A weekend in Paris

We have always promised ourselves a wedding anniversary in Paris, and after 31 years, we met that promise. On a Friday night, we caught the train to London, then the Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel to Paris, a four hour trip from door to door. The Eurostar has been in operation between London and Paris for over 20 years, and is a great way to travel. We lashed out and went with premium tickets, which included a little more leg space and meals. We were travelling at night, so couldn't see the countryside, but at a top speed of 296km/hr, it would have been a blur. We had a hotel right in the central part of Paris, in St Germain, so everything we wanted to see on this trip was within walking distance.

The weather was mainly clear, but very cool, so we walked, and walked and walked. Coffee and croissants at sidewalk cafes, French onion soup with red wine for lunch, and a dinner of escargot and  beautifully cooked meals in a tiny little restaurant around the corner gave us the food experiences I had been hoping for. My very limited French at least meant the correct food arrived,  and everywhere we went, the staff were helpful and polite (after a little laugh at my attempts at speaking), and were happy to help us and speak in English. Spending most of the time walking around the centre of the city, so many of the buildings were so old and magnificent, with so much history attached. The only drawback was, being winter, renovations and building projects were under way in many parts, so a lot of places were covered with scaffolding. It was still wonderful.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame was our first stop. The building is absolutely awe-inspiring, with soaring Gothic spires, carvings, and statues around the doorways. The over-size statue of King Charlemagne in the courtyard is fitting for the scale of the whole place. Inside, a full mass was in progress, with about 50 clergy and hundreds of worshippers. All around the outside of the main body of the church, the tourists (including us) were walking along side aisles, and could watch the service on big screen TV. There are side niches and chapels all around the outer of the main church, where you can light candles for loved ones, and sit for a time to take in the atmosphere. It is one way of accommodating both the parishioners and the tourists wanting to experience this building, and the hundreds of years of faith and worship. Being the season of Advent, there was an enormous Advent Wreath suspended above the aisle, with three of the candles lit leading up to Christmas. The towering vaulted ceiling, the scale of everything, and the sounds of the choir and congregation singing in this beautiful space were very moving. The Church has caused a lot of grief and strife throughout the centuries, but it has also been a source of hope and love for millions, and this Cathedral, with all it's wealth and beauty, prompted me to consider both aspects of faith through the ages. As we left the Cathedral and walked down the side of the building looking at the gargoyles along the roofline, the bells started to peal out over the streets; such a sensory experience.

From Notre Dame, we walked past the Hotel de Ville, and towards les Halles, and found a Christmas market under way; food and wine, clothing, bags and beautiful Christmas decorations. We took a break in a little café serving hot French Onion soup for lunch to warm up, then we kept walking through parks, amongst the old buildings, and back past le Louvre. So many iconic places to see. We didn't go into the Louvre this trip, knowing we didn't have the time to do any sort of justice to the collections inside. The surrounding gardens and parks were so lovely, with families relaxing, and even a group of locals playing petanque on the court in the park; are retired locals paid to come and add to the scene? It must be so gorgeous in spring and summer, though very busy. There are hawkers everywhere, selling souvenirs and (in the cold weather) beanies, gloves and scarves. 

We wandered around the streets near our hotel in the evening, and found a little restaurant which sat about two dozen people downstairs, with all food and drink being delivered down a winding, narrow staircase from the first floor kitchen. We tried l'escargo; very creamy and delicious, then beautifully cooked mains and desserts, all accompanied by champagne and wines. By this time it was very cold, so we caught a taxi up to the Champs-Elysees, through the Christmas lights and crowds. We walked around watching the street entertainers and window-shopping, then another taxi to the iconic Eiffel. Lit up at night, the tower was spectacular. After years of pictures, stories and images, to actually see this incredible structure was very exciting. 

