End of this travel lot

Hi all,

That's it for this round. Next one starting October - back to Bali or around there!

Cheers Mary

Canterbury

Last full day in England and it was a goodie. Canterbury is one of those very ‘picturesque’ tourist towns that England seems to have in abundance, and the whole place was just full of different ways to relieve you of your money. This place probably did justify the hype.

Beachy Head and Birling Gap

Day 2 is pretty amazing. This is the south coast of England, the end of the South Downs Walkway, and a stunning white cliff landscape. We do something like a 10km walk along here for a few hours, check out potential suicide spots (Beachy Head apparently is the place to do it) and have the obligatory cup of tea after a walk along a beach full of stones and sunbathers (huh?). More of this next time, we think. Great to get out of towns and stretch the legs for a bit.

Rochester

Grey day but this was a great place. We looked at the by now standard castle and cathedral, although the castle is one of the best preserved Norman ones in England and the cathedral was pretty cool too. The main street was full of charity and antique shops and a wander through them, finishing with a cream tea outside the cathedral, provided amusement for us both. David can’t resist buying a pile of CDs and we land a couple of games and other bits and pieces. Thoughts starting to turn homeward!

Tonbridge

Onward and eastward to stay with Debbie and John on their holiday park, where we first arrived. Full circle, and it’s lovely to be back for a few days. Although in a relatively isolated part of the countryside (you have to have a car) in fact it is very close to a lot of great places, and it became a superb base for exploring. Photo of their Oast barns/houses.

Ouarzarzate trip

Sorry can't believe I forgot this one - out of sequence. It was a day trip from Marrakesh. Big part in teh van traveling but so worth it. Winding mountain roads with pretty amazing scenery all around - steep gradients and impressive rock formations. Great range of colours too. The fertile valleys bordering small rivers (dry session) looked slightly out of place amid the barren rocky hillsides.

Romsey and Winchester

Next day, back in the car and to Romsey Abbey and an early morning walk around the Abbey (nice walk, ugly Abbey says Mary) and then on to Winchester, an ancient capital of England. These towns, including Salisbury, all done up neat and tidy for the tourists. Charming, and initially amazing, and then after a while it becomes commonplace but still lovely.

Avebury

Largest stone circle in Europe and (says David) every bit as impressive as Stonehenge, which you can’t really get all that close to anyway. A drive here and a leisurely walk around the place, which is around 4500 years old is wonderful. Nice to see people talking to their favourite stones, too, and playing drums. The personal touch. I wonder if they give them names?

Salisbury

3 nights here, and a chance to explore the countryside. Excellent cathedral, much less decorated than its Spanish counterparts, and an absolutely gorgeous cloister where a cup of tea and a quiet meditation was on the cards. David got caught up in taking photos of a pool of water (OK, it was a baptismal font) and he hopes the photo was worth it! Salisbury itself full of foreign language students all under 19 (it seemed) on a holiday break. Accommodation is a one-room B&B in a small village outside the town – great breakfasts, palatial room and very very comfortable. Local Indian restaurant down the road had good (if bland) grub.

Cambridge

Well, it’s back to England (to Luton international airport!) and a slightly hair-raising drive to our friends Alan and Helen’s place in Cambridge. Not used to driving or roundabouts, get a couple of gentle toots to remind us to behave. Signs everywhere and (apart from roundabouts) people stick to the white lines. Good idea. Nice to be back in green and cool and some wonderful hospitality. Beer and wine tasting and a lovely meal make us feel right at home. Next day we get a personal tour of the town and Alan’s university surroundings. The photo here is of Kings College.

Marrakesh Photos

Orange Sellers and Pork!! Food.

Marrakesh

Food first… take away lamb off the bone to die for - Mary ate most of it! Cold fresh squeezed orange juice, cheap as chips and much less salty! Playing games with 3 orange vendors buying drinks from each of them - by the glassful and 1.5l bottles as well.
Accommodation less palatial but wonderful communal lounges and areas for us to chill out in. rooftop there too but too hot! Great place to chill. Reliable aircon and quiet space.
Just about all our trip purchases made here - carpets for Mary (haha) jewellery and belts for Mary, hats and antique keys for David. Keys causing great excitement at airport security!

Photos soon