We’ve just got back from a whirlwind trip around Europe! It’s the first time we’ve been back for four years so we wanted to visit all the family. Four countries in three weeks sounded like a bit of a toughie but we found plenty of time to relax and enjoy being together with everyone again!
Our trip started in Devon where Mum fed us and watered us while we got over our jet lag. We met her new dog Bandit who is huge and a little crazy and likes nothing better than pulling Mum around the village on the lead! The weather was bright and sunny and we enjoyed lazing around in the garden, shopping and even managed a touristy trip to Bickleigh Castle. Funny how I’d never been there before!
One thing that struck me during the whole time we were in Europe was how old all the buildings are. It sounds daft as I’ve lived there a large part of my life, I guess it’s because I’ve been away for so long. In every direction you turn you see thatched cottages, town houses, barns, churches, chateaux, all hundreds of years old. It never occurred to me before how surrounded in history we are, we’re very lucky!
After Devon we flew to Geneva and spent a couple of days with Josephine, Andre and Mimi who is now 13 and almost as tall as me! It was only a flying visit as we were picking Mimi up and heading down to Portugal to see my brother. We had a horribly early start and the airport on a Saturday morning was hell – but we got there in the end, picked up a car and headed down to Lagos.
It was great to see Toby again and to meet Ana. They looked after us a treat with a packed playlist of surfing, kayaking, riding and restaurants for every occasion. We spent a couple of days at the beach where Neil and Toby caught a few waves and Mimi and I honed our surfing skills, we won’t be winning any medals just yet.
One morning we met up with Alex (a friend of Tobys) and spent a couple of hours kayaking from Porto do Mos back to the rivermouth through a maze of seastacks and bridges and grottos – beautiful. Neil and I thought the inflatable kayaks were awesome. We found out that they were sold by a company in France so when we returned to Geneva we took a trip across the lake to the shop in Thonon and bought one! Needless to say we didn’t paddle back!
Back in Geneva the weather was fantastic. We spent time with Josephine, Mimi and the horses and Andre and Neil played golf. We went for walks with the dogs and had leisurely dinners with family and friends. We crossed the lake a second time to Yvoire to have lunch with an old friend Anne and her daughter who are living nearby. It was all very relaxing and enjoyable.
We returned to Devon a second time to visit Dad and Anne. They were well and we enjoyed a lovely walk along the Great Western canal. The canal banks are great places for walks; they’re flat (good start!), peaceful and pass through beautiful countryside away from roads and houses. The banks were filled with wild flowers and the dogs, particularly Alf, loved jumping in for a swim. Since having a hip replacement Dad had taken to whizzing around the property on a quad bike . . .with Anne sitting on the back shrieking. It’s a hilarious sight as they scoop up the steep track by their house!
Our last few days were spent in Amsterdam, just us, and we had a wonderful time wandering around the canals, visiting old haunts and new places. We enjoyed the Rijks Museum but liked the van Gogh Museum even more. On the top floor they had an exhibition of “van Gogh and his friends” and it was an amazing experience to stand there and be surrounded by such a wealth of brilliant paintings by so many famous artists. We loved Amsterdam – it was a great place to wind up an excellent holiday.
Thanks to all our family for making it such a great trip!
Suzy and Neil