Das Kapitel Plymouth ist für uns jedoch schnell vorbeigegangen, wir haben die Nase voll von diesem Ort, der wohl auch nicht viel mehr als den Hafen zu bieten haben soll.]]> Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=197281 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=644182 0 50.3963889 -4.1386111 Battle war schon kurz und bergig, aber nach Brighton sind wir danach gefahren, erst nach Eastbourne an die Küste und dann die ganze Zeit am Wasser entlang. Auch wenn es die ganze Zeit nur hoch und runter ging, was ziemlich anstrengend war, hatten wir die ganze Zeit traumhafte Sicht und haben es sehr genossen. Dann haben wir auf den Steilklippen bei Brighton geschlafen, nicht minder aufregend. Fotos folgen noch ;)]]> Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=197281 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=644181 0 50.8333333 -0.15 Battle wo wir uns das Schlachtfeld und Ruinen der Schlacht zwischen den Normannen und den Engländern im Jahre 1066 um die englische Krone angeguckt haben. War, da sehr gut aufgemacht, sehr interessant! Vor allem Finn war voll in seinem Element ;)
Hastings selbst ist klein und süß aber da Waren wir nicht lange ;)]]> Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=197281 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=644179 0 50.85 0.6 zum Abschluss des Wochenendes gab's ein von Londoner Studenten organisiertes Pub Crawl: 5 Pubs in 5 Stunden mit 30 Leuten. Empfehlenswert!
Wir wurden dann sogar noch von London beschenkt: Simon hatte sein Handy im Bus verloren (aus der Tasche gerutscht) und sich schon damit abgefunden dass er es wohl nie wieder sehen würde, bis sich am nächsten Morgen eine Frau bei Finn meldete, die das Handy gefunden hatte und mit der wir uns dann auch gleich getroffen haben !;)
wir hatten auf jeden Fall eine gute Zeit hier und headen nun noch ins British Museum in London und dann mit dem Zug down nach Hastings an die South Coast!! Mal gucken was da auf uns wartet ;) so far, cya]]> Mon, 26 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=197281 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=643909 0 51.5 -0.1166667 Harwich angekommen ;)]]> Wed, 21 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=197281 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=643853 0 51.95 1.3
unser erster Spot fürs Zelt =)Moin moin! Wir sind am Mittwoch Abend in Harwich angekommen, haben uns dann in traumhafter Lage direkt am Strand das Zelt aufgebaut und sin pennen gegangen.

Dann ging's am nächsten Morgen los auf die erste Radtour, die wir dann nach einigem kreuz und querfahren, unter anderem durch die nervige innenstadt von Colchester, abends in witham beendeten.
Am Freitagmorgen wollten wir dann derselben Route weiterfolgen, auf der wir am Vortag Waren, nämlich dem "national cyclists network" das zwar immer die besten Wege hatte, allerdings erstens oft versteckte und zugewachsene Schilder zu Abzweigungen, sodass man erst nach Kilometern merkte dass man falsch war und dann alles zurückfahren musste, und zweitens, wie wir erst spät merkten, eine Route langging von Witham über maldon, Chelmsford und harlow nach London. Das ist, wenn man sich das mal auf der Karte anguckt, nicht wirklich die Beste Strecke... Um nicht zu sagen, ein mega Umweg.Haben uns dann also ab Chelmsford selbst querbeet nach London durchgeschlagen, wo wo wir jetzt erschöpft, aber glücklich mit nem Bier im hostel hocken (in der 69 lisson street) .

Jetzt geht's nochmal in die Stadt gucken wqs da so geht und morgen früh gibt's Frühstück an der bar im pub unter dem hostel =)

