Home again and back to reality...

Hi Everyone

Well I arrived home safely. It was awesome to see my daughter again, I really missed her. We have spent every moment we can together and it is wonderful. I shall be sad when the weekend is over...

My lovely house sitter has taken wonderful care of my home and dog. Though she has spoilt Riley something shocking, but he adores her, so that is great, now I have to live up to her standard or he will revolt!!! He is adorable though, he went ballistic when he saw me again. He is sleeping beside me on the couch even as I type, he doesn't let me get too far away.

Hey Margaret, did you see my plane arriving? That was me, waving madly out the window.... did you see me?

It is so good to be home, but I am sad too, now my travels are all over. My first meal in Aus was a pie and sauce, the second was a steak sandwich with the lot (just like a hamburger, but with steak and break and not burger and roll, but all the other trimmings, egg etc). It was awesome, I loved it... Third meal was Schnitzel and veg, with gravy and lemon.... hmm delicious... I love Aussie food. I have pretty much slept between each meal. I am still lethargic as hell, and I have to start job hunting soon. But first I will head to Swan Hill to see my Mum, that is a good excuse not to start job hunting right away, isn't it... yes it is and I'm using it. I have a feeling going back to work is going to be a real effort after so much time off. It will be almost 6 months as I left work 3 weeks before I flew out on my wonderful trip. I am not looking forward to getting back to the grind stone, I can tell you...

I hope you all enjoyed coming on my travels with me, sometimes you all got a little heavy in the suitcase, but I soldered on, I didn't want you to miss anything... Seriously, I want to thank you all, for following my blog and giving me such wonderful encouragement, it was great to know that people were actually reading my blog and I loved reading all of your replies, so thank you very much.

It is just after 4 am here and my sleeping pattern is shot to hell, but it will settle down eventually, it better, or else getting an office job will be rather difficult. I will have to find admin work in a brothel or a homicide morgue to accommodate these kinds of hours... God forbid, I couldn't handle either...

It is sad that this is my last blog, but I intend to do a lot more travelling in the future (if I find employment that is) so I really hope you all join me on my next adventure.

Til then, bye for now, and thanks again.

Lones

Time with kearie and heading home....

Hi Everyone

Well I have had a lovely 5 nights with Kearie. We have shopped and Kearie took me to Kings Cross Station, to see the shopping trolley that is half through the wall, for the Harry Potter movie.. Loved it, got some pics, just like all the other tourists...


The Greek goddess, getting onto platform 9 and 3/4...

We also went shopping and I finally found the last piece of my nieces 18th birthday present, so good news for Kaylie.. I also spent a fortune in a shop called Primart. What a great shop, it is awesome, everything is dirt cheap, so I brought some stuff and unloaded a lot of my other stuff on Kearie, including this laptop... It's all good.

I have visited both of the stores that Kearie works at. She manages the store in Pont St, which is just of Sloan Street. We had to pass all the Armani, Gucci etc stores on our way there, very up market area. The other store that she works at is just off Oxford St, she works there on Mondays and Fridays,a s the manager of that store doesn't' work those days. They are very nice stores, with lovely clothing. Just a bit out of my price range though, hence why David and Tom shop there I guess..

I forgot to take a pic, but Kearie is going to send me one. Stay tuned

I have put a new lock on Kearies bedroom door, so she can now lock her room. I am spending the day at her house, as she had to work today. I was doing my dishes and I gave the stove the once over, I don't think it had been done for awhile. I am not sure if I motivated the two boys that are home today, but they started cleaning and I pitched in. The place actually looks quite nice now. I know when Kearie gets home I shall get the blame, but I swear they started it and I only helped... on my honour!! The vacuum cleaner is hopeless, I could suck harder myself, but anyway Chris persevered and did a mighty job.

I fly out tonight at 10:15 and I arrive in Melbourne at 6:30 on Friday morning. I am sorry I have not kept up with my emails, I promise to get to them as soon as I get home. I shall post one more blog after I am home safely and then you shall be shot of me, no more prattling on, I promise.

I am really looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone, including the sun.. But I shall be sad to leave Kearie, even though I want her to stay and make the most of this amazing opportunity, I shall miss her dreadfully. I have had a lovely visit here in London, except for the cold of course, it has been great to just spend some time with my baby.

I have no more news for now

Cheers

Lones

London and catching up with Kearie.... YES!!!

