Day 175 – 180: Countdown begins

Day 175 – 180: Countdown begins

Close on the back of our Ireland visit, we squeezed in an unbelievable experience of catching a show, WICKED (which I must say was an amazing experience and highly recommended) as well as a wonderful visit to the amazing Oxford to visit with long last friends and new friends.

Craig and I hopped onto the Oxfordtube (bus) from Victoria Station on a sunny and bright Thursday where we drove through the city of London making our way along the M40 toward Oxfordshire.

We arrived early afternoon to the bustling streets and happy atmosphere. We made our way down the streets, admiring the old and historic buildings of colleges and walking alongside the students in their black robes and backpacks of books.

It’s such a lovely little place and builds an excitement to just walk through the streets and soak in the sunshine, people smiling and music being played by the buskers on the streets. We grabbed a coffee, and a giant Cornish Pastie and continued to venture around the cobblestoned alleys and roads.

After a perfect afternoon strolling through the city, we headed to the well-hidden ‘Turf Tavern’, which is probably the oldest and most renowned little pub in Oxford.

We had arranged to meet with an old friend from high school, Gillian, her dapper husband James and adorable little ones, Bella and Adrian as well as the hunky Dr Lyle Murray for a few drinks and an awesome pub dinner.

Butternut wedges, steak pie, risotto, pork and potatoes was the spread all round and with tummies sufficiently filled, and good conversations had, it was time to go home and get some much needed rest.

We were absolutely blessed by being able to stay with James and Gillian, who have just moved to Oxford from Colorado on a scholarship which James has deservedly earned for 3 years, and welcomed into their quaint house – we were even given the main bedroom and took full advantage of the comfortable bed…. so much so that Craig only arose at 12:03pm the next day.

It was a wonderful morning getting to spend time chatting and catching up with Gillian after so many years and time that I will value greatly.

But unfortunately it was time to catch our bus back to London and to enjoy our final days of this epic adventure.

So now we are a day away from boarding the plane homeward bound. With bittersweet feelings, we are trying to soak up as much of the trip as we can and reflect on countries, people, foods, places and experiences, which we have been so incredibly blessed to have had over the last 6 months.

We will write up a conclusion in the next few days to complete this brilliant chapter of our lives, but stay tuned, as we will soon start the beginning of a brand new and exiting chapter.

Day 165 – 175: Good Guinness Days

Day 165 – 175: Good Guinness Days

With so little time and so much still to see, we arrived back from an epic roadtrip, to be welcomed into the home of Davin and Bronwyn (cousins of Craig) with wine, 2 full racks of ribs and we were exited to spend the few nights before jetting off to Ireland for a week.

Craig has arranged with his friend, ‘Pommie, that we would all go touring through London closer to the end of our trip when we were staying with them again. So we used the free time to go for jogs in the Wimbledon Park nearby, nap and watch movies.

Before we knew it, we were off again and on a Ryanair flight to Dublin for about a week.

Craig did so well to find a wonderfully comfortable hotel (coincidently or conveniently right across from the Jameson Factory). Unfortunately my poor hubby came down with the flu for the first few days, so he made good use of the comfortable hotel and so the recovery process began.

To my delight, I was given a reason to go and scout out the area and find the nearest Boots, where I was given strict instructions to get Corenza and Illiaden.

I quickly found out that the UK doesn’t have either, so I took the initiative and got the UK replicas (to Craigs disappointment). On my way out, and in the corner of my eye, I spotted my favourite sign…FOREVER 21, and withstanding all temptation walked passed with haste to get the medication back to my sickly husband, but making a promise to myself that I will be back and take advantage of the ‘buy one, get one free’ sale….and the very next day that’s exactly what I did.

Craig was on the mend but still not completely right, so we did what any smart couple would do…we went to the Guinness factory.

We met up with Craig’s cousin, Glen, which Craig hasn’t see in over 15 years and had a great time walking through the factory and making our way to the bar for a Guinness and beef pie and a proper pint of course.

All it took was a Guinness and Craig was on top form and back to his chuckling and jovial self. Stomachs lined, and we headed straight for our complementary Guinness at the infamous ‘Gravity Bar’ where we enjoyed the 360-degree view of Dublin and awesome vibe.

Glen gave us a quick tour through the streets of Dublin, but this tour would not be complete without a visit to the awesome ‘Temple Bar’. Guinness, Irish Coffee, more Guinness and some Heinekens later…it was time to say goodbye and retire.

In high spirits and a few sniffles, we were fit and healthy enough to see more of Dublin. The weather was ideal and we walked through the festive O’Connel Street, aaaaahed around the Trinity College, snapped some pics of the castle and soaked up the Irish Air.