LG von hier , F+S]]> Fri, 23 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=197281 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=643362 0 51.5 -0.1166667 Bangkok to the Lao border at Nong Khai in Northern Thailand. So as I'm looking at bus and train timetables a friend buzzes me on Skype from Australia. As we talked it came to light that we were both travelling to Bangkok on the same day, meaning we could all travel together. We very rarely get the opportunity to hook-up, what are the odds? We are looking forward to spending some time near the Burmese border before travelling together on to Lao.]]> Sat, 04 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=196052 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=635699 0 51.6333333 -3.9666667 Ferry to Santandar on the 1st leg of our trip to Morocco.
We are taking our 24 year old caravan and heading south 'till we find some Sunshine!!
All the research we have done tells us that the Moroccon people are lovely, hospitable and the country has a low crime rate.]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=194463 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=627244 0 50.9333333 -1.8 So excited about going to America!! But how come when we have finally finished packing at 10pm tonight that we have more stuff packed for a 3-day trip to Washington (as the folks are bringing the rest of the stuff out with them) than we did for 2 years travel?? Makes no sense to me. Maybe it could be the hair straighteners I have smuggled out with me or all of Chris' cosmetics? :) Anyway, early start in the morning!]]> Sun, 16 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=192242 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=615637 0 51.5833333 0.6166667 Ireland 
April 9th

We arrived in Ireland at long last after some long layovers in both Calgary and Amsterdam. Finally at the Dublin we took a bus into Belfast, and awaited Sophie's uncle James. As luck would have it her friend/aunt or something Roberta recognized Sophie as we waited and drove us instead. After some awkward moments with foreign family members Judith arrived. Finally a familiar face - to Sophie at least. She drove us home right away and settled us into her cute wee home. The next morning we had a nice sleep in after almost 30 hours awake. Still a little unadjusted to the time our day went on. We had some guests visit Sharon+Dave and Judith (another one!) and Roberta. They brought their cute toddler over and Sophie played momma. We drove into some southern towns saw some pretty stuff. Drove on some very scary roads - very narrow and very fast and all on the opposite sides. We saw silent valley, bloody bridge, and Newcastle. We went out for dinner at a place called Eight South. Very brill. Chorizo and chicken pasta. We also had our first pints of Guinness. Not my favorite but embrace the Irish traditions while here. The next day (Sunday) we went off to church which was a lovely Easter service. After that we made our way over to James' and Sandra house where we had a lovely Easter dinner (as they call it - though it was lunch) We then headed out and about and saw the baby cows and full grown cows. They live on a dairy farm so we saw part of that process as well. It was very fun. We also had a visit with granny the night before. We headed over to James brothers farm and saw the robot milker. It was super neat.  We then drove into Belfast and saw the titanic shipyard, the legislature and the Stormont government building. Very simple on lovely large grounds. Today we had a long trip! All the way up the North coast. Firstly, giants causeway and then the famous rope bridge.  We saw Portstewart, Bushmills, Londonderry, and, Coleraine. We took a nice little ferry around and had a BBQ on the beach. And it rained. And it poured. And the food was good. Very cold and a weird dog. Some Irish phrases ...
Crisps = chips
Chips = fries
Are you taking the piss outta me? = are you making fun of me?
Wee = little
Yous hungry?
Yous cold?
]]> Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=188663 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=594528 0 54.4166667 -6.3 http://barneyanddiane.blogspot.com/

If you want to know why, then its a combination of things, this blog is only web based and we have infrequent internet so to try to encourage more blogging I am blogging on a blog that can be written offline.

This blog also seems to muck about with my pictures, if they dont have unique names when uploaded then they get all messed up later, even to the extreme when I found a picture replaced by someone elses photo on one of our posts.

So in summary, blog off.]]> Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=4298 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=590597 0 51.5 -0.1166667 English garden.]]> Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=149346 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=519666 0 51.6666667 -0.4
New York tourists We left Sea Gal in a hurry. Just enough time to cover the hatches and show Geoff how to work the bilge pump. We flew via New York on the cheapest deal we could find, which meant a 9 hour stop over. We decided to make the most of our time and caught the train into the city for a bit of tourism. After a couple of hours walking and shopping the tourists were a bit jaded.

Happy at last

Going Ape team

Yvonne the monkey

Stepping stones in the trees

Diane on the zip line

Ready for the zip wire

Iris above the car park

We had a wirlwind 10 days in the UK, but managed to catch up with many of our nearest and dearest.. so on to Canada and a new adventure.]]> Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=4298 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=474844 0 54.2872222 -0.4141667
2 years ago I landed in Cambodia to share my skills and to change lives. The time in Cambodia has certainly changed my life miraculously and I think I have gained new life long experiences and friends. I completed my work placement with VSO before I went.