Hi All

Well I left Glaston early yesterday and made my way, to Northampton to return Dorothy. Apart from getting lost in Northampton (I had written down directions, but hey, it's me remember?) nothing noteworthy happened. I was sad to let he go though, I really loved driving around myself, I know this because I would do it again, in a heartbeat. I loved driving past signs for Gigglesworth, Wigglesworth (yep, there really is both), Clatterpot Farm, Kettlewell... they just sent the imagination soaring... Pity I couldn't visit all of these wonderful sounding names, but you just would never get anywhere, they are all over England.


Some of them are just adorable, it is hard to drive and take pics though..

I saw lots of deer signs, just like our Kangaroo signs, but with deer pictures on them instead of roos.. Yesterday I even saw a sign saying "Badgers cross next 1 3/4 m." I kept an eye out as I have never seen a real badger, but they must have all crossed by the time I got there, cause I saw zilch.. Cool though, knowing there are badgers out there. I have seen plenty of pheasants on the roads, mostly in pairs, with him all splendid in his bright colours and her all drab and following along, nature sucks sometimes...

I finally arrived in London, I caught a bus from Northampton and arrived at Victoria Bus Station just after five pm. Kearie was to meet me there and then we would go to our hotel, she is staying with me for the 5 days I have left. I was so eager to see her, it was wonderful, she looks really healthy and happy... We had to find out hotel, but first we had to help a young girl I had befriended when she asked me for help before Kearie turned up. She was lost in London, her Friend was meant to be at the National Express Victoria head office and the young lass had been given the run around by at least 5 employees and she was getting worried and more and more desperate. I had already tried googling for her, but nothing, so once Kearie was there I was happy to leave the meeting place and took the girl to an obscure customer service area (right out the back and across the bus car park, they are not big on customer service, as they hide the place really well and you risk getting killed just to get there). They helped her with her missed bus and I left her there, she still hadn't found her friend, but she could get home safely. I couldn't think what else to do. I hope her friend got on okay.

It was so brilliant to see Kearie, we didn't stop talking for hours, well until we fell asleep really. She is loving her job, some of the famous people who use the shop, but Kearie hasn't seen yet are David Beckham, Tom Cruise, the actress who played Beatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter. She named more, but I cannot remember them. So she is looking forward to them coming in again, or even more impressive folk....

However the house she is living in is another matter. The people she rents it off are really abusing the tenants apparently. Not a lot of the amenities work, like one toilet and shower, the stove etc. There is no lock on the back door and Kearie does not have a lock on her room, which is really tiny.. Well there is a lock on it, but no keys, so if she closes the door when she is out, she cannot get back in. So it is left open when she is out. RIGHT, well that will be sorted I can tell you. I am going there to put a new lock on the door myself, bugger them, she needs to be safe... She likes most of her house mates, but the rent is really dear, she is looking to find accommodation closer to the city so her oyster card (for public transport) will not be so dear and she can have a better place to live for cheaper than what those ghouls are charging her now, for her unlockable broom closet. I have yet to see the place, but hopefully we will go there today or tomorrow, then I can tell you more.

Right now I am filling you guys in and Kearie is still asleep, so that hasn't changed, it is half eight here already and half the day is gone, but she is snoozing on... You gotta love the young.

We as going to spend 5 days together and I don't even care if we don't do anything, I am just so happy to see her and spend time with her.

I don't have any pics really as I was on a bus all day. But I will update yesterdays blog to include some.

Cheers for now

Lones

Rotherham and Robin Hood Country... Updated with pics!!

Hi Everyone

Well I am now in Glaston, it is a very tiny village, which suits me fine. I have no trouble driving through England and getting from place to place. BUT I have a large amount of trouble when I have to pass through or near large Cities, there is never enough road signs, some times you enter a city and there are no signs on how to get out of it, or at least not the way you want to go!!! I finally arrived in my Hotel at Rotherham, after getting lost near Leeds, then again in Rotherham... I could have gone through Rotherham quite easily, but I actually wanted to find one hotel amongst all those millions of buildings and that wasn't easy. Mal had sent me directions, but as they were on my laptop and I don't have a printer, I was trying to remember them,and failed miserably. Which is probably just as well as apparently they were directions for arriving on the M18 and I arrived on the M1...Doh, I really am impossible sometimes. You really need Maps of all the cities, and that is not possible really. A VIC ROADS would be wonderful if they had them in England, all those country maps and city layouts as well, oh the joy that would have been. I finally had to call the hotel twice, the first time she had no idea where I was, which was helpful as I was outside an enormous fire station... Anyway one block down the road I found a supermarket and a McDonalds, so I called again.. This time I got a different woman and she did give me directions I could follow.


