We've packed in a number of visits with Katherine's extended family - which means Clare and Rachel have a whole new batch of cousins to visit with! First -some of the Kellys This is how poor little Rachel got the bouncy castle injury.. and then some of the Kneales/Abrahams no injuries in this bouncy time Our city girls spent some quality time loving the farm they called it "the maze" And a seriously cool swing:
Let's start with the title. Originally, when we were booking this trip, we were going to have a 10 hour layover in Amsterdam, between Toronto and Glasgow. We thought it would be fun to pop into downtown Amsterdam, grab some lunch, maybe a whirlwind tour of Anne Frank's house, and race back for our connection. If nothing else, it would make a great title for our travel blog! Long story short - we ended up with a direct flight into Glasgow (which lands at 5:00am, but that's a story for another post) in July, and directly home from Paris at the end of September. Our mission between now and departure day (July 11 th ) - how do we fit everything we need and want into these two, small bags, for a 3 month trip through: Scotland, Wales, England, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Spain and France? Suggestions? Tips? Cautions? 3 months. 8 countries. 1 carry-on bag. Each.
People, if you haven't been, this needs to be at the top of your list. Save your pennies, buy your travel book and go. We are loving Croatia. The first thing we noticed was all of the welcome signs and friendliness of the locals (in spite of the thousands of tourists that arrive everyday- many for just a few hours off the cruise ships). Three important historical things to know about Dubrovnik. #1 They were an independant republic for centuries, they abolished slavery in the 1400s and their motto has been Libertas (freedom) for centuries. #2 there was a massive earthquake in 1667 that destroyed most of the old town and remains prominent in their historical memory #3 in 1991 they were under seige for three months, with no electricity, running water, or telephone. They withstood the seige partially because they had access to water from ancient fountains and aquaduct system. We filled our water bottles daily from the water source that kept them alive for three months....
i can make summer pimms...winter pimms...whatever takes your fancy. yum
ReplyDeleteYes ... Green & Black's ice cream as well as other products by them are available in Toronto.
ReplyDeleteI will give you a list of vendors when you return to Toronto which we are all looking forward to!
What a relief, now we can come home.
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