Our holiday to the UK after those 2 years was to join 2 family weddings we were invited to and to see how it feels again to be in the 1st world.

We started from Phnom Penh and flew via Bangkok to London where we stayed with Oli's good friends Alison and Ben for a couple of nights.

Oli and Athlet Ben after their 10 km morning run

with Alison

at the playground

a well fed cat

rainy and cold...

Ben looked very smart that morning (here with my Cambodian belongings from 2 years on his back)

Louis waits patient for attention

London double decker bus

feed the desire...

After we arrived in Edinbourgh by train, we stayed at Oli's friend Elsbeth for a few days. Meanwhile we explored Oli's old hometown.

the famous castle in Edinbourgh

Edinbourgh

landed in Edinbourgh

Oli enjoyed very much his maccaroni cheese and chips

this pub curry was not as good as ours

lovely smell

in this charity shop we bought our hats, gloves and scarfes

they could really put the radiator on in here...

having a rest from climbing up Arthur's seat

windy up here!

good view

this scottish whiskey was actually really tasty

veggi haggis, the scottish delight. I liked it.

Then we went with Oli's parents up to Glasgow to Loch Lohmond. Oli's cousin Bryony got married the next day. It was the most perfect day for a wedding and the most beautiful location.

could saying 'yes' be nicer anywhere else?

with the bride, Olis cousin Bryony

the blokes with their kilts

please don't give me a Glasgow kiss!

what a perfect day

at midnight at Loch Lohmond

The next day we drove down with Oli's parents towards his proper hometown Delph.

we visited a beautiful english heritage site on the way back from Scotland

very english...

Cheers with Gewuerztraminer at the Shipps house

Olis mum arranged this exhibition

at a local art exhibition

we've seen a few 'open gardens'

Olis parents and his aunt

with Jenny, David and Oli

beautiful red poppies on the way

Olis 'local' pub in Delph

this is where Oli comes from

bah bah!

what a beautiful horse

strolling along the yorkshire fields

nice green grass

After a few days in beautiful Yorkshire, we went back to London where Oli arranged for some friends to see us at his brothers house.

in Jonny and Sashas garden

VSO reunion in London with Jen, Charlotte and Holli

Jonny baked Pizza for all!

Holli came to London to see us!

The next day I arrived in Oxford. It was lovely coming back!

das Oxforder Abholkomitee

so suess!

entzueckend!

and John cooked especially Pad-Thai for dinner

we're becoming housemates soon again!

at the 'rusty bicycle' pub

There Í had time to sort out my new living space and I started the process on my midwifery training at Brookes University.

The next day, we all flew to Germany to the next wedding.

3 pinkies going to Germany!

pre-wedding exitement

infront of Mathia and Andreas flat

Antji

side streets in Lueneburg

Lueneburgs Town Hall

St. Nicolai Church

It was Mathias and Andreas wedding in beautiful Lueneburg. We had such a wonderful time!

do you know the feeling when you sometimes want to kill somebody?

waiting for the big moment

this little tile got fixed on top of the tower where they got married

the amazing wedding cake

the lovely happy couple Matzi und seine Andrea

the saladbar is this way...

with Mami and Rudolf and the next married couple Roland and Kathleen

Sightseeing in Lueneburg oder auch, den Sekt ablaufen gehen

a lovely fountain

Kone- Kmeing Tilda

Puh Opa

Bong Oli

and Bong-srey Katja

we danced a lot

Antje, Mami and I

After the wedding we drove back towards my hometown but on the way we stayed in Neu Sammit and camped with my friends for a few days. We had such a lovely time and unfortunately I left my camera in the car so I don't have any pictures.

Back in my hometown Guestrow, I showed Oli where I was from.

wild poppies and camomile everywhere at this time of the year

a german 'dragon boat'

Mamis tolle Topfplanzen

I met someone in Cambodia who tried twice already to visit this sculpture but the church was always closed...

'Der schwebende Engel' from Ernst Barlach in the Dom church

and this is our town hall

and this is our market area

at the Gliener See, my childhood playground

playing with the girls the stick game

our castle in Guestrow

what wonderful smell!

me and my Dad in the Lavender garden

We also met up with Doerti and Marcus.