The church in Newark-on-Trent, another old church, but I still like them, in small doses...

I called Mary when I arrived and she came to collect me, I have a lovely evening with her and Mal, it was really good to sit and chat to people you actually know, I hadn't done that since I left Scotland and didn't realise how nice it actually is. I have done months at a time without that, but once you get back into knowing people, you actually miss it. I am starting to wind down I think, I am thinking more of home and my family now than I have all trip. I am really getting impatient to see Kearie on Friday, it will be a lovely few days before flying home. Mary invited me to breakfast yesterday morning before I departed and it was really nice, so thank you Mal & Mary, for all of your hospitality and great company. I really enjoyed it, it was very relaxing. Mal was great and made some mud maps for me, he also printed out some photcopies of the areas I was travelling to, I think my getting lost made him lose all his confidence in my ability, although he did think it was hilarious too... I followed his maps and they did make my life so much easier, although I did get off track once, but I am not going into that!!!

I travelled through some lovely countryside, again.. England is full of lovely countryside. I stopped in Newark on Trent, a really lovely town. I brought some more credit for my mobile as it had run out the night before, just as I wanted to call Mary actually...(so I used Skype) I then realised that I could not find my mobile... I searched everywhere, but no luck. I decided I must have left it at the hotel, I would email them when I got to Glaston.

I travelled through Sherwood Forest, I couldn't believe it, as I wasn't really expecting it and then there it was. Woohoo, so off I set, to see the information centre, miles and miles later, I found it, I have now been officially in Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood country.. it was a nice forest actually, but I didn't spend too long as I still had to find my hotel and get some rest, I was buggered and it was only lunch time.. I did successfully find my hotel, the Old Pheasant, it is really nice, and the town in miniscul, so even I can't get lost...


See Proof...


Even Sherwood Forest has gone all touristy...


But the forest itself is still lovely.

On arriving I was to send and email to my last hotel, but they had already emailed me, they had found my mobile, so I have asked them to post it to Kearie in London. I hope it arrives before I leave, but otherwise she can send it onto me. At least it is not lost permanently, lucky, those bloody things are expensive..

I had a walk around the village, and a quiet afternoon, dinner in the hotel restaurant and an early night. I plan to do more esxploring today, I shall meander all around the area and tomorrow I head for Northampton to return the car and catch a bus to London. Tomorrow night I will see my baby, I am really looking forward to that.


One of the little roads I travelled, hence having to put Dorothy through a car wash before taking her back. But I did get to see pheasants and a squirrel. Yeah, yeah, I know, they are vermin, but they're so cute!!

So til later

Cheers
Lones

The lovely Lakes District and crappy driving conditions....

Hi Guys

Well I left Durham and travelled west, through what looked like moors or something. Quite nice, but very plain, very few trees etc. I did pass signs to the most amazing place names, they have some wonderfully imaginative names for their villages over here.


Along the road, not the prettiest country I saw, but where the layby was...

I have spilt some coke on my laptop and the keyboard is not happy. It is very sluggish...

I am now in the lakes area and it is absolutely beautiful, but I am not sure if it is worth the stress... Driving is a nightmare, tiny little roads, huge amounts of traffic and the road rules seem to fly out the window most of the time... I have seen signs that I have never seen before on the roadside. On arriving in Windermere yesterday I saw a sign with several cars on it saying, expect queuing!! What? I found out it is an English understatement for expect the worst traffic jams you have ever seen... Today I saw one that said “Caution oncoming traffic in the middle of the road” I thought, “they make signs for that?” “Why not just make them stay on their own side?”. I then realised that it was impossible to stay on your own side and only hoped they had the sign on the other side of the range to warn people that I was coming, down the middle of the road... It was so hairy, people right on your backside and trying to pass folk with only inches to spare. I was driving a rental car, with stone fences on the road edges and trying to pass oncoming traffic, it was horrid!!! Horrid I tell you, my nerves will be shot for a week!!!


Some of the raods I travelled. There were 3 sheep asleep on the road at one point. I had to wait until there was no traffic to take the pic, I was a jibbering wreck by the end of it. It was about 1 hour of this stuff.