Sunday morning, we woke up and went hunting for coffee and croissants again; it was great to have so many decent coffee options! After breakfast, we started walking in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower. It took us a couple of hours, walking through streets with little shops amongst residential buildings, seeing locals and tourists out and about. Everywhere, there were shops and stalls selling Christmas trees, real pine trees wrapped in net, with a block of wood as a stand, of all sizes, for people to take home and decorate. As we walked past one florist, a couple were buying their Christmas tree, a beautiful, thick pine, about 2.5metres tall. They then proceeded to load it into their tiny little Smart car! Rather, they tried to load it! They went trunk first, then pulled it out and tried tip first. Neither option was looking very promising, but we didn't stay to see the final result; it could have been a while! 

As we walked, there were open parks, including one with about eight sheep grazing in a little enclosure. The rows of old, stone apartment buildings, mostly two to four stories high, showed only large entry doors and some windows to the streets, but occasionally we caught glimpses of the inner courtyards and gardens. We walked past beautiful old public buildings and the military barracks, and along narrow, winding residential streets. As we came up to the tower and the surrounding gardens, the size and scale of the structure becomes even more magnificant, especially when you realise it was built in 1887-1889. Being winter, many of the parks and lawns were fenced off, and scaffolding and building were under way for new security entrances. There were also fewer ticket offices open, although still plenty of people queueing, so our wait for tickets was over an hour. We caught the lift to the top level, and had an amazing view out over the city, although I stayed very close to more solid central area of the viewing platforms. Looking at the engineering of the tower is also astounding, when you see all the metal girders and rivets that make up this 300 metre high (over 300m with the top spire) structure. The facts about the tower are pretty incredible; my favourites are that Gustav Eiffel actually lived in an apartment at the top of the tower once it was finished, and that the lift cables were cut by the French during the German occupation of WWII, so that the Germans would have to climb the 1710 steps to the top. 

From the tower, we caught a taxi back to the Arc de Triomphe, which sits in the middle of a roundabout, where 12 streets, full of sight-seers and French drivers, converge! Not a place for the faint-hearted. It's a beautiful monument, even with the mayhem all around, with tributes to French soldiers over centuries of battles. The carvings and reliefs on the monument, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, are all tributes to generals and soldiers. From here, we walked down the Champs-Elysees again, then down a side-street where we suddenly found ourselves on Avenue Montaigne, in the midst of the haute couture boutiques, looking beautifully decorated for Christmas. The streets and shops all over the city looked so lovely, with beautiful Christmas lights along the avenues, and the shops looking festive. 

Paris was beautiful. We loved so much about it, and were fortunate not to have any of the 'arrogant French' experiences people had warned us about. People were very helpful and friendly, and generally happy to speak English. We were in the central, tourist areas, which probably makes a difference, but everyone was lovely. We need to brush up on our French, and plan return trips. We loved:

• Walking through the inner city, past the Seine, amazing landmarks and beautiful old residential buildings
• The Eiffel Tower; what an incredible construction
• The Cathedral of Notre Dame, so moving and awe-inspiring, especially in the Christmas season
• The food, the food, the food (and coffee!)
• The hotel, an old building in the historic 6th Arrondissement, in the midst of the artistic and literary haunts of such people as Hemingway and Simone de Beauvoir
• The history and stories of the city

We caught the Eurostar back on Sunday evening, arriving back at St Pancras in London at about 7:30, and back in Peterborough by about 10:00pm. To have such an amazing city, so close to where we live, is one of the main reasons we have made this leap to the other side of the world, away from family and friends. 

Christmas Season

It is very different and a little difficult to be preparing for Christmas in the middle of cold, dark winter days, over 16,00km from family, friends and home. We are very fortunate to have a fantastic crew of ex-pats here, our Aussie Crew. There are about 12 of us employed by the same trust working in various schools, and we've moved here from Queensland, NSW, Victoria, WA and NZ (close enough)! Most of the Crew get together most Friday afternoons to debrief over a few refreshments, and to plan trips and swap tips and suggestions. We are all very thankful to have each other around, so it was only fitting that we had a Crew Christmas Party. Ugly Christmas jumpers were de-rigueur, along with a £10 Stealing Santa. There were some cracker gifts!! Board games such as Star Wars Guess Who and Trouble, Edinburgh Gin, a POSH beanie and local souvenirs, and a couple of gifts not suitable for a family show. The food came from M&S, drinks from everywhere, and there was plenty of laughter. Brooke put together specially chosen Mr Men and Little Miss cards for all of us, which really matched everyone's personalities. We had a decoration for everyone, with their name, the place and year, as we do each year in our family. Hanging these decorations in years to come will be a reminder of the fabulous time we are having with this amazing group of people. 

To top off a great weekend, we woke Sunday morning to heavy skies and then snow. It started snowing about 7:30, and kept it up for about 4 hours, so there was quite a decent fall. Apparently, that much snow hasn't been usual in this area in recent years, so we were very lucky. The rowers are a hardy bunch. Snow doesn't stop them, and they were still out for their Sunday morning training on the river, in amongst the swans. The swans didn't seem too bothered by the weather, although some found a little protection under the bridges.  Our little balcony was not the place for a morning coffee, so we headed out into the snowflakes. It was so pretty walking into the central part of town; everything looked so lovely and clean. Sitting in the coffee shop, we felt as though we were inside our own snow globe, watching the flurries of snow falling amongst the old buildings. The Cathedral was especially beautiful, with the white grounds and the soaring building looking very picturesque. There were plenty of families out walking, throwing snowballs, and making snowmen. We were hoping the snow would continue, and we'd have a 'Snow Day' for school on Monday, but no such luck. However, there were still plenty of snow patches around, but as it melted it became ice and slush, which wasn't the best for throwing, and prompted bans on 'snowball' fights at school.

Drives around East Anglia

The area we are living in is generally known as East Anglia; the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and down into Cambridgeshire. We can get to Sandringham, which has been a country retreat for about four generations of the English monarchy, with about an hour drive. The annual Christmas markets in November gave us a great reason to head north-east, and see if we would be invited to tea. No such invitation, but we had a lovely day wandering round with thousands of people, though it was quite cool. The woodlands surrounding the estate are open to the general public, with lots of walking paths, so we'll head back for some rambles during the warmer weather. We may have to find a dog to borrow though - everywhere you go, people are out walking with their dogs. Perhaps we'll try for a corgi? The gardens are also open during spring and summer, and I'm sure they'll be worth a visit.  

There were lots of interesting handcrafted items for sale, from jewellery and glassware to locally produced food and drink. There is always the temptation to buy various treasures to remember our gap-year, but always in the back of my mind; "How am I going to get it back to Australia?!" So we did a lot of looking, bought some little metal reindeer decorations from the blacksmith, and a couple of very warm woollen scarves from a Yorkshire woollen mill company. We also tried roasted chestnuts; an interesting taste, lovely with salt, and perhaps a little like roasted bunya nuts. The Baileys hot chocolate and the mulled red cider were so good and warmed the cockles well for the afternoon. There was also a local bird sanctuary tent, with some magnificent owls, who were quite happy to sit on my hand and pose for photos, provided they were stroked under the neck a little. They were beautiful birds, with such gorgeous colourings and so calm. They were almost haughty, watching all the activity around them with these huge, unblinking eyes whilst sitting so still.

A couple of weeks after our drive to Sandringham, we headed to Cambridge with a few of our Aussie Crew, and met up with Louise and Zac for a day in the university city. It was absolutely packed, as there was a Christmas Fair happening, so maybe not the best day to be sight-seeing. We walked through the older part of town, with cobbled streets and old buildings. High up on one of the buildings near Kings College is a plaque commemorating the first book printed by Cambridge University Press in 1583. We spent a lot of time walking around some of the magnificent colleges and chapels which are part of the university, through some of the parkland areas, and watching some very cold punting on the River Cam. One of the little wooden bridges over the Cam is known as the Mathematical Bridge, probably because of the design involving lots of tangents and arcs, all built with straight timbers. The grounds and river were lovely on a cool winter day, so can only imagine how pretty (and busy!) it is in spring.

