Well here we are back home again. The flight seemed like forever. Slightly bumpy over northern Quebec. Final pictures are here and we're glad to be back. (you don't hear that much from people on holidays) I will publish the final stats in one last blog. Added some missed pictures. [View Full Entry]

---

---

It's been 2 days in a whirlwind visit to Paris. Hop on Hop off tour thru the entire city on day 2 followed by the full day tour to the Palace of Versailles on day 3. Today (day 4) was a travel day that started with shopping on the Champs Elysees ( ok Elke was doing the shopping while I was watching and avoiding the gypsies). Now I don't know if anyone else who has travelled thru Paris has come across them or if this is a new phenomenon but OMG you can't believe how many times you will get approached [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well we have 2 days worth here now. No internet yesterday - well more a combination of tired and didn't want to pay for access. We waved goodbye to hilly Lyme Regis and headed out across the south west thru the famous standing stones - Stonehenge. Awe inspiring sight. How and why did someone move 15 ton rocks 385 miles on water and land, then carve and line them up to be a large sundial???? (monthly - sun shines thru consecutive arches for each month). All this done around 3500 years ago and this is the 3rd incarnation of this structure. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Left Falmouth for Lyme Regis. Now we should mention that we stopped in Trelliseck at a Nation Trust garden. Beautifull country garden. Journeyed on to Sidmouth for some picturesque shopping. Travelled some more skinny roads and went to Lyme Regis. Roads here extremely steep and narrow. Climbing the hill in the car feels like a rocket launch. Tomorrow .... Off to STONEHENGE!!! [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today's jaunt was relatively short in distance. I we thought that we had seen the worst in roads by driving thru the Highlands..... WRONG!! A little trick to driving in the Devon area... when the center line strip disappears - brake NOW! Roads will immediatley squeeze down to 5 ft wide (seems a lot narrower) and usually it happens at a curve with high hedges. Scenery makes it all worth it. We drove out to the south western tip of the island.Very windy and sporadic rain. After being soaked to the skin we mad it back to the car and went [View Full Entry]

---

---

We jumped in the car and left Cwmbran and headed out to Bath. Once again a little difficult to navigate around with some of the exits at roundabouts unmarked. I have learned that if I can't find the exit that I want...... I just keep circling till I find what I m looking for. I am quite sure that I am making thre locals nuts. OK now we found Bath... pretty good signs to the long term parking. Let the fun begin. very poor signs to find the big attraction here, the Roman baths. Got on the hop on hop off [View Full Entry]

---

---

A relatively short day today - in distance anyway. Checked out of the Aber Cottage in Dolgellau (pronounced - dol geth lee yeah I know we'll explain later) and wandered around this tiny hamlet. Very, very narrow streets. almost humerous that there are lines painted down the middle of the road when it is only 6 feet wide. Said goodbye to Barabara at the cottage and headed out on the road. There is no way to drive these roads at what we consider high speeds in North America. BUT!!! the scenery makes you want to stop at every turn. Stopped for [View Full Entry]

---

---

OK now we are off to Wales. Headed west for the coast and tried our best to stay close to the water. Found quite a few holiday towns similar to Blackpool. Huge sections of promenade with arcades, gift shops, pubs and restaurants. LARGE static caravan parks (trailer parks) and I mean huge. As we got further south and west the towns got smaller and the scenery became even more beautiful. Stopped in Rhos Bay for lunch at the Rhos Fyncah Tavern and had some more beer. Finally made it to Dolgellau early in the afternoon. 250 year old house turned into [View Full Entry]

---

---

Lots to update, have been without internet fo a acouple of days. July 8th Left Claclaig Inn Glen Coe) headed for Inverarary the seat of the Duke of Argyll the cheiftan of the Campbell Clan. A beautiful castle with the highest room of any home in the UK (60 ' plus) Walls all lined with weapons used at Culloden. Stopped for some great scallops at a roadside Inn (Lochgair). Headed for Girvan on the west coast of Scotland for the night. Well it was bound to happen - the hotel lost our reservation and was full. The owner called another B&B [View Full Entry]

---

---

We left Invergarry to visit Loch Ness - Nope didn't see it.... We tried! Went thru the visitor center which was informative. Now we are off to the Culloden battelfield. For those of you who do not know - This was the last hand to hand battle in Great Britain between the government and the Jacobites (Bonnie Prince Charlie - the true heir to the throne). Very moving.... They had a very detailed visitor center that showed every facet of the history and cause of the batlle which shaped religion, monarchy and europe itself. They also had a personal GPS system [View Full Entry]

---

---