Day 1 of our trip back - France

The view from our window
The cockerels woke us up bright and early

Hotel La Metairie
We stayed here on the way back to UK too
It is in the grounds of a beautiful chateau and gardens

Home is wherever you hang your hat

And we set off for Greece tomorrow

Not a day I expected

I was concerned about my right eye, blurred vision, lots of floaters
So off to my trusty optician

Little did I expect ending up at Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry
 having laser treatment for a tear in my retina
Feeling a bit sorry for myself  .....
Thanks to Paul for being so wonderful x

August 27th

Lachlan is ten today
What more civilised way to spend your Birthday ..
Afternoon tea at the Plough and Harrow

Don't forget, Happy Birthday to David too
xx

Bank Holiday Sunday

We went to a classic car show

It was at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock
Great day and even the sun shone
(between the clouds)

Paul's Snazzy Socks

They may be snazzy but when did we last wear socks in August ?

Friday 22nd August

I planted these strawberries 12 months last May.
I can't believe they are still flowering and fruiting.
At least the birds are enjoying them.

Thought for the Day

Eiffel Tower (again) I think that I am still on my hols ....

OK, I confess, I did not take this picture
But what a picture !

Victoria, Chris & the boys are on a Disney Cruise

They set off from Barcelona and now they are ?

A nice present

Paul bought me a pedometer
I did 1,344 steps yesterday around the house and gardens

Sunday we went to Winterbourne House

It was built in 1903 by the Nettllefold family
If you are not from Birmingham you may not know of them
They were manufacturers of screws etc, and later ammunition for WW1
Obviously did well in their business, which is now known as GKN
Guest Keen & Nettlefold

The property has been restored in the origonal 'Arts & Crafts' stlyle
with a lot of influence of William Morriss
Although the building had become so dilapidated it was hard to determine the origonal decor
At one time it was used as student accomadation for girls at Birmingham Univerity

The greenhouse in the walled garden was a highlight
Pineapples, cacti and citrus fruit

A lovely day with Victoria & the boys

They are moving house !
This will be my last visit to their house in Hilton

An excellent lunch at the Hilton Brook Pub
Rounded off with Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake an Ice Cream
For Austin & Lachlan
They are growing up so fast
Lachlan will be 10 this month

Tuesday 12th August

Holiday over - washing all done and Paul gets his chain saw out again

Last night of our holiday

We had a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower
I never knew that it sparkles for 5 minutes every hour in the dark

From the roof bar at the Raddison

Paris

We stayed in Le Meridian Etoille

Charlemange - again
This time in the Square of Notre Dame

The name of this shop had given us a clue to what was round the corner

Paris Plage. It really is a beach I was surprised to discover

And of course the Louvre
Famous home of the Mona Lisa
(or was it Dan Browne who made it famous?)

The Champs Elysees

Famous shops like Louis Vuitton ...

Paul's sandwich bar !

Even McDonalds

And of course the Arc de Triomphe

Our next stop was Luxembourg

Views from the city walls

The Parliament building
Luxembourg has a population of only 500,000

Sad departure from the ship and travel to Paris

Our first stop was at the American WW2 cemetery

The grave of General Patton
This is somewhat controversial as he did not die in the war
He was killed in a traffic accident soon after the end of the war

The rows of graves were moving, but I found this memorial to those who were never found spine chilling.
A very few names were marked with a bronze stud
They were men who have been found since the memorial.  The latest in 2007.

Our last evening on board

Tracey was presented with a cake to celebrate her 50th Birthday

Lorraine, Denise, Tracey, Paul, Charley & me !
We had dinner together nearly every night & such fun

After dinner we were serenaded in the lounge by a group of German musicians

Friday 8th August - Bernkastel & Trier

We went off for a wander round Bernkastel up to the vineyards above

In the afternoon we visited Trier
This is the amazing Roman gate
Made of sandstone that has changed colour over the years it is now known as the
Black Gate

This building near the gate is where Karl Marx grew up
Now a Euroshop
(Like Poundland)