English Countryside, the Welsh Capital and the City of Lights

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On a rainy Saturday morning in London, Adam and I stood at Heathrow Airport eagerly awaiting the arrival of Del, due in at 6am after her 23 hour flight from Sydney. Seeing her face light up as she sought us out amongst the crowd in the arrivals hall was one of those magic moments I'll remember forever. Although tired from her travels, Del was keen to hit the road straight away and so began our summer holiday. Wasting no time at all, we immediately set out after breakfast that morning to Windsor Castle, home to the Royal Family. Despite the grey start to the day, the weather held up nicely for our leisurely stroll through the castle grounds and of course, the lavish State Apartments and the beautiful St George's Chapel. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and was every bit as majestic as one would expect. The town of Windsor itself was quite charming in its own right. The changing of the guards was a lovely spectacle to see and while the Queen failed to invite us in for tea and scones, it was definitely worth the trip as it surely must rate among the very best castles in the world.

No trip to England would be complete without a fair dose of the bustling metropolis that is London and so we headed on there for a few days to explore the national capital. Del was utterly bewildered at the sheer number of people one encountered at every turn, not to mention the chaos that greets one when trying to negotiate public transport during peak hour on the tube. I had become quite used to the raging pulse at which London beats and had quite forgotten how incredibly wonderous and yet equally overwhelming it can be on first encounter. During our time here, we managed to squeeze in performances of the musical Cabaret in the West End, A Gershwin Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall, and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe, all of which were amazing. We shopped at Harrods, and visited all the tourist hotspots like Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey, Houses of Parliament and Tower of London. Many of the city's highlights were glimpsed from a cruise we took down the Thames which coincided with a lovely patch of golden afternoon sunlight, making the city seem even more inviting.

Taking leave of London, we headed next to Oxford to visit the famous colleges of this historic city. Upon arriving in Oxford, one immediately feels as though you're entering another time. Walking through the narrow cobbled streets, passing old stone cottages and majestic college buidlings, hearing bells toll out and having bicycles whizz pass as you pause to take in the amazing architecture are all a part of the Oxford experience. This city of spires houses over 30 seperate colleges, ranging in age from 50 to 600 years. As it was exam week at this time, many undergraduates were out and about in traditional dress which was lovely to see. The main mode of transportation in Oxford is the humble bike. Each day, the parking area outside the train station would become home to what appeared to be over a thousand bikes which was quite a sight to see! Beyond rambling through the city streets, drinking tea and eating traditional English fare, we also visited the famous Ashmolean museum which is England's oldest museum and houses lots of European Art and Middle Eastern antiquities.

Our next stop was the wonderful city of Bath, home to the famous Roman Baths. This little city is actually rather grand in all aspects-from the fabulous Roman Baths themselves to the amazing Georgian architecture and the picturesque town centre. It is no surprise at all that this place has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. It really is a captivating place and our time here was jam-packed with activity. It was a very happy coincidence that a play I'd been wanting to see for ages- Potted Potter-was actually being performed the very day we arrived, as was a musical celebration of Motown with the touring ensemble of the West End show 'Dancing in the Streets'. We were fortunate to get fantastic seats to both! So we went straight from the hilarious comic duo of Dan and Jeff presenting all seven Harry Potter books in 70 minutes, to a toe-tapping performance of Motown's greatest hits. In the day following we visited the museum dedicated to one of Bath's most famous residents, The Jane Austin Centre, as well as the major attraction and also the city's namesake. The Roman Baths were built between the 1st and 4th centuries over one of Bath's three natural hot springs. The baths and the surrounding structures are beautiful, and as one ventures through the museum down into the excavated passages and chambers beneath street level, its hard not to be impressed by how intelligent and innovative the Romans truly were. There are still ruins from the Temple of Sulis Minerva that can be seen on the site and the museum details the history of the baths themselves-I found the whole place completely fascinating and I was really sorry to leave Bath when the time came to move on.

Heading next to Cardiff held special significance to Del as the Welsh capital is home to Del's lifelong pen-friend Dorothy. The two women have corresponded for over 40 years and have met once previously when Dorothy visited Australia. This trip served as Del's opportunity to see Dorothy's homeland and so it was with great joy the two dear friends were reunited. This was the first time I had the opportunity to meet Dorothy and it immediately felt like I'd known her all my life. It was lovely throughout our stay in Cardiff to benefitd from the luxury of our own personal guide as we wined and dined and took in the sights. From Cardiff Bay to Millenium Stadium, the National Assesmbly for Wales Hall to Cardiff Castle, we learned so much from Dorothy about this very proud Welsh city. Cardiff Castle was particularly memorable to me. This site is bordered by old city walls and inside the walls are a Roman style keep, a Norman motte and the centerpiece-a Gothic fantasy castle. This castle was actually built in 1881 by a very rich Welsh man who also owned all of the Cardiff docks at the time. He built the castle in Gothic style and while externally it is not unlike many other Gothic masterpieces throughout Europe, internally it is very unique. There are several themed rooms including 'medieval' apartments, a huge banqueting hall, an Arab room and a children's nursery. There are many, many stairs leading upwards to the high point of the castle, the clocktower, with a courtyard located on the very top. What really struck me in visiting the castle though was how incredible and unique the interiors of the castle were-each room was so colourful and bright-providing such a great contrast to the grey stone exterior, the castle keep and the original city walls visible from every window.

Dorothy accompanied Del and I on our onward journey through the Cotswolds to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Stratford is a charming place and while our stop here was only brief, we managed to take in Shakespeare's birthplace and Anne Hathaway's cottage. The real highlight for me though was passing through the countryside and villages of the Cotswolds. This area is indeed one of the gems of the UK. From every view there were rolling hills and gorgeous stone cottages and babbling rivers and streams. We made stops at Cirencester and Bourton-on-the-Water but wished we could have stopped at each village through which we passed. Each held its own unique charm just waiting for us to discover. However, by this stage of our journey, we were a little pressed for time, and so it was with promises to return that we continued north toward Yorkshire.

At last we arrived in Leeds where we were reunited with Adam for a few days before we headed on to Paris. While it was only a brief interlude in Leeds, it was lovely to show Del the sights of my current home base. Leeds indeed seemed to shine in the few days we spent here as it was absolutely beautiful, warm weather. The sun was out in full-force which has proven a rarity in my time living here. We spent a more relaxing couple of days here-meandering though the shops, drinking tea and eating out at my favourite cafes and restaurants. More than anything though, it was simply lovely to spend time together with Del and Adam.

Our final destination, the City Of Lights, was as magical as always. It was here in Paris that we met up wth Del's companions who had travelled with her from Sydney through to Singapore before they bid her adieu and went onwards to Paris themselves. This lovely family were excellent company as we took in the sites of the French capital. All the usual tourist highlights were on our to-do list-the Eiffel Tower, the Lourve, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee- and so the list goes on. But what was most special for all of us was our final night in Paris where we dined at a fantastic cafe opposite the Lourve before heading out for a cruise along the Seine. As it was a lovely evening, all along the banks of the Seine were friends having picnics, lovers holding hands, and groups of people young and old, partner dancing to music blaring through loud speakers which is reportedly a regular occurence on Friday evenings among Parisians.

As it was early evening when we set off on the boat, it was nigh on dusk as we headed back to the point of disembarkment-right beside the tour Eiffel. As the boat approached, the tower lit up as the night sparkling lights came on at the most perfect moment. I will always remember how incredibly magical that moment felt as Del and I sat together watching this world famous landmark shimmer and shine on a beautiful summer evening on the Seine. It was so wonderful. The evening didