Sunny England ??
12th July 2008
It seems like an age since we were in the Lake District as we have done so much.
After reluctantly leaving Troutbeck Cottage, we drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon and deciding that it was much like any other English town, we instead spent the afternoon at Warwick Castle. It was a great choice as the castle had some excellent displays and activities including the firing of a life size trebuchet. The following day we continued our journey to Exeter stopping at Bath and Lacock Abbey (where Harry Potter was filmed!) along the way.
It was a wonderful reunion with our friends, Kate, Mark and Rowan and they overwhelmed us with Devon hospitality. Unfortunately the weather was not quite so kind to us and many of our activities were in the rain (or as Mark put it ‘just a shower’). We had a lovely walk in Dartmoor National park, saw the beautiful grounds of Exeter University (where Mark works), marvelled at the magnificence of Exeter Cathedral, visited a hedgehog hospital, took a look at Torquay ( of Fawlty Towers fame) and had the great fortune to see the London production of Mary Poppins which is currently touring England. That was a treat! Best of all, our four days in Exeter were spent in the company of great friends and we were totally charmed by six year old Rowan.
All good things must end and on Tuesday we bid farewell to the Wynns and Exeter (in the pouring rain) and drove to Southampton via Lyme Regis and Stonehenge. From Southampton we flew to Rennes in Brittany, France.
We have since visited St Malo, Mont St Michel and Normandy beaches; amazing to imagine all the troops disembarking on those same beaches back in 1944. On our way in to Paris we stopped at Giverny and spent some time in Monet’s house and garden- truly inspirational! Since arriving at our very tiny, one room studio in Paris (fairly typical, I should imagine) we have visited Sacre-Coeur, Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower (of course). We have been welcomed by a very warm French couple who have spent some time in Australia and absolutely love our country. Cecilia speaks perfect English and so I am not getting to practice too much French. It seems pretty typical of Paris as even Dominic has found that as soon as he starts speaking French, people will respond in English! Go figure!
