LONDON AND LEEDS, ENGLAND - SIGHTSEEING (PART 1) I am going to write the English part of the trip in a few sections, because some of the sights we have visited have been real surprises and deserve mention on their own….. We got into London, and was met by our Best Man, Ian Wheeler, which was appropriate since we are celebrating our 25th on this trip. We stayed with him and his wife Annette for three nights and had a lovely time. If ever you need a Bed and breakfast in the outskirts of London, Chez Wheeler is the place for you! We would come down to a wonderfully set table with cereals, fresh fruits, yogurts, coffee or tea, toast or pancakes or anything cooked if our heart desired. The first day we just ran an ... read more

Kevin and I arrived in Bangkok the night of the 19thof August. After the cold of Auckland, the heat – 30 degrees C at 9 PM – hit me smack in the face. Luckily, the luggage came off fairly quickly, so we re-organized bags to carry a small one each, checked the big stuff for 3 days and headed off to the hotel via the great train system here. The hotel, the Bel-Aire Princess, is in a centrally located part of town, and only one block from one of the train stations. The beds felt hard, and we were a bit concerned, but it ended up being a great night's sleep. We were up bright and early the first day as Kevin had lots for me to see, and it was out the door to look ... read more

The whole trip to France started evolving three years ago, when Kevin and I were last in the country. He had mentioned that we would come back in two years, and I said, “Let’s make it three, and we can have your 60th here!” And the planning began. The party part didn’t start in earnest, though, until about six months ago when a swap couple of the Ackmans from Carcassonne mentioned a wonderful restaurant and hotel, not far from the city of Carcassonne, called La Bergerie. The selling point was that it was a Michelin- starred restaurant. If you have had the great good fortune of going to a Michelin-starred restaurant, you know that EVERYTHING is just better. Food, service, presentation. Kevin got on line to them and got a booking for approximately 24 for the ... read more

THURSDAY - I have a feeling most of the eating out is at an end. All friends and family are in town. Tonight was a quiet night at the house with Rob and Erica as Kevin went to pick up Julie Brown, coming in from Aussie. I discovered today that Rob has a SERIOUS coffee addiction, and watched a total metamorphosis as he was infused with caffeine. Note to self: carry chocolate covered coffee beans when with Rob Lauder. Rob is an excellent cook, and made the three of us a beautiful salad full of goodies from the frig. It’s amazing what you can do with leftovers. Nothing spectacular, but just flavorful and nice. FRIDAY- Kevin’s birthday dinner was fabulous. The restaurant, La Bergerie, is about a half hour out of Carcassonne. We had worries because ... read more

WEDNESDAY - After a tidy-up of the apartment and a quick hoovering of the last of the food, we bade goodbye to the apartment, Montmartre and Paris. Walked down the hill to the tube with the bags, mine has now expanded to include the LeSportsac, and over to Gare Montparnasse to catch the train to Toulouse. We bought sandwiches at the station which were huge. On to the train, luckily we got on early enough to get space for the bags. After settling in, the sandwiches were pulled out. Note to Self: Carry small jar of Dijonaise in purse at all times! We got off the train in Toulouse and picked up the car. Kevin had bought a GPS in England so I had no maps. Refer to Kevin’s blog, or email me directly if you ... read more