Blogs from Chatham, Kent, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Yes, we have been in Chatham for quite some time and you have heard about our day trips out to explore the area, but we have done other things as well. We mention that we have been working on boat projects but what were they? It may look by the photos that only Bob has been working, but Janice has been busy too (really). You will notice that Bob has become quite attached to his new blue overalls that he got at the boat jumble! We have also enjoyed socializing with friends, both “old ones – not implying age of course!” and new ones. Fortunately for us our friends, Peter and Bridget who we had met while in Trinidad lived close enough to us that they were able to drive up to join us for a ... read more

In order to enter the Chatham Marina you need to go through a lock off the Medway River. At the time of our arrival there was about 5 m (roughly 16 feet) difference between the water levels in the marina and the River. This is the first lock we have ever entered where the cleats for tying up the boat are connected to a floating pontoon (dock); this makes life so much easier. Once inside the lock we were met by the harbor master, Tony. He was very welcoming and helpful in getting us oriented to the marina and Chatham in general. The first thing we learned was that the marina is located in what used to be a Navy Dockyard first established in 1567 when it was set up as the Royal Dockyard by order ... read more

Quick, everyone, high-5. If you asked me 6 months ago if I thought I could successfully circumnavigate Europe, even with Sat-Nav, I probably would have said "Yeah, sounds like fun" before scurrying back to my room never to be heard from again (my family is used to this). But thats exactly what I have done. As of right now I'm in Kent, England. To catch up: Avignon is a big walled city. And I mean walled: it looks like it could have been built last week - it's fully intact, about 5 metres high and has parapets every couple hundred yards. I think the only hope invaders had was if they happened to bring a ramp and a monster truck. Or Chuck Norris. Anyway, the first thing I spotted was a gigantic building called the Palais ... read more

Hola,well its come to end of my prep week before i go and i dont think ive ever crammed so much drinking into seven days.It all started in Manchester last Weds with a farewell meal with the lads.After eating our fill and wadling to the pub to watch the England game the drinks started flowing,namely sambucca and i think Mr tequila reared his ugly head.At closing time there was the hardcore who fancied a bit of town action and feeling slightly wan*ered we piled into a mini bus.As we approached the door i could see the face of the duty meathead change as he scanned my flipflops and cut offs, followed with the "Not wearing those mate"sentance that he must have said for the thousanth time.Piling back into the taxi we decided on a grungy student ... read more

Ok - so it is not the most glamorous part of England. In fact, we are probably in the trashiest area of Kent so I can't promise that these images or this blog is going to be all that thrilling. However, I thought it might be interesting for you to see where it is that we live and a tiny part of the our surroundings. Let me tell you a little about our surroundings. Chatham is a town I would liken to Elizabeth. We have been warned to to go out at night alone. But it actually isn't all that bad. We are in a part of it where there is an army base and a big appartment complex called "The Eye," and because of this there is a lot of security in the area. about ... read more