Queenslanders at heart

One of the many forms and notifications I completed before we left Australia was to inform the Australian Electoral Commission that we would be out of the country. This was due to a combination of factors; a fear of being fined for not voting, and not missing out on the opportunity to exercise our democratic rights for any election which may happen whilst we are away. Roll around November 25; Queensland State Election. We had applied for and received our postal votes. Louise and Zac had done the same...sent to our address. So they drove over from Derby to be Queenslanders with us. As all patriotic Aussies know, once you have voted (at your local school), you have a sausage sizzle. So we sat around, voted and witnessed forms, and had the English version of a sausage sizzle. Something the English do very well is sausages; a great variety of flavours, not too fatty, and very tasty. And all the sausages pair very well with English ales and ciders!

Day-trip to Oakham, Rutland.

One of the main reasons we moved here was to travel, both within the UK and across Europe. Weekend drives, here we come.

One Sunday we headed west, about 3/4 hour drive through beautiful rolling country to the town of Oakham. It was a very cold day, with quite a bite in the winter wind, so the pub we found for lunch was ideal; enormous roast, complete with Yorkshire puds, locally brewed ales and cider, all beside a very warm open fire. 

Oakham is an old market town, in the middle of a farming area. After lunch, we had a wander through the centre of the old town, and found we were spectators for the annual Remembrance Sunday march. The parade was lovely; all branches of the forces were represented, as well as the local cadet troop. After marching along the main streets, the parade moved into a beautiful old church, accompanied by the pealing of the church bells. It was a very simple and moving march, and reminded me of the evening ANZAC services when I was growing up.

Like so many Australians, we have European ancestry, and plan to visit a few of the places our forebears left to move to the other side of the world. What a brave undertaking that must have been! My great-great grandfather on my father's side, Barton Frisby Jakins, emigrated from Oakham to Sydney in the 1800s. We didn't find any relatives on this visit, but will be back for further hunting. Just doing a simple internet search turns up mention of various Jakins in the local paper, including a winner of a 'Conker Competition' a few years ago! 

As we left Oakham, we called into the parkland area of Rutland Water, a reservoir created in the 1970s to provide drinking water for a large area of England. It's one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe, with a lot of sailing, cycling and other outdoor activities available. When we visited, there were a hardy few enjoying the last of the clear blue days before mid-winter; strong winds and an air temperature that felt like about 2* didn't seem to deter either the fishermen on the water, or the wind-surfer skimming across the lake. He did have a wetsuit, but it must have been so cold. It would be very strong encouragement to stay upright and out of the water.

Near the lake's edge is a beautiful old building, the Normanton Church, built in the 1700s on a family estate. When the reservoir was created, the lower part of the building would have been flooded, but local groups protested, and it is now a venue for weddings and other special events. The village of Nether Hambleton now lies under surface of Rutland Water; when the reservoir was filled, it covered farms and houses.  When we return on a warmer visit, we'll be exploring the Normanton Church, and Rutland Water, though probably not wind-surfing.

The distances are not great, but there is so much to see everywhere we go. Every trip we take is too short, and we want to revisit places to explore the countryside and history. 