Prost und auf ein baldiges Wiedersehen!

ok, who wins is allowed to pay the dinner bill

I tried so hard!

Oh I am such a looser...

with my Doerti

After a few days in Guestrow, we took the ferry and spend the weekend with Oli's friends in Copenhagen, Danmark.

BBQ in Simon and Pippas garden

Yippie! A Trampolin!

this is where Simon jumps into the baltic sea, every morning!

Sunset over Copenhagen

with the bus into the city

inside the marble church

Copenhagens opera house

a rather posh boat

the mermaid elephant in Copenhagen

Oli and Preah

from a poster exhibition in Copenhagen

why not having a slice of carrot cake and a cappucino?

digesting the expensive meal...

after a long evening..

living within the commune

so this is where the hippie commune lives?

who is more attractive...?

Make love - not war

Christiania was full of spray-art

our ferry which brought us from Rostock to Danmark in less then 2 hours

Back in Guestrow, we picked up the girls a few days later and flew back to England.

aye aye captains!

our little boat trip on the Inselsee in Guestrow

Tilda und Sophia am Inselsee

waiting in Buetzow for the train to take us to Hamburg Hbf

What a nice way to wake up...

ueber den Wolken...

Goodbye London, see you again in 2 months

We had a fantastic 4 weeks in Europe but it was also really nice coming home. You can read here why: (a short article for the NSJ magazine)

Going home… to Cambodia

Returning to Europe in June after 2 years volunteering in Cambodia was a big deal.

Leaving work was not so sad because I felt ready to go. But saying goodbye to beloved volunteer friends who had become so close was really tough.

Even harder was leaving Cambodian friends and family, knowing that they will probably never leave their surroundings because they are too poor – or maybe just too fearful. I always feel guilty that I am from one of the richest countries in the world. In their eyes I am rich and I agree.

Having taken the final tuktuk ride to Phnom Penh airport I was soon transported to another world – by watching 5 films back to back on the plane!

Suddenly we had landed in London. At first it didn’t seem so different – just another airport – but then we stepped out into Marks & Spencers and Costas. And all those white people – all dressed in suits like they’re going to a wedding! And the cold…

Our first coach ride was to Luton, to be picked up by a friend. The uniformed driver introduced himself before carefully stowing our luggage. We sat in a velvety seat with acres of legroom! Just as we set off (bang on time) the driver said “Please fasten your seatbelts”, which had us in fits of giggles. Driving into the dusk, it felt so smooth and safe like still being on a plane and it was lovely and quiet, so relaxing…

The landscape was so different. Of course no palm trees or rice fields, no cows or dogs on the road. Instead, motorway and big electricity masts covered the grass fields we passed.

And it was like this throughout the whole trip: relaxing and smooth, but cold and expensive – suddenly I was definitely not rich anymore! In Scotland everyone else enjoyed the summer whilst we headed to the nearest charity shop to snap up their gloves, hats and scarves! We did have great fun speaking our ‘secret language’ though.

But I had this constant rice craving. Every time we saw a Thai restaurant, my heart bet faster and we had to go in. I sometimes cooked rice myself but it didn’t taste the same – it wasn’t the slightly sticky rice that you can eat in Cambodia.

Instead I had to eat bread, cheese and cake and of course we were especially spoiled in Yorkshire with pies and in Denmark with smoerebroed. My stomach didn’t like it and I suffered. Plus everything tasted very bland and boring. And my stepfather pointed out how bad my table manners had become!

After a few weeks in Europe I was also really missing the colours of Cambodia. And the people, the landscape, the heat. We had a great time with all our friends and family, but it was so good to know that I could return one more time to Cambodia.

On the plane back I promised myself I would really enjoy every moment that I have left here. I felt happy and relaxed – I was coming home!

]]> Sun, 10 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=39557 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=225239 0 51.5 -0.1166667
Buckingham Palace

It was great to be back in London again, especially for Dad who knows this city so well and loves it. We wandered around town and happened upon the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We went to St. Martin in the Fields church which Mom loves because they usually have a lunch time musical performance. This time it was a lovely rehearsal of sacred music sung by academy choir students rehearsing for a service.

