Bath - Day One

Up early for the one hour drive to Schiphol. All went smoothly and we arrived at Bristol on time. My cousin, Marie Louise and I, then took a taxi to our B & B in Bath. We have a lovely room on the second floor and the B & B is within easy walking distance of the centre of town. Off we went, it was still early, about 9am, so our first stop was coffee, followed by the purchase of tickets on the City Sightseeing Tour Bus.  We did the first tour of Bath City, which was lovely.  It took us past the Bath Abbey, The Roman Baths, The Jane Austen Centre, The Circus, The Royal Crescent, The Assembly Rooms and the Botanical Gardens. 

We then had lunch at Sally Lunds, which is in one of Bath's oldest houses, and serves its own home made buns.  Yum!  Then off to the Abbey for a wander around. 

The Bath Abbey is a parish church which was once the great church of a monastery.  It's length is 67m, width is 22m, height to the nave vaulting is 24m, the height of the town is 49m.  It is a spectacular building with beautiful windows, doors and some interesting tombs.

We then did the Skyline tour in the afternoon.  If afforded great views of Bath and its surrounds, taking us into the hills on the outskirts of Bath. 

Then back to our hotel for an early night after a very long day.

Back to Breda

Up and off to my Aunt's once again. I bought her a nice bunch of flowers from mum and we spent a pleasant few hours looking at old photo's with tante Annie reminiscing on times gone by. It really was a joy to hear some of her tales about when my parents were young. After lunch it was time to head back to the station and catch the train back to Breda. We had a lovely dinner outside with Alicia, Robin and Jeano. The weather since I arrived has been unbelievable. Early night was in order as we have to be up early for our flight to Bristol.

Day with Victor

Victor (my cousin) picked me up from my hotel at 9.30. We headed off for a small village called Hellevoetsluis. I had heard of this little town from a friend and was curious to see it. We eventually arrived at about 11 am after being caught in one of Rotterdam's famous traffic jams. Hellevoetsluis is a quaint little fortified village. We wandered around the city walls and the old harbour. It was very quiet with little more to do so we headed off to another nearby fortified village, Brielle. Brielle, was quite a bit bigger and there was far more activity. We wandered around the town and found the Sint Catherijnekerk. It was on a site that has had a church since 1280. After a little more wandering in the warm sun we decided to have a drink at a cafe (Victor sitting in the sun and Ann in the shade) overlooking the canal and harbour. Very nice. From there we headed into Rotterdam. Although John and I have been to Holland many times and travelled through Rotterdam often we have never actually visited the city. Rotterdam was bombed during the war, so there are very few old buildings. There are, however, some incredibly interesting modern buildings. We again did the obligatory wander around and after an hour or so it was time for a well deserved cold ale (even I had one). Then off to dinner at the funky Sushi Qube before heading to the old Holland America harbour, where we sat and watched the sunset over Rotterdam and the Erasmus Bridge. A perfect end to a fantastic day. Thanks Victor.

Off to Den Haag

Caught the Intercity train to Den Haag. It was an east and comfortable trip. Wandered around Den Hasg for a while before heading towards my Hotel which I found without too much hassle. Yay!!! I did, however, have a few problems trying to load cash onto my bus pass. None of the Dutch machines would accept any of my credit cards. Joy!! So I thought I will just pay cash. Caught the tram and the cash machine was out of order. Grr. I ended up getting two free rides today. Caught up with my aunt this afternoon and stayed for dinner. Back to the hotel for a well earned rest!!

Home Again

After 24 hours door to door I arrived in Breda, my home away from home. The flight from Perth was full and we were all packed in like sardines. I have to say I had been led to believe that Emirates were a better airline, but I certainly didn't find them to live up to that reputation. The flight to Amsterdam was not as full and 4 hours shorter. Flying is a means to an end! I had the luxury of being picked up from the airport and driven to Breda. Apparently I have brought the good weather from Perth with me as it was 25 degrees when I arrived. Today Marie Louise, my cousin, and I walked into Breda and wandered around a few of our favouite stores. I really love the care that is taken in presenting goods for sale here, the Dutch are very clever that way. I even gave the credit card a working out. We sat in one of the outdoor cafes and enjoyed a pleasant lunch, before wandering back home. This afternoon Marie Louise's 2 daughters and her grandson visited.

Jodie here - just made mum pack 3 more pairs of shoes. I'm such a packing genius.

Packing in Earnest

The day before I go and it is time to pack and get organised. I am new at this Blogging, my first try! Decisions to be made?? What to take, how much to take?? Will it all fit in the suitcase?? Do I want to carry it all??