What better way to experience Ireland, than to visit the ‘Auld Dubliner’ for a lunch (we initially went to the famous Oliver but couldn’t afford the 20 euro meal.) Craig had an Irish Stew while I inhaled my delicious Seafood Chowder while listening to a handsome Irish Fellow playing guitar and singing.

Emma and Denis (friends from Paris) arrived late on Thursday night for a weekend jaunt. We hired a car and headed in the ‘Pink Panda’ for Wicklow Park.

Jammed into the small little Panda, we turned on the radio and sang, tapped our feet through the gorgeous surroundings of Wicklow Park. Sheep, green grass, gigantic trees and rivers that even look as though Guinness runs through them, Wicklow is a wonderful landscape of winding roads and natural beauty.

We eventually parked our car at Glendonough where we set off for a walk around the lake and a bite to eat. It was just perfect and our pictures can only capture but a small amount of this wonderful place.

We headed back to Dublin along the eastern coast and stopping off at little villages for a quick peak, but before we knew it we were back in Dublin and sitting in the Temple bar with a Guinness for the guys and an Irish coffee for the girls, listening to the drumming of guitars and folk music.

Craig had to leave early the Saturday morning for Pommie’s stag party, while I stayed and kept Emma and Denis entertained for the next 2 days.

We strolled the streets of O’Connel and Grafton, with a little shopping squeezed in and walked through the Trinity College again where my friends paid a ridiculous 9 Euro to enter the famous library, only to find out that they were only allowed into a restricted area and weren’t allowed to take pictures either – with the disappointment of the rip-off, we headed to the well recommended ‘Porterhouse’ for an Irish stew and a good old Irish Beer tasting of Ales and stouts.

Emma and Denis are ‘kids at heart’ and have incredible amounts of energy, so they got all dolled up and went pub crawling through the Temple Bar district only to return at 3:30 am with the munchies and nothing to suffice the craving, but the need for a good nights sleep.

Check out was at 11am, so slowly the 2 heavy headed party animals packed their bags and we left the hotel to exploit FOREVER 21. Emma and Denis fully kitted out with a new wardrobe for a fraction of the cost and we were in need of lunch.

I stopped in at a local kebab shop with the best falafels in town while Emma and Denis headed for the Guinness factory to dive into the unique experience.

After lunch I headed to the airport and waited for my plane, which was arriving in about 5 hours time. But have no fear when you have a good book an IPOD and a cup of yummy rooibos and vanilla tea.

The time flew by and when I looked again I was walking through customs at Gatwick and found my way into the arms of my gorgeously handsome husband, promising never to leave me for that long again.

Tripping the road fantastic…

We arrived in Ross on Wye via National Express bus service. This bus had the most legroom I have ever seen on a bus. A very comfortable, 1 hour bus ride from Cheltenham bus station to Cantilupe Street in Ross. A sad goodbye to the Bucks but exciting for Donna and I as we were “on the road again.”

Arriving in Ross we looked for a taxi to take us to our hotel, which was only a mile away, but taxis are few in this tiny town. I was last here on rugby tour in my matric year – I didn’t remember much about the town so it was like seeing it again for the first time. Eventually after speaking to a bus driver and him confirming that it was only a mile away, we decided to walk through this pretty town nestled in the wye valley split by the meandering river Wye – beautiful!

The Castle Lodge hotel was to be our home for the next four days. An old English inn run by a South African couple who used to live in Kyalami. The lady, Georgina, is actually the god mother of Jeanie D – famous Top Billing presenter. Another unbelievable coincidence added to our list from this trip.  While chatting to them and their daughter, we found out that Ross on Wye wasn’t in Wales, but actually 6 miles from the border – much to Donna’s disappointment as she had mentally ticked off another country. I just shrugged my shoulders and said that we would be there soon.

The first couple of days we mostly slept, watched movies and had excellent lunches at the Royal Hotel overlooking Ross and the Wye. We were pretty tired after our very busy visit in Cheltenham so we rested nicely in our quiet hotel. It was great to walk around the small town and in and out of the pubs and small local produce shops. One of the days we took a bus to Witchurch and walked to Symonds Yat – which is in Wales. This is an even smaller town on the river wye and also divided by it into east and west.  We walked through the east side until we got to the only hand operated ferry still operating on the Wye. We waited for the ferryman to come and fetch us, then paid 1pound and 20pence, hopped on the ferry and he pulled on the cable and got us to the other side. We went to the Royal Lodge hotel for lunch and a half pint of the local ale, Dorothy Goodbody.