We also happened upon an American high school band touring group performing in the park for the lunch time workers in town very close to the Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Tomorrow we fly home.]]> Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=26621 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=219132 0 50.9 -1.4 Das ist der letzte Eintrag meiner 10-monatigen Reise. 4 Tage verbrachte ich in London um mir die Stadt mal anzusehen.

Trafalgar Square

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben

Das Hostel kostet 20 Pfund, dort blieb ich eine Nacht. Dann fand ich Platz bei Vishnu , bei dem ich 3 Tage auf der Couch schlafen konnte.

Couchsurfinghost Vishnu

Nun bin ich wieder in Deutschland. Meine Famile und Freund haben mich gross am Duesseldorfer Flughafen empfangen, was mich riesig gefreut hat, denn damit hatte ich nicht gerechnet. Alle waren sie da :-).

Danke fuer's Lesen. Ich hoffe euch hat der Blog gefallen!

Wieder zu Hause

I put my hood up and hunched up my shoulders, did my best to send out a 'don't mess with me' vibe and began my adventure.

It was lovely. The wind was brisk and the air was fresh. Reflections in the canal were disturbed only by the occasional duck settling down for the night, and all I could hear was the 'shhht, shht, shht' of my jacket as I walked.

Then it occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to hear someone approaching from behind....

I glanced back. The path was clear. I continued walking.

Or was it? I glanced back again. What was that shadow at the corner there? I walked faster.

Oh, shit, I nearly walked into someone! (And that poor old lady will probably get back home and tell her husband about the crazy dark figure that nearly trampled her.)

Berating myself, I continued along my way, determined to make it to my favourite spot in the marshes. It was no longer about getting some fresh air. It was now KILL OR BE KILLED. Nah, it was just my being too stubborn to go home.

Once I stepped out onto the open plains of King's Meads, I began to relax. The sky was a burnt pink. In the distance I could hear the faint drone of distant highways. Across the marshes I could see the warm glow of houses. Ahead of me, I could see tiny dark patches hopping around as bunnies scampered out of sight.

It felt lonely. Lonely in the way one must feel standing alone at the top of a mountain, gazing down at the world. It was beautiful.

Feeling emotional, I settled down on the mound and closed my eyes for a few moments. It was so peaceful. The air was so pure. No one around for miles.

A thought popped into my head: 'what if I'm not alone?'

I glanced around me, eyes skirting the perimeter, falling on an unidentifiable dark-spot. It moved. Jerking upright, I stared it down. It moved again.... My heart thudded. I crept closer.

A bird took flight from the bush I'd been staring at....

Feeling stupid, I took another quick look around me and then settled back down.

Harsh breathing came from somewhere to my far left. I held my ground; I wasn't going to be a chicken again. It didn't stop.

I began backing away. I could see the silhouette of something that didn't fit in with the trees or shrubs. I grabbed my bag.

It was then that my mind decided to remind me that I'd crossed a lit up area as I came into the King's Meads, so anyone already there would have seen me approaching....

That thought had me stumbling back along my route as fast as possible. Every dark figure was menacing. Every time I looked behind me there was a dark figure following me.

I got back onto the proper path and nearly fell into the canal when a branch brushed my arm. The path was lit, but only for about 20 metres. Beyond that I had to pass under a bridge.... There was a smear of water across the path (as though something had been dragged?).

Then there was a man holding a knife that turned into a tree.

A torso of a dismembered women that turned into an assortment of flower pots.

A face in the water that turned into a duck's bottom.

I felt stupid.

And then the hoarse breathing started up again... louder.

My panic rose....

The breathing came closer, closer, closer. The water in the canal began lapping against the side. I spun around.....

And saw a barge approaching.

The big, scary, hoarsely-breathing monster passed me by and I felt more stupid than ever.

But still, there definitely was a dark figure following me. I could see it just where the light lit up the pathway.

I got past the Old Barge, crossed the bridge and rounded the corner, looking back on the path I'd just come along....

The dark figure behind me turned into a young woman walking her dog....

What a night. I'm exhausted!]]> Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=24601 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=196990 0 51.8 -0.0666667