Ireland , October 2017

Saturday, Sunday, Monday morning: For the week of the half-term break, we took our first road trip in Whiskey and headed for Ireland. It was absolutely magical; so beautiful, rugged, ancient and fun. We drove to Holyhead in Wales, about 5 hours, to catch the ferry to Dublin. We had two nights in Dublin, and spent a day and a half walking around the city, beside the River Liffey, taking a walking tour through the city with great history commentary (Dublin Castle and Irish Parliament below), touring the Guinness Storehouse (Guinness Harp below), Jameson's Whiskey, and the Temple Bar area. We found a bar along the riverfront, and spent the evening listening to live music, drinking (lots of) local whiskey and ales, and generally enjoying the craic. The next morning we headed to Trinity College, had a short tour with some interesting history of the college, and then saw the beautifully written and illuminated Book of Kells, a record of the four Gospels written in about 800 AD. The colouring and calligraphy were fascinating. We then went into the Long Room (below), the library at Trinity, organised by size of book, and still a working library. 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: After the history at Trinity, we headed west out of Dublin towards Galway. Two hours of driving, and we had basically crossed the country, albeit at the narrowest part of the island. Galway was so lovely; the River Corrib rushes through the centre to Galway Bay, with old stone homes along the canals. The winding streets through the shopping area were full of buskers, shops selling knitwear, and plenty of pubs. We had two nights in Galway, so spent a day driving out west through parts of the Connemara Peninsula. First stop was Aughnanure Castle (below), ruins of a castle built by the "Fighting O'Flahertys" in about 1500. The sense of defence and isolation was so strong, in this small tower castle near Lough Corrib. It would have been a very harsh life, defending people and stock from other clans, and ultimately, the English. The country around is still farmed and grazed; you would need really good dogs to muster those sheep, the little white specks on the tops of the hills!

After the ruins, we called at Kylemore Abbey, with a Victorian Walled Garden (bottom row). The beautiful abbey was built by an Englishman as a castle for his wife, and was then an abbey and school. The school closed less than 10 years ago, but the Benedictine Nuns are still in this enormous building. The walled garden was under winter working and planting, but must have been astounding in it's prime, with 21 glasshouses as well as extensive garden beds across the 6 acres. It's gradually being restored, and looks so lovely, even in early winter.

From Galway we drove south, and stopped at the Cliffs of Moher. From the cliff tops, about 200m above the wild and windy North Atlantic Ocean, you can see the Irish Arann Islands. It wasn't too windy, although the cliffs are so steep, it wouldn't take much to be blown off. Puffins nest on the island in front of the cliffs, but unfortunately it wasn't the right season, and they'd all migrated elsewhere. This is County Clare, one of Ireland's famous counties, and farmers own and work the land right up to the public access for the Cliffs. At the peak of the Cliffs is a tower, Castle O'Brien, built by an Englishman in 1835 so tourists could view the Cliffs in comfort. Unfortunately, the Tea Room was closed for the season. Beautiful, spectacular, and rugged. From Moher, we drove towards Limerick, pulling up for lunch in a little town with the most amazing abbey. 

Wednesday, Thursday: We drove across the peninsula via Conor Pass, to arrive at Dingle for the night. Dingle is famous for the dolphin which appears in the bay, but we didn't look for him. It was so lovely to walk around the streets of this small town, which probably survives on a mix of fishing and tourism these days.  We had dinner at the pub, but sometime during the day I ate something that didn't agree with me, and woke up during the night feeling awful. On Thursday, Michael found some of the best coffee for the whole trip (typical!), then went for a drive out along the Dingle Peninsula while I slept in our Airbnb. We headed off to Cork, through more beautiful country, and once we arrived in Cork, headed for Blarney Castle. Michael looked through the castle and gardens, including the 17th Century "Poisons Garden", with a marijuana plant fully fenced off (great healing powers!). He also kissed the Blarney Stone, so look out! Cork was so lovely; the centre of town, beautiful Airbnb, and so much to see, but we were running out of time. A return trip will be needed.

Friday: On the way from Cork to Dublin, we stopped at Waterford. We called at the Waterford Crystal Factory, and scored a tour just for the two of us! There are some advantages to travelling out of season. The factory was fascinating; apprentices have to serve about four years, learning glass blowing, cutting, engraving and polishing, and sculpting. At the end of their apprenticeship, they make their "Apprenticeship Bowl", displaying the skills they have learnt. We walked through the factory where there are about 70 craftsmen and women working, a smaller branch of the main factory in another part of Waterford. We were so close to these skilled workers; it was amazing to see how they blew the glass, or cut the designs into pieces. and then to see the finished artworks. We now appreciate the cost of those beautiful pieces of glassware. It was also interesting to see the trophies, or copies, for many major sporting events around the world, still made at Waterford Crystal, especially golf trophies. This was an unexpected highlight of the trip.

