Leveretlodge

Today we were collected by Jerome. The two suitcases full of clothes were packed in the back of his van and we headed for Mid-Ennerdale. This is an area in the south-west of Johannesburg. Many informal settlements have grown up in this area and the foundation have a project in one of settlements called the Meriting. Here there is a pre-school, a grannie club, a big area of gardening for growing veg, a sewing room, and a health screening room/clinic. It is a unique and developing project that is helping the local women and children. We took a couple of photos which are below. We then went to ilumala House where 21 girls are expertly cared for by the dedicated staff. We were given a tour of the house and had a great time with the ... read more

We have decided that Manchester Airport is the pits! We queued to check in baggage with emirates (1 hour 20 mins) , then we queued to go through security - 3 lines open (1hour 10 mins) 😩- then when we thought we might be late for the flight, the flight was delayed so we waited in a soulless room then finally waited for zone F to board - it was last….. 😡 Ok flight, we watched House of Gucci in tandem - I then felt a bit woozy - may have been the very strong g and t but after a bit of sleep we landed in Dubai - short stopover - no idea why people visit this hell hole - las vegas on steroids - and they fleeced us for twenty quid for a coffee, ... read more

Last day in Vienna, and pretty much the last day of our holiday, tomorrow we head back, via Frankfurt and Brussels back to Wilmslow on Sunday. Leisurely start, not much for breakfast because our first stop is going to be the Sacher cafe - home to the original sacher torte ! small queue outside to get in at 11, not that there wasn’t enough tables inside - think they were waiting for the daily delivery of cake - the lorry was being unloaded right on the street in front of us - there goes the illusion, it’s being made on an industrial scale in a warehouse (no doubt) somewhere on the outskirts of Vienna! Anyway, we were in ! - cafe und kuchen - it was yummy but rich. Took the Ubahn to see the gardens ... read more

Just to say we did have one eye on the goings on in Westminster - each time we checked it seemed something momentous had happened. Maybe we should go away more often ! We made a plan for the day, before going out - and broadly stuck to it ! First stop was back to St. Peter’s church - a website had suggested they had a organ/soprano concert later - they did, so back there for 7-30! Next we walked to the Hofburg Palace. We didn’t know much (anything) about the Austrian / Central European empire / Hapsburg family. So it was a real education - my goodness they were wealthy ! The Hofburg was their main palace and now it’s the place where they display a lot of their stuff - they ruled for 650 ... read more

Today was the first day of my retirement and it felt pretty good ? We woke up to rain ? and the forecast was for it to rain all day - luckily it was just drizzle and stayed dry whilst we visited the massive castle overlooking Salzburg - the Fortress Hohensalzburg. Quick ride up the funicular, (via the oldest bakery in town for a snack! - couldn’t resist the amazing smell - their flour ground by a waterwheel! ) to the fortress - and what a fortress! Various Archbishops had added extensions to the original basic castle over the years - each outdoing the previous it seems, until the fortress you see today dominating the city from a great height. The audio guide was helpful to understand how the castle developed with each Archbishop - seemed ... read more