A lovely day out today for Sam's 11th Birthday - (not until Wednesday but we are away). Took Nathan and Ryan and all had a lovely day. We all went on some of the rides but Paul and Nathan the adrenalin junkie went on everything. Weather was good enough that we could miss the showers and the park was so quiet we didn't have to queue - a great day out for all.... read more

After wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere we decided the best way to see everything in the one day left was a hop on hop off city bus tour. Not something we usually do but will definitely do again. The guide was informative and we probably wouldn't have ventured down the Shankill Road and the Falls Road on our own. Though these are safe they are a bit far away and still felt a bit intimidating. Very sad to see the high fences and barbed wire and the gardens of rememberance. The murals are detailed and impressive but still make you feel shocked to see them. There are now a lot of peaceful murals along the... read more

Well the blog has forced me to put the location as Londonderry, one of the things we learnt from the guide is the sensitivity around the name - to avoid offending anyone the city is called Derry/Londonderry (Derry - stroke - Londonderry) so Troy said it has the nickname of stroke city. An interesting place and we went on a walking tour of the Bogside where the Bloody Sunday riots happened in 1972. There are still murals on the houses and memorials for the victims of Bloody sunday. The guide explained the problems between the sections and the different communities had their flags flying and their paving slabs painted to mark their territory. On a positive note there is a pedestrian Peace bridge indicating that all the people of the city want an end to the ... read more

Well after 6 years we have decided to sell our apartment in Sofia. Bought in 2005 as a get away to ski as often as possible and to enjoy the city. The hoped for cheap flights from Cardiff and Bristol never happened and though Wizz air from Luton is quite convenient it doesn't allow for an unplanned get away weekend. It will be a very sad day on 11th/12th August when we lock up for the last time. Has it been a worthwhile investment? Well we haven't made any money but what we have made are fabulous experiences and memories which can never be replaced and would not change a thing. Only got to hope the cash deal goes smoothly! ... read more

Spent a productive sunday afternoon and evening getting the 2 week road trip booked. How different from travel in the late 80s / early 90s! All booked at the laptop. It may be less spontaneous and limits the freedom to just wander but feels quite a safe and organised way to take an 11 year old as he will be by then on a road trip. Hoped he would enjoy planning the route and helping to book but lost interest after his first hotel booking! All went a little too well as I had planned the route based on distance calculations. VERY different from the actual routes I have just printed from Google maps! Lesson learnt - the distance calculated is as the crow flies - not as the car drives! Ok so we have moe ... read more