk cultural centre which just happens to be my new dream home. Brambuk is the Aboriginal word for Cockatoo and the design of the building is a representation of a cockatoo in flight with outstretched wings. It is the totem for this area. Within the building there are 5 circular areas interlaced and this represents the 5 aboriginal communities that came together for the project. It is a no holes barred account of what happended to aborignal communities when the white fella took over their land, killing and displacing thousands of native people. I took pictures of the outside and only managed to get one inside before getting told off so I will try and find some on the net. Inside the main area was a massive stone circular chimney stack like a big tree going through the centre of the building then a circular ramp up to the top level with another open fire and views outside to the wetlands. There was a cinema area and meeting rooms off the main room and I was picturing it all as my home. If I could build a house I would like it to be a similar design to this. Can you tell I really liked the building?
Anyway, leaving there I walked around the wetlands for a while and then went to silverband falls where I parked the van and had a walk to the falls. They area pretty but there hadn’t been much rain so they weren’t at their best. Another stop at Lake Bellfield which was a resevoir and I walked across the damn. After a few photographs I went back to Halls Gap and found a camping spot among the kangaroos (about 50 at least) and settles in for the night with dinner and cans of Jack Daniels and Coke.
Sunday morning and I set off on the C222 to Horesham. This passed the Balconies and Mackenzie falls. The walk up to the Balconies was really nice first thing in the morning and I managed to get there when there was only 1 other person there. I stayed a 
while and listened to the stillness and calm and only the sound of the birds and the mating calls of the Koalas below. On the way back to the van I was pleased I had gone up early because there were scores of people going up and another bus load arriving as I pulled out of the car park. I walked down to Mackenzie falls and discovered that this was a bit too strenuous for first thing in the morning before breakfast. Back up the steps and in the van I needed to drive and I wanted to get to Murray Bridge about 500km. This part of the journey was pretty mundane and the only point of interest was that the road followed the same route as the Indian Pacific cross country train from Perth to Sydney. I want to do this train journey or the Ghan which goes from Adeliade to Darwin via Alice Springs, unfortunately too much money for a backapcker but when I eventually find that rich man hopefully I will get to do it.
Sunday 24th January, 2010
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I have spent the last couple of days in Kanchanaburi (kan’buri) and it all started with a Bangkok taxi driver chancing his luck. I caught a taxi to the bus station because there are no local buses that go there or the skytrain. A couple wanted to charge 400bt and then I got one for 150bt but asked him to turn on the meter. He spent the whole journey on his mobile and trying to get me to pay for him to take me all the way. When we eventually arrived and the meter said 268bt I took great pleasure in giving him the 150bt and telling him that I knew he had gone twice the distance to get there! The look on his face was priceless, he is obviously used to fleecing tourists.
The bus to Kanchanaburi took about 2 hrs but there really wasn’t much to see along the way. I got to the guest house and it is really nice. There one main street with all the guest houses and hotels on a
nd the internet cafes and bars. The guest house was called Sam’s House and I found out Sam also has a Place and a Floating Oasis too, lucky Sam. Sam’s house consisted of lots of individual stone rooms or wooden ones flaoting on the river. I got a floating one and it was really nice and peaceful, a few bites though!.
After getting settled in I asked how far it was to the bridge and the guy said about 3km and too far to walk. I ignored him and did my own thing, I walked. I think the reason why people don’t walk is because of the heat and because there are no real footpaths. The ones there are, are used to park mopeds. It was nice to walk up and I get there just as the sun was starting to set.
They are obviously geared for tourists here too because they had all the market stalls out and no one else was walking they all had moped taxis to and from the bridge. I walked back and had dinner in a bar down the road from the hotel. Tourists here don’t seem to want to talk to each other, definately not the same atmosphere as Bangkok.
Yesterday was spent in the JEATH war museum and around the town. I walked to the train station intending to buy my ticket for the next day but the lady said that the train from there was always about 1 hr later and I would miss the next train. She suggested I get the bus and to Nakhom Pathom and get the train from there. That is what I did this morning getting up at 6am and getting here for 9am only to find out that the train was full and I would have to get the one at 14.45 or midnight.
Having walked through Nakhom Pathom to get to the train station I didn’t like the prospect of staying here till midnight and I have a booking in Surat Thani for tonight. With a lot of questioning the girls in the 7/11 they directed me to the only internet cafe in town so I had a walk round the market with my rucksack and now only have 4 hours to kill till I get the train. I thought thinks were going too well.
I have also got to try and contact the hotel and tell them I won’t be there till midnight. So much for a restful day!
Tuesday 12th January, 2010
I suppose I know a little about the London underground. I can figure my way round when I need to and I am aware of the fact that you have got to go miles out of your way on the weekend to get anyway ‘due to maintenance’ but I have got the MTR (really the mass transit rail) sussed. They seem to have thought of everything.
The MTR have clear signs in English (as well as cantonese), they have multiple exits from each station depending on where you want to be, they have hand and sole sanitising stations everywhere and the trains or frequent. They get really busy but not stuffy like London and they have overhead maps alone the insides that light up with the direction of the train, the next stop the lines that interchange and, wait for it, which side of the train to exit. Genuinious! I know small things and all but it makes all the difference, it makes even the most amatuer subway person look proficient in the ways of the commuter and saves all the people getting in the way wondering where they need to go.
I have come to the conclusion that if the octopus did come before the oyster then London transport need to adopt a few more MTR principles.
Wednesday 6th January, 2010
God I hate flying. Not for the same reasons as most people, I can safely say that I trust and believe the statistics when they say you are more likely to get hit by a bus than die in a plane. No the reason I hate flying became clear in a series of events. Waiting in the airport, I understand that there is a lot to do behind the scenes and that everyone is panicking again about airport and boarder security but why do I have to be there 3 hours before take off!
Getting to my seat I realisation that I was sat next to a mother and screaming child with father and another screaming child behind. Then the screaming baby 2 seats infront. Unlike Helen I do have a cetain amount of tolerance toward these people, and I genuinely feel very sorry for the baby sceaming because her ears must have really been hurting and she was absolutely terrified.
The seats are really uncomfortable unless you pay a ridiculous amount of money to be slightly more comfortable in premium economy or sell a kidney to get to business class. Anyway, so back in economy with the screaming babies and we hadn’t even set off only another 12hrs to go.
I was excited about my adventure. I watched a rubbish film and then another rubbish film and decided to try and get some sleep. I sat in my seat for 8 hrs trying to sleep but wide awake with my eyes closed. I couldn’t get comfortable, the air conditioning was so loud it nearly made the screaming infants look like saints. People walked up and down the aisles and then again and again. The most annoying part was watching other people managing to sleep. How is that possible?
I resigned myself to the fact that I was getting no sleep and out of despiration to find something to do that wouldn’t be in the least bt taxing I watched Michael Jackson this is it. Well that was it. I only get half way through, thank god, and sun came up so I stared out the window till we landed.
So no huge dramas with engines failing or storms but I was pleased to be off the plane and safe for another 2 weeks. I did check my itenary at the first possible opportunity hoping that that was the longest flight. It isn’t. I have another to match it from Auckland to LA lucky me.
I know, you have no simpathy. Thanks.
So Helen and I were reminiscing about a summer when we had very little money and decided that a mini break was better than no break at all. We had been trawling the internet when another friend told me that P&O were doing mini cruises on 2 for 1. We booked it without hesitation and years later P&O mini 
cruises have become a welcome friend between work and bigger holidays. This year was no different. After me spending most of January in Canada and Helen buying a house funds weren’t great but P&O were tempting us with the pull of 2for1 and Pimms Jugs so on the last remaining holiday of the year I was picking Helen up from York train station and we were en route to Hull. The weather was amazing, brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies so a detour to Bridlington and fish and chips at proper seaside town was a great start to the holiday. We found a few interesting finds along the way and stopped to take photographs and enjoy the day, not needing to be on the boat till later.
Abandoning the car in Hull meant that for the next two days I didn’t need to drive anywhere and could visualise the Pimms as we boarded the boat. Unfortunately Pimms wasn’t on the menu but plenty of other delights were. We had a great first night and enjoying catching up and singing along, rather too loud on my part, with the on
board entertainment. Oh well, at least it gave us and the bar staff a bit of a laugh! The next morning the hours’ time difference meant we had very little sleep before the 6.30am wakeup call ‘Good morning ladies and gentlemen, the Four Seasons buffet restaurant is serving……’ Not for me, a shower and an extra half hour in bed will do me fine. We dragged ourselves onto the bus and by the time we arrived in Amsterdam we were ready to go. Again, we couldn’t have asked for better weather. We spend the day wondering round some shops and markets down quiet side streets and along more touristy routes. We both managed to be very restraint about purchasing anything, which I am positive, was much harder for Helen than me. We did find a great stall at the flea market where I picked up a leather bag which I adore and is now in constant use and has left me wondering how I ever managed without it.
Beer on the side of the canals with the gentle hum of boat engines going past, animated conversation at the next table and the ringing of bicycle bells kept us captivated for a couple of hours and I was well and truly in my element. I love it when you are on holiday and time has no meaning what so ever. I think I can got lost in that idea far too easily now and it was Helen that was telling me it was time to go. After one final look round we went back the central station to get back on the bus still looking forward to the night ahead.
The second night was very much like the first and regaining the hour back had very little effect and I still wanted to hunt down the Four Seasons multi lingual lady and throw her over the side of the boat in the morning. I didn’t, and made it through customs unscathed. By lunchtime we had been to Lincolnshire to collect the hoover, had a cuppa with my Nan, Helen had made her Dad a coffee and we were back in York sitting in a pub garden and walking through the museum grounds soaking up the vitamin D. What an amazing few days we had.
