Blaenavon

Drove to Blaenavon from Cardiff yesterday to visit the Big Pit (coal mine museum) to find out the museum workers (ex miners) were on strike!! Never mind, we had a great chat with the picketers and then visited the Iron Works close by. We didn't know until now that Wales was the start of the industrial revolution.

Cardiff

A gorgeous day in Cardiff, walking alongside the River Taff, visiting the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff Castle, river boat trip down to Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay and a walk through Cardiff Park. A beautiful city.

Taff River looking towards the Stadium

Outside the Millennium stadium

In the press box at Millennium Stadium - now
Principality Stadium

Inside the Stadium grounds

Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Bay

Cardiff Bay

Cardiff Park

Taff River

Wales

Arrived in Wales tonight and found ourselves a lovely country pub to park for the night near. Cardiff visit tomorrow!

Dover

On Monday we arrived in Dover to low cloud and rain. The weather has only improved every day since. Lovely warm sunny days. A high of 26 degrees is forecasted for Sunday! Hope the good weather hangs around for a while!

Dover

Clacton-on-Sea

Clacton-on-Sea

Au Revoir France and Ullo England

It has been a truly amazing 317 days in Europe.  Where has that time gone?  Wonderful sights, history, people, cultures, new friends and life experiences.  We look forward to the next stage of our journey.

A stunning day in Calais — at P&O Ferry Calais.

Calais

Boarder control 

Brittany & Normandy Coastlines

We've had a great week travelling along the Brittany & Normandy coastlines of France.  We have enjoyed the beauty of their old villages, the coastline, scenic countryside and eating our fair share of fresh shellfish.

The Carnac Alignments - a collection of megalithic
stones that pre date Stonehenge by 100 years or
so. These stones are spread over km's of fields

A common countryside sight along France this
time of the year. Fields full of bright yellow,
rapeseed flowers.

Carnac, a typical looking French village

Saint-Malo is the best walled town we have visited.
You can walk right around the top of the wall of the
 beautiful old town, enjoying wonderful ocean
views, narrow streets and the original old buildings

Part of the city wall at St Malo

Streets within the walls of Saint-Malo

Walking around the Saint-Malo wall

A delicious and decadent seafood lunch - this
was funded by our fine jar (which is now empty).
Any inappropriate behaviour was a fine!

St Marie-Eglise, a small village in Normandy near
 the D Day beaches. Some of the paratroopers from
 the Airborne division landed here for the D Day.
Two paratroopers landed on this church and
managed to survive. 

On the wall of the St Maire-Elise church you can
 see a paratrooper, this is a memorial to the 2
men that landed on it back in June 1944.

Paratroopers in the stained glass
 at the St Maire-Elise church

Utah Beach, where the Americans
landed on D Day

Memorial at Omaha beach, Normandy.
Our Omaha beach in NZ is quite similar to the
Omaha beach in Normandy. I wonder if this is
how it was named?

Part of the American cemetery at Omaha beach,
quite a sobering day.

A Post From The Woods

Loving our continuing travels through France. A real highlight for us was catching up with Lorraine Russell and John Russell in Bordeaux. Lots of laughter and fun together in Gypsy Girl!