Waterford also has a long and varied history, from Vikings to various kings of England. Everywhere you go in England, Ireland, and further, the fingerprints of Henry VIII can be seen. The Viking Museum was so interesting, with some amazing artefacts beautifully preserved and presented. Reginald Tower, in the centre of the town beside the River Suir, was built in the early 15th Century, and was an important part of the Viking settlement, then Irish, English and Irish settlements. There is so much history, everywhere, wherever you go. I feel the need to read, read, read. 

From Waterford, we drove to Dublin to stay the night before heading back to England.

Saturday: We stayed near the port in Dublin, caught a morning ferry back to Holyhead, and drove through Snowdonia National Park in Wales on our way home. This countryside was beautiful; mountains, leaves turning to autumn colours, with clear rivers and streams running through it all. We stopped in the town of Llangollen for lunch, and had two of the biggest, most delicious roast pork rolls ever! Llangollen was full of very fit, enthusiastic people with hiking gear, canoes, rucksacks, and all manner of outdoor equipment. And according to the Welsh teacher Michael works with, the pronunciation is nothing like Llangollen ; it involves a lot of guttural sounds which we still have to master.

Ireland was fabulous. We will be returning to revisit the south, and to go to the northern areas of the country. We loved Ireland:

• the rugged landscape, especially along the coastlines
• the beautiful green countryside
• the colours of the local Gaelic football teams being displayed. As we drove through the counties, the flags changed. it was lovely.
• the pubs (given), and music
• Guinness; yes it tastes different (better) in Ireland
• the accents, the signs in Gaelic, the craic, the friendly people (always very welcoming to tourists...)
• the history; so many of our colleagues said they hadn't been to Ireland. But... I can see why. There's a fair bit of history with England, not always good. We made sure our Australian accents were pronounced.
• Connemara; comparatively isolated and so beautiful. Aughnanure and Kylemore were magnificent, each in their own way.  

Settling into a routine...of sorts

Finally having our own place made such a difference. The swans float past all day, and on the week-ends there are rowers, long boats, people fishing, and plenty of seagulls fighting with swans for the bread fed by locals.

Within five days of moving in, Louise and Zac arrived after their European driving holiday. They left their UK belongings with us and headed home to Australia for a couple of weddings in a couple of weeks. So - we move all the way to the other side of the world and we are still looking after the kids' things! Although, to be fair, we did leave a lot of things with my mum when we moved...swings and round-a-bouts I guess. 

The next organisational detail was to buy wheels. The buses are very handy to home and work, and run every 10 minutes. We can leave home, walk through the centre of town and get a decent coffee, then catch the bus and be at work before 7:45, but it's getting darker earlier, and there have been cold, wet days. We also want to do lots of week-end and holiday trips; public transport is much better than at home, but a car will give us lots of options. So, after hunting, test-driving and checking bank accounts, we bought Whiskey; an i30, a little bigger than our one at home. 

Our first trip was to ... the local ice-hockey game. We loaded up a few of the other Aussies working here, and headed off to watch the game. It was fabulous; hard, fast, graceful and brutal, all at the same time. I can only imagine what a high-level game would be like. We'll add that to the list being compiled: "Things to do in the UK".

We also headed out of town to nearby Burghley House at Stamford. It was so lovely to drive through the country roads, with leaves turning to autumn colours. Burghley is magnificent; an Elizabethan house, filled with astounding art collections, surrounded by sweeping grounds designed by Capability Brown, and still in use by the family who have owned it through the generations since the 1500s. Talk about seeing how the other half live. The house closes over winter, but we will be visiting throughout the year, trying to see as much of the collection as possible. This is also the venue for the annual Burghley Horse Trials, a major international event. Something else to add to the list perhaps.