Watching the time we decided to make tracks to catch the bus. This went a bit wrong as we walked along the west side of the town hoping to hit a bridge further upstream to cross over to get to the bus stop. Alas, there was no bridge and we ended up walking all the way, through farms and the countryside to the next town of Goodrich, which was fortunately on the bus route but unfortunately 5km away.  And very conveniently there was The Hostelrie pub 100 meters from the bus stop that served Guinness and a soda water for Donna.  After quenching our thirst and chatting with locals as they passed with their dogs, we hopped on the bus back to Ross. A great day spent going in and out of Wales.

The next day we had a slow morning and packed up to get back on the road again. But this time we would be driving. We booked a Ford Focus type vehicle for 13 days and our plan was to go down to Cardiff and then drive along the south coast and up the west coast of Wales, to the Lake District in England, into the Highlands of Scotland and the rest of the North, down to Edinburgh and back to London. Epic only begins to describe this amazing journey!

We arrived at the Royal Hotel to pick up the car. As I received the keys in the Avis package I looked at what type of car we would get and was hugely surprised by the description of ‘AUDI A3 – TDI’. I was blown away by this incredible blessing from God. I was hoping that I would get nothing less than a Ford Focus and instead received a Dark Grey Audi A3 sportback with a turbo diesel engine for the same price. These diesel engines are super economical – man!! God is good!

We rolled out of the Royal Hotel in our new chariot and blazed our way excitedly for lunch in Cardiff. I was concentrating so much as I haven’t driven in ages, and the last time I drive was in Santorini on the right hand side of the road. Anyway, we managed to get to Cardiff with no hassles and parked in the town centre so that we could wander around the high street looking for a spot to eat. As we got to the high street we saw a gay pride parade walk past in some interesting outfits and closely behind them a woman handing out pamphlets about the Gospel and the bible. 

We walked into an Italian restaurant for lunch and then headed on our way to Pembroke Doc where we would spend 1 night. Pembroke is a small harbour and fishing town with not much to offer except beautiful surrounding areas, which we toured to the max. We stayed in a small B and B run by an Englishman named Chris and his small wife.  After a brilliant cooked breakfast and saying goodbye to our generous hosts we wove our way through the narrow, hedge lined roads of southern wales, through the Welsh countryside and farms and up the west coast.

 We stopped in towns like Llangrannog, Little Haven, Broad Haven and St Davids(Brittain’s smallest town), Porthgain, Aberystwyth, and Dolgellau. Eventually, after a 10hour drive, that should have taken us 3, we arrived in Llandudno(no not in Cape Town) on the west coast of Wales. It was dark so we couldn’t really see the town but we were both tired and settled into our home for the next 2 nights – The Rose Tor hotel on Mostyn Street.

The next morning was a huge surprise. We woke up just in time for breakfast and filled up nicely on a great cooked breakie with strong coffee. We had to move the car as the parking just outside the hotel was only free from 9am to 6pm. We then went to explore the town and first walked along the long pier next to the Grand Hotel. We were immediately transported back to the eighties as the pier was filled with eighties themed fair stalls where you could win stuffed animals and shoot stuff. There was a stall selling old music from before my time and seagulls chirped out of tune. Stax of old people sat on benches and strolled around soaking in the fresh sea air. The average age of this town was 70 years old. We enjoyed it though as I was expecting a bit of a party place – quite the opposite. Llandudno is a beautiful town with amazing buildings and a brilliant bay overlooked by a superb promenade where we ran. We came upon a street name on that promenade called “Craig y Don.”

We made our way to Snowdonia which is south of Llundudno and is some of the most beautiful country side I have ever seen. But more about that in the next blog.

Day 142 – 147: Family Farm

Day 142 – 147: Family Farm

Place: The Castle Lodge, Ross-on-Wye (not in Wales like Craig said)

June 2006 was the last time that I was fortunate enough to see my beautiful little Buck family and the time has finally come to see them again.

Thursday, 23^rd August

We arrived to Cheltenam Spa station at 14:04, where my SUPER-AUNT, Eileen picked us up with the bright white smiles of Emily and Maria in the back.

Warm embraces made the last 6 years melt away quickly. The girls, Emily and Maria were only 9 and 8 years old at the time and the years have been VERY good to the both, as they have blossomed into wonderful young ladies.

I was beaming from ear to ear reminiscing about racing around with them in their busy lives and couldn’t wait to reach the farm to show off to Craig and introduce him to my Uncle Rob.

The afternoon flew by and with no time to waste, we chatted, giggled and caught up over a yummy homemade roast chicken, glass of wine and a warm fire.