As mentioned the scenery was incredible, but hard to see, you cannot rubberneck when you have traffic and stone fences to deal with. The English have rest areas, that they call Parking, for some reason.. But they are never in a scenic area, so you cannot get good pic of any of the lovely countryside. I tried to get some to show you, but didn’t get much. I shall share what i have, but it ain’t much...


Wonderful views, if you can get a park, I managed here, by parking Dorothy in the scrub...


Another view, this time of the countryside. Beautiful.

I am staying in my first B&B and it is okay, a nice little cottage, which was impossible to find, it took me over 2 hours and 2 phone calls to get here, but i finally made it. I was in the town all right, just couldn’t find the cottage, I called and found out there ar two Laurel Cottages and I called the wrong one.....Doh!!! Anyway I did get here and the lady that runs the place is very nice. I had a lovely tea in a restaurant on the corner last night and a great big breakfast here this morning, so I am not starving by any means. I have even had time to do some shopping, which I hate, but I did enjoy this, I love buying presents...


The view from the restaurant I ate at last night, that is the B&B on the right.

I am off tomorrow, I am going to stay one night in Rotherham, to catch up with some English friends, M&M who Kearie and I met in Greece, lovely people, so that will be a nice catch up. I am then heading south again. Perhaps to Melton Mowbray, I have been told that is a nice area.

Talk to you again soon

Lones

Sad Goodbyes and New Adventures...

Hi All

Well yesterday it was time to say goodbye to two very dear friends. It is sad to say goodbye when you don't know if or when you will see these wonderful people again. But I keep telling myself thatI will see them again, they are wonderful people, too good to have them leave my life. I am so very grateful to them both, they have gone out of their way for me and I do really appreciate all they have done. As Sheonagh says, I can go back anytime, I still have their house keys!!! Doh!! I was being so careful not to put them in my bag, to the length that I was locked out and I still ended up taking them away... I amaze myself sometimes. I have promised to return them by mail, first thing Monday morning.. Thank you to both Sheonagh and Ally, I had a wonderful time in you company and your lovely home.

I have hired a car, it has been christened Dorothy. I travelled from Dundee to Bishop Auckland, it took all of the afternoon, not a great length of distance, but the rain and the fog made driving very difficult. I was not used to Dorothy, she is a manual and has no cruise control, hence the dinasaur name... It took some getting used to Dorothy and she had to put up with the occasional gear grind, the poor love. I had to keep getting off the road to let all the traffic go by, it really was hair raising at times, the English countryside is lovely in the sunny weather, but not so great in the fog!! Never mind I managed, just another adventure.


Meet Dorothy..

Today I went for a drive all around the ancestoral area, it was awesome. I started by going to Staindrop, where my Ruddocks hailed from, I then went to Winston and Ingleton, then back to Staindrop and onto Hamsterley. It was very reminisent of Cornwall, little roads and high hedges, but the scenery I did see was lovely. If only the sun had came out it would have been awesome. The fog and rain are still lingering with me, bugger it!!


The church at Winston, a really lovely setting with beautiful views.

The villages are very close together and the roads are really narrow, turning is usually not an option. I went up a little lane to the Winston church and when I got to the gate it said "No cars past here". Well I looked around and there really wasn't anywhere to park, there was a gap in front of a house, so I thought "I will sneak in there and hope they don't notice, I'll only be a minute." As I was getting out of Dorothy, my bag hit the horn, twice... So much for being discrete, never mind I bolted and hoped no one was waiting for me on my return (they weren't thankfully). I searched the graveyard, but couldn't find any of my Ruddock graves, although I do know some of them died there...


The view from Winston Churchyard.

I also went to the graveyard in Staindrop, I took some pics of the Ruddock headstones there, although I do have them already as lovely Simon sent them to me years ago. I then headed for Hamsterley, no headstones of my lot there either, but it has a lovely view. I was a little hesitant searching the Hamsterley cemetery as it had a sign up that scared the hell out of me...


What the heck does that mean?? What do they use, I was looking for graves while watching for traps and I didn't know what... So I had a quick look and bolted!!

I had a lovely morning and early afternoon driving around. I saw Raby castle, but the place was closed, so I got a shot from the road. If our Royal ancestory is really correct then many of our ancestors were born in this castle. If not I have a pic of it anyway....


More tiny roads, just like Cornwall. Picturesque though.

