Apr 9, 2013 - Our final stop in England before we head into Europe

We left London and headed to Bearstead in Kent "The Garden of England" for a few days before getting on a ferry to Europe. After the noise and hum of London we need a good walk in the country. The weather for once obliged. Our walk took us through orchards, pretty villages, and past oast houses the famous landmarks of Kent which were originally used to dry hops. The next day we visited Sissinghurst Castle a ruin of an Elizabethan manor house situated in the Weald of Kent. It was once a prison for captured French seamen during the Seven...

Apr 11, 2012 - Travel to Maidstone, Kent

We left Home Farm late morning and drove to Bearsted Caravan Camp in Maidstone, about three and a half hours of mainly motorway, with a stop at a service centre to fill up with diesel and have a bite to eat. Arrived at the camp mid-afternoon, and just as we decided to go for a walk, the sky blackened, then came lightening and thunder, and it poured for a couple of hours. Heading for Dover in the morning, and the ferry crossing to Dunkirk.

May 29, 2011 - A Day with Susanne and Bengt

Susanne and Bengt are Swedish friends of ours. We became friends when they lived in St.Albert, before they moved back to Sweden. Our paths cross every few years, either in Sweden or in Canada. This time we connected in Maidstone, England where they now live. They graciously hosted us for the night and we reconnected over good food and wine. Their dog Macho,doesn't understand English, but being petted must be a universal language because he liked being by our side. On tap and board - champagne, curry, Kent strawberries, and,the morning...

Sep 7, 2008 - Leeds Castle

I managed to sleep in this morning so Auntie Anne came up to wake me just before 9am. We had a busy day ahead of us and I needed to get rolling! I got ready while Uncle Gary fried us up a delicious breakfast of sausages, bacon and eggs. After eating more than I should have, we loaded into the car and headed over to Kirsty's house so I could see her again (it's been eight years since she visited Canada with her mom) and meet her adorable son Harry. Harry and I got on well and I am starting to think kids wouldn't be so bad. It definitely...

Jun 25, 2008 - Leeds Castle

This morning Chris led us down the road toward Leeds. There was a major accident on the M25 and she showed us an alternate route. I am still rather shaky with the driving on the wrong side ( I mean the opposite side) of the road. Our original intent was to find a B&B down in the area near the castle. We had the addresses of several, but struggled trying to find them. The roads were very narrow (lots of stretches where there wasn't room for two cars) and when it came to chicken, I was regularly on the grass. We found a motel near Maidstone...

Apr 18, 2007 - Kent

After a not so bad flight from Calgary to London, we managed to get on the right combination of trains and tubes to get to Bearstead where our friend Loree met us. We've spent a nice couple of days catching up with Loree, James, their kids Alexander and Rea, their 2 dobermans Storm and Sky, their mini wire-haired dashhound Molly and their 2 cats Lilly and Charlie! Loree and James live in a village in SW England called Sutton Valence and their house, Hillside House, is a Tudor style house that was built in 1435. They have a beautiful...

Apr 9, 2006 - London

wow 13 hour flight later and we are in london, a fresh 5 degrees celius, though it was a beautfiul sunny day! the tube is awesome to get around on, soo convenient and quick. had a look around oxford circus i.e all the expensive shops, very flash. our hostel is in a nice queit leafy suburd-bayswater about 5 min walk from paddington station. a bit of a change from the hotel in hong kong though, tiny as and budget but we have our own room and our own bathroom- the kiwi dollar dont get u much over here! had a wander around central london-...

Mar 22, 2006 - Only 18 Days to Go

......and I'm bricking it. Everything is organised. I've got my Route sorted. I've got everything I need. I'm as fit as I can be (well that's an exageration) and the Green Godess is primed and ready for action. I just hope I can hold it all together. Life away from my desk and the comforts of home could come as a shock to the system. And if Arsenal make it to the Champions League final in Paris....what do I do!?! Very unlikely but still.....I can dream.

Dec 4, 2005 - Mother's Maiden Name: THAMES

Alright ALRIGHT ALREADY!!! We will start writing entries again! Wow, talk about slacking... we're like the fat kids that get picked last for soccer at recess; the bronze medal winner at the Olympics; the family that only decorates the front of the Christmas tree; not washing your hands after going to the bathroom; forgetting to call your grandmother on her birthday; wiping deodorant on your body instead of showering before a night out; only celebrating six days in Hanukah; and starting an amazing World Wide Web documentation of your...

Jul 29, 2005 - Cheerio, or something like that

Hi! We have made it to our 2nd to last country before returning home. And we are back to English (English English) speaking countries too! We left Strasbourg bright and early Tuesday morning, and drove west to Calais, a town on the coast of France where you can board the train through the EuroTunnel. It was cool to drive the car onto a train. I was thinking that it would be like the car ferries in the Puget Sound and we would get out of our cars and go up top to look around, but then, it wasn't a boat, it was a train and it was in a...

Jul 24, 2005 - Leeds Castle

I had an awesome trip out to Leeds Castle near a little town called Maidstone today. The castle has been there since 1080 or something like that and it has changed hands through a bunch of royalty over the centuries. In the beginning, royal widows would stay there after their husbands had died. Anyways, it was pretty amazing to see, set in the middle of a moat, on grounds that also had a duckery, aviary, maze, grotto, vineyard, and numerous gardens. It poured rain all day and I was soaked by the end of it, but it was well worth it. I'm...

Nov 19, 2004 - Back to London

Arriving back in London was a bit of a shock, after spending the last 6 weeks in weather that was about 30 degrees most of the time, we hit 3 degree weather. Freezing! We only had four days here this time so we were pretty rushed for time which we spent most of drinking! We met up with Darcy & Cynthia for a great pub lunch and then headed to Guy's place for his belated birthday bash, and then on to Trent & Julz's place for more drinks and didn't leave there place until late Sunday evening. Lots of sheesha smoking, chatting and a few...