The first weeks

We now see why people become so obsessed by planes; watching those huge machines take off is mesmerising. Looking out the hotel window, directly onto the end of northern runway of Heathrow, gave us a fascinating view of the constant stream of jumbo jets, airbuses and other enormous aircraft, taking off at the rate of about one every two minutes. Incredible.

On Sunday afternoon, we wandered down a local street, and came across a beautiful old stone church, with flint walls, and headstones dating back centuries. 

A local church close to LHR, standing for centuries, with flint walls and old stained glass windows.

The local pub looked pretty inviting for a Sunday afternoon, so we sat in the courtyard for a pub meal with ale and cider. 

Sunday afternoon at the local. England is looking pretty good so far!

We picked up a car, and headed up the A1 towards Cambridgeshire; The North. We arrived in town on a Monday afternoon, expecting to unpack a few things and look around. We had booked an Airbnb for three weeks, so we could get our bearings and find a rental. However, no host, no key, no accommodation. Airbnb were great, and refunded the payment, but it was not the best arrival in town. So we spent a few days hotel-hopping and burning dollars, until we found another Airbnb. The hosts were lovely and very welcoming. It was very busy home, with a family and about six other guests, plus two dozen chickens and a dozen rabbits in the back yard! We did sign up for adventure!

House hunting in between the beginnings of a new school year was a little stressful. We finally collected keys for our two bedroom flat on the river, and moved in almost 3 weeks after we had landed. It was a great feeling to unpack bags, have our own space, a clean kitchen, and a (fully carpeted) bathroom to ourselves. It's fully furnished, so we only needed to add our own bedding and we were starting to feel settled. The catchphrase "We did sign up for adventure" was wearing a little thin by this time, so great to at least have a home base.

Leaving and Landing

The final pack-up was pretty hectic. In hindsight, we should have finished work two or three weeks before we flew out, and given ourselves at least two weeks in England before starting work. But we made it.

We flew out of Brisbane, had a few hours in Perth, then a 12 hour flight to Doha in Qatar, where we had a 10 hour layover. At least this gave us a chance to stretch out and rest; Doha has "Quiet Family Lounges", so we were able to snooze for a few hours. The architect who placed the "Quiet Family Lounge" beside the children's' playground may need to go back to the drawing board for his next airport design, but it was a welcome break. 

I had been squeezed between Michael and a rather large gentleman for the PER-DOH leg, and Michael is always going to find it difficult to fit a 6'4" frame into an airline seat with any comfort (until we jag seats in the pointy end of a plane...). We had taken a punt and booked the window and aisle seat for DOH-LHR, hoping no-one would be in the middle seat. Winner! On a fairly full, 7 hour flight, we had some space. A small joy, but it all adds up.

We landed at Heathrow abut 7:30 on Saturday evening, had a hotel room overlooking the end of a runway, took a sleeping tablet each and slept for 12 hours. 

Quiet Family Lounge

Great being able to stretch out and have a bit of a rest at DOH.

Artwork in DOH

An enormous yellow bear, slightly creepy, in Doha airport. Apparently a sheik donated it to the airport for public art; I think it didn't fit in the house when he brought it home...

Final organisation

We've got the visas. We've got our tickets. And yesterday we finished work and started our leave. I'm thinking it would have been a lot easier to have a gap year in our 20s, because we could have packed our possessions into a couple of boxes and left them with mum.

Now? 30 years of marriage, 4 children , 30 years of work, parents, family, photos, kitchen ware, toys, books, the contents of the garage... 

Oh my. The biggest blocker for a midlifegapyear is... the house and the stuff. Having to pack it all up is rather daunting, but also a great opportunity for a good clean out!

The biggest positive for our midlifegapyear has been the excitement, encouragement and slight envy from our family and friends. We're very excited, and a little apprehensive, but really looking forward to the adventure.