The hotel I am staying in is very cheap, quite quaint from the outside and my room is quite nice. Well except for the bathroom, that really needs renovating. Last night when I entered the bathroom I pulled the cord hanging from the ceiling, the light didn't come on, but the shower started working, I kid you not. I pulled it again and the shower stopped...!!??? I was like, that didn't really happen, so I pulled it again, and yep the shower turned on again.... I looked around and saw another rope pull hanging from the ceiling, so I pulled that too, in for a penny, in for a pound. I was wondering if the toilet would flush, I kept a weary eye on it, but no, the light came on... So there you have it, the first time I have ever started my shower with a cord pull attached to a ceiling, you learn something new everyday. I think I have had enough of cheap hotels, so the next two nights will be spent in a B&B and I shall let you know how that turns out..


See no taps, you regulate the heat from here and pull a cord to get it started...different to say the least...

I am heading for the Lakes district tomorrow, I shall stay for 2 days and then head south, through South Yorkshire to hopefully catch up with a couple of friends I met in Greece. I have no idea where I shall head then.

So til next time

Cheers
Lones

Scotland and being back with friends...

Hi All

It has been several days since my last post. I have been relaxing and doing laundry etc. It is so nice to be back to home cooking, Sheonagh is a wonderful cook, hmmmm..

Ally took me to Dundee on Monday, so I could get some purchases and have my shoes fixed (I don't think Ally trusts me out on my own, I have no idea why..). Remember the lovely shoes I brought in Barcelona (I think it was Barcelona!!) Anyway the soles started coming of in all the rain in Latvia and Lithuania, hence me buying the dreaded gum shoes... I had them repaired in Dundee. Now I have nice shoes to wear...

I caught the bus back to Forfar without any worries. I had already fallen asleep on the bus from Dundee to Frofar, so decided I was too tired to walk the 20 minutes to Sheonagh's house, so I would take the local bus, how hard could it be? It was only when I was sitting at the bus stop in Forfar that I realised I had forgotten to take the key to the house that Sheonagh had given me. It was raining but I thought, so be it, I shall have to wait outside in the rain until one of them comes home. The bus that goes past Sheonaghs house is the number 27C, I do wish I had known about the C.. I checked the timetable several times to ensure I caught the right bus, you know what is coming don't you? Well Shenoagh and Ally live on Arbroath Rd Forfar. I hoped on the No27 Arbroath Bus, and told the driver I wanted to go to Arbroath road, he charged me 3 pound 10. I though that was a bit steep, and said I wanted to get off at Arbroath Rd, he said it was the same price wherever I got off. So I paid the man the money and took a seat. All was well as we started down Arbroath Rd, until... He suddenly takes a right turn, "oh, I thought, where is he going?". I then remembered the time in June when Sheonagh and I had caught the bus into town and they really do take the most intricate routes, we kept heading of the main road to pick up folk at all kinds of places, so I relaxed and thought, he will do the same and return to the Arbroath Rd any minute. Well suddenly we were out of town altogether, we headed through village after village and I was sure by now I was on the wrong bus. I waited until the driver stopped at a stop and the young man had paid his money, then I said to the driver "Excuse me, will you be going back to Forfar?" He said "The bus will." I said "Oh good, I need to be in Arbroath Rd, Forfar." Well he burst out laughing..... It obviously wasn't affecting his life.. After that he assured me the bus would return to Forfar so I settled down and thought "Oh well, it is like a mini tour, sit back and relax and enjoy the scenery", which I did. Not that there was a lot to look at, but I did get to see Abroath, the town that is, not the Rd, I wonder sometimes in Ally has a point and I really shouldn't be let out alone.. But then again would you not think that the bus to Abroath would take the Abroath Rd? I ask you?? So if I had walked it would have taken me 20 minutes, but I would have had to wait outside in the rain, by bus it was 1 and a half hours, and I still had to walk for 8 minutes, but Ally was home and I didn't have to sit in the rain... Windscreen/bug, you decide!!

I have booked a car for a week, to travel around England. I have booked a hotel in Bishop Auckland for 2 nights, as that is an ancestral area. I shall then meander down the country stopping whenever I choose. I am looking forward to it and hope it all works out well. It has to be better than trying to get local buses, whose directions leave a lot to be desired at least..

I have not taken any pics as you have all seen laundry before, though I really should have taken a pic of that bus timetable and then you would all see how easy my mistake was to make. That is my excuse and I am sticking to it!!