Friday, 24^th August

Today was going to be busy day as we were heading into Cirencester for the morning to visit Eileen’s folks, Des and Julie. This endearing couple are so much fun to be with. Des is a charming gentleman with a wicked sense of humour and has a captivating ‘knack ‘ for telling good jokes and stories. Julie is a real Irish darling with amazing wit and a playful little streak, which is probably why she got along so well with Craig, in fact she has a not so secret crush on what she describes as ‘a good one’.

The morning started with a very eager husband waking up at about 5am, keen to have a cup of tea and chat. I, however knew what was in store for the day, so entertained the idea for about 20min and then made my way back to bed for at least another hour of sleep. My dear husband did not, and after his cup of tea, he polished some silver (true story) and then went for a walk down the lane. When Craig eventually came to his senses and his eyes became heavy…he grabbed the opportunity to sleep while the rest of us got ready.

A slow stroll through an awesome antique market, followed by a beer and chips at the pub, Cornish pasties from the local pie shop and finished off with scrumptious cakes and tea and then a quick rush back to Steepleton Farm where we would then prepare one of Eileen’s trademark dishes…MOUSSAKA (eggplant lasagna).

There is something so wonderful about sitting around a big table in the kitchen, discussing the day’s events with family while preparing food and sipping on a good glass of wine.

Saturday, 25^th August

If we thought that Friday was a busy day…we would learn a lot about the term ‘busy’ this day.

Maria was taking part in an equestrian gymkhana, where she would be showcasing with 3 different horses (all of which are new to the sport).

Wet, cold and grey skies greeted us at 5:30am, but didn’t discourage the bubbly girls and always ‘on form’ Eileen, where we raced to load the horses and make our way to Bampton for the exiting day’s competition.

We climbed onto a huge lorry where together with a tv, fridge, stove, horses and beds arrived and were ready to go.

Maria was a champion from start to finish. She is determined, focused and most importantly passionate about her horses and each event. I was so super proud of her and so thrilled to see her perform and do so incredibly well.

What better way to celebrate a good English day, with good English weather (rain, then sun, then hot and then cold), horses, farms, Cotswold’s and finally…hot fish and chips in the car, overlooking a field of wheat – bliss.

Sunday, 26^th August

Finally, a very slow morning, just the way God intended Sundays to be spent….with family.

The sun was out (well in English terms) and it was the perfect day to have a picnic and game of rounders in a local field…. and that’s exactly what we did.

Eileen and Rob took us, the girls and poppy (black Labrador which is like the third child) to a local pub where we sat in the garden watching kids in the swings, chickens peck at nearby tables and swans swoon across the water.

I love the way the British (and Europeans in general) enjoy the summer…a small glimpse of sunlight and warmth, and they are out and about, embracing every ray of sunshine that they can.

The wine was having its giddy little impact on our senses, only meant one thing…it was time to put some food in our stomachs and sober up for a ‘serious and intense’ game of rounders.

We found an idyllic spot in a nearby field, where we laid the blanket, set up chairs to enjoy the view and unpacked the baskets of what we thought we packed. Instead we found a half packed basket with crackers, tomatoes, chocolate, pickled onions and of course…wine. Somehow in the slow-motioned movements of the morning, we had forgotten to pack the cheese, butter and cold meats.

Nevertheless, stomachs were sufficiently filled and the carbo-loading was done just in time for the game. Rob, Emily and myself would take on the boisterous Craig, young and fit Maria and all rounder Eileen. We started off slowly, and without making too much of a stink and embarrassing the opposing team, I will just say that we absolutely CREAMED them and literally ‘hit them out of the park’.

Aaaaaaah, nothing beats the exhilarating feeling of success J

We ended this fantastic day with a classic…THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

Monday, 27^th August

Bank holiday = long weekend (for everyone else) and off to Cirencester we went to run a couple of errands, visit the folks one last time and most importantly, buy Emily a couple of fish to add to this amazing family.

We enjoyed another of Eileen’s trademark dishes, and one of Craig’s favourite…Spaghetti Bolognaise followed by a ‘battle of the brains’. We split into 3 teams (Maria and I, Craig and Emily took on Eileen and Rob) – great fun.

Tuesday, 28^th August

I cant believe that the visit was over and I would again have to say ‘see you later’ to these special people.

I am so appreciative of the time that I got to spend with my darling Aunt, re-establish relationships and learn about my eccentric, bubbly, and stunning little cousins, and love my Uncle Rob again. This was such a blessing for me to spend time with this family. They have played such a vital part in my life and I am so exited to see what The Lord hold for them in the future.

I tearfully said goodbyes and we jumped onto the bus towards Ross-on-Wye, which I was told by Craig was in Wales only to be disappointed to find out in mid conversation with locals that the border was in fact 6 miles away…..

Oh well, I will leave it to Craig to tell you about our time here and the rest of our journey through Wales.