Cheers for now

Lones

Salzburg, Munich & Scotland

Hi Everyone

Well I have done so much since my last post. We travelled across Austria to Salzburg, going on a lovely cruise down the river to Melk. The scenery was spectacular, it was amazing to just sail silently along, while the most amazing scenery just floated past. Lovely old ruins, and wonderful little villages, beautiful landscapes and majestic hillsides, it was awesome.


Teh ruins of the castle that Richard the Lionheart was held Prisoner in, by (I think) King Leopold ..


One of the villages we sailed silently by. Wonderful

We then visited another monastery, it was very impressive, still inhabited by about 30 monks.


Teh front garden of the Abbey

We then went to Salzburg, the place where “The Sound of Music” was filmed all those years ago. We did the usual city tour, which was nice, but then we did a “Sound of Music” one. It was great, seeing all the places they filmed the movie and hearing the real story of the real Von Trapp family, which was way less dramatic than the film version, but both were worth hearing/seeing. My favourite location was the cemetery, where the scene where Ralph sees the family hiding and informs on them, it was really wonderful. It is the prettiest cemetery I have ever visited, and is still in use today. The place is exactly like the movie (der, it was shot there..) but you know what I mean, it was wonderful to be there, it was great.


One part of the little cemetery, it was beautiful


The vault part of the cemetery, recognise it?

We also visited the Abbey where Maria was a novice, and the real couple were married. The Gazebo has been moved, it was once in the grounds of a mansion, but tourists kept climbing the fence to photograph it, so they took it down and then when the tourists complained, they reassembled it in the grounds of another mansion that is open to the public. Gosh us tourist are a troublesome lot!!


The gate to the abbey, where the children go in the movie, to get Maria back.


The gazebo, I remembered it as being bigger...

The guide told us that the real Maria gave an interview when she was in her 80’s and when asked how the couple really got together she said that after she had been with the family for a few days, one of the small girls went to her and asked, “Do you like my father?” Maria, being polite said “Of course I do.” The child then went to her father and said, “Maria really likes you, are you going to marry her?”. That night after the children were in bed the father said to Maria, “So are we engaged or not?”. Maria didn’t know what to say, she said, “I cannot get engaged, I have to ask permission from the convent.” So the Baron said “Well go and ask, go now.” Maria went off to the convent and they told her that they had been praying for her to find her calling in life and this was probably the answer. So when she returned to the Barons mansion, he was waiting for her and all he said was “And?”. Maria told him, “They said, I have to marry you.” And that was it, not as romantic as the film, but they went on to have 3 more children together, so it must have worked out okay. The real Baron was 25 years older than Maria, not young like in the movie. In real life once Hitler had decided he wanted the Baron in his navy (the Baron was the most decorated Navy officer from WWI in all the German speaking countries) the family went to Scandinavia on a singing tour and the Baron and the boys did not return. Maria and the girls came back, packed all they could carry and travelled to Switzerland. So, no major Nazi chase like in the movie. It was interesting to hear all the true stories and visit all the locations, I really enjoyed the tour. If you go to Salzburg, you must visit the cemetery, it is a must.


Salzburg has this wonderful law, that does not allow modern signs etc for shops company's. It means they have these wonderful old fashioned signs hanging in the streets instead of all the modern bling... It looks wonderful, and even McDonalds has to comply...

I really liked Salzburg, but we were only there for 1 night/day, then off to Munich again for the end of the tour. I wasn’t sorry it was ending, it was my least favourite tour. Some of the people on the tour were great, I met some lovely people, but the tour didn’t mix like the other 2 tours did, it was not until the very last day that I actually got to speak to some of the other tour members. The guide didn’t get the group to mingle like other guides have somehow. I don’t know what it was, but it was not as friendly as other tours I have been on. The guide did not even organise a group picture, it was odd. Anyway I have the email addresses of all the folk I want to stay in contact with, so that’s the main thing I guess. We had a stinker on this tour too, luckily I did not have to put up with him, but two poor Aussie’s had to sit in front of him on the bus every day and he positively reeked... He wore the same clothes every day, for 13 days, he never changed once!! One of the ladies told me he is about to start another tour, I hope the next guide does something about his personal care, as this guide did not do one thing, even though several people complained to her about him (all the people sitting near him on the bus, from what I can tell, all spoke to her about him). He totally ruined the tour for the two young Aussies. What a selfish man, he had a suitcase with him, so goodness knows what was in it, obviously not any clean clothes!!

I caught a plane to Edinburgh the day before yesterday afternoon and arrived here early evening. Ally and Sheonagh met me at the airport, they are very kind. It was wonderful to see them both again and to be back in an English speaking country. Though when you listen to the Scots on the plane, speaking to each other, you sometimes cannot recognise that they are speaking English... I have a really hard time understanding them and mostly just can’t, to be honest. We had dinner on the way from Edinburgh to Forfar, I didn’t remember how far it was, my friends were very kind to come all that way to the airport to pick me up, it is quite a long way. I am so looking forward to just chilling out here for a day or two, before starting my next adventure, travelling through England to London to see Kearie. I am quite excited about seeing her again, I really miss my girls. I don’t know if it is because my time is coming to an end, or because I have been away so long, but I am starting to look forward to going home. I want to hear Aussie voices and eat Aussie food and look at Gum trees and just be back in Aus, I think it might be called home sickness.... I am not sure, I have never felt like this before, but it will be good to be back home. Oh and to see the SUN, that will be marvellous, I have almost forgotten what it looks like, large and yellow, if I remember rightly. Oh and warm, hhmmm warm...

Until then though, I still have places to visit and people to meet and lots of things to see. So I am looking forward to northern England too, seeing where my Ruddock family came from and all of that.
Okay, that is all from me, talk to you again soon
Cheers for now
Lones

Hungary and Vienna, Again......

Hi Guys

Well I am back in Austria, again!! We had another day in Budapest, we went into the country to visit another outdoor museum. This one had small villages, that had been transported to it, so you could see Hungry through the ages, in one place. It was very interesting, similar to the one I went to in Lithuania, but this time it rained all day, it was freezing and I was wet and uncomfortable.... They made us wait in the cold for lunch, a piece of fresh made bread with some garlic sauce on it, hardly worth the wait, or the cold I could feel coming on. But other than the weather is was okay, we had a ride in a train, well one carriage really, but the villages were cute.


Chicken coops beside one of the houses


The animals were pretty fiercesome too..


This is what I mean about Budapest, the view from my bedroom window. One way is nice, but turn your head a fraction and... you see what I mean.

We also had a tour of more of Budapest and saw some old Roman ruins, when they were excavating them they found old Roman tombstones in a burial site. The guide was telling us some of the inscriptions, apparently the Romans were not very religious, but they did have a sense of humour. One tombstone was from an actor, and it said.
“I have died several times in my lifetime, but this time it was serious.”
Another said
“I lie here for you to read the lines, better for me to read them, so lie down.”
I have seen enough Roman ruins, so I did not photograph them.

We then headed out of Hungary and into Austria. On the way the highway passed through a natural parkland, and so the animals do not get hit by the cars while passing from one side to the other, they have put in bridges for them. It was rather cool the way they worked it.


From a distance it looks like a bridge with weeds all over it, but in actual fact, it is only menat for animals not people, so it is covered with trees and bushes.


A sign in an Hungarian carpark, you can work out what it means....

As you know, Kearie and I have already been to Vienna, so the next three days will be chill out time for me. On the way here we stopped at a small town for sightseeing, guess where? Yep Baden, the small town Kearie and I took a day trip to, so I just had lunch in a nice beer garden and left them to the sightseeing. But I did notice this phenomenal car, check it out...


The woman walked up, got in and drove off up the street... It would be usless to me though, you couldn't even fit a can of paint in it, let alone any wood for renovations. Unless it comes with a little trailor..hmmm worth a thought.... Isn't it darling!!

Yesterday I did the morning included sightseeing tour and then just wandered about a bit, looking for a laundrette. I didn’t find one... Kearie and I used one, but it is on the other side of the city.. So I went to the Supermarket and came back and did some more bloody hand washing.


I came across this little guy in Vienna

This hotel is 4 star, very flash and I hate the place, no free WiFi... The sods!! So I have to payed them 9 Euro’s to use the bloody thing as I need to book my flight to Edinburgh. Yes I have decided to return to Scotland and my lovely friend Sheonagh has said it is okay and she can put up with me one more time for a few days. The woman is a saint!!


My room, they could have kept the bath robes and given me free WiFi, that would be service.

Today I am going to enjoy a day off, I shall just vegetate here in my room and totally take it easy. The tour only has a few more days to go and then I shall head back to the wonderful English speaking countries, with English speaking television... Oh the joy!!

Cheers for now
Lones

Slovakia and Hungary...

Hi Guys

It seems as though I have done so much since my last post. We dined out again in Prague and then headed through Slovakia to Hungary.


The waiter pouring wine from a pipe like vessel, he was really good and never spilled a drop all evening..


And there was dancing and singing, play that funky music white boy!! Well you get the gist... It was a great evening.

We then headed for Budapest in Hungary, but first we had to travel through Slovakia and stopped for lunch in the Capital, Bratislava.. I had chicken and chips for lunch in a small restaurant. I thought, "What can go wrong with chicken & chips." Well the chips were burned and the chicken wing still had a feather attached, deep fried and crispy mind you, but a feather?? So you know when you are in Slovakia by the burned chips and the feathers still attached to the deep fried chicken...


Everywhere is tourist oriented now, but these were cute.


It was pretty though. I would have liked to spend more time there.

We have had a pretty full program in Budapest and today we are off for an all day tour to a museum of local villages that has been set up in the country. I hope it is as nice as the one in Lithuania, it was great. I woke this morning at 4am with a leg cramp and as I cannot find my Lavender oil I am still awake... I have already called Learra and my sister Narelle was staying with her, so have had a chat to both. It is now 6:45 and guess who is going to fall asleep on the bus today?


Dinner the first night in Budapest, the music was really excellent and I loved the venue..



Some of the local Romany dancers doing Gypsy dancing. We also had typical Hungarian dancing as well. It was a good night.


Budapest has some really lovely old buildings, sadly, unlike Prague, most of them are falling into disrepair. The Soviets did nothing to upkeep them and in the 20 years since the Hungarians haven't done much either. Though to be fair they tell me their economy is very similar to the Greeks, so God help them.


The renovator in me wanted to grab a trowel, some spak filler and a paint brush... The place could be really beautiful with a little effort and a lot of money...


This church has been cleaned up and it looks wonderful, our guide said the church was black during her childhood.


But many are still waiting for some TLC..


Look how darling some of the streets are though... Awesome


Another wonderful dinner cruise last night, this time on the Danube.... I really am enjoying all this

That about puts you up to speed. I hope you are all having as much fun as me..

Cheers for now

Lones

Prague and an update on Kearie...

Hi All

Well as M&M pointed out, I haven’t updated you all on Kearie lately, sorry I have been emailing people about her and forgot I hadn’t updated you guys. Kearie was given the crappy job with very few shifts, so she started looking for her own and she found one.... She is a manager of a store near Hyde Park, it is called Rachel Riley and it sells vintage clothing. Here is the link to the site http://www.rachelriley.com/
Kearie served Steven Spielberg’s wife the other day, complete with body guard. She also served some British celebrity that she did not know, the other staff told her who he was after he had left. She seems really happy and has made friends with some of the people she is sharing the house with. They went to Brighton the other day and she seems to have really settled in.

Okay, back to me... I am in Prague at present, and yes I am thinking of you all, working away, doing the hard slog. This is where I had lunch yesterday, where did you eat...


The main square in Old Prague, I was thinking of you all, I swear!!

Prague is wonderful, every time you turn a corner there is something else to make you go Ooh, Aah or some other appropriate sound. The place is gorgeous... The buildings are magnificent and the river is beautiful.


The river


The streets


This amazing clock tells time in the 17th century time, days and seasons as well. It was awesome, on the hour the twelve apostles pass by the two little windows (which open on the hour), 6 on each side... And a little dude plays the trumpet from the top of the tower too..


2 of the apostles, don't ask me which two..

We dined on the river last night, the landscape was breathtaking. We even passed through a lock, so the folks who hadn’t done that before were amazed. Being an old pro, that didn’t impress me much.. lol


The buildings were lit up beautifully..


This one came out a bit dark, in reality, it was wonderful..

Today I visited my first concentration camp, it was very sobering. It was not a extermination camp, but still 35000 people died there. Mostly of starvation and disease, others were sent to Dachau. Gosh it is hard to comprehend how evil people can be. I am feeling very sombre today and very grateful that I live in current times and in a wonderful country.


One of the cells that held up to 130 men. This camp was for political prisoners, academics and communists... Our young Guides great grandfather was held there for 3 years.


A poignant reminder

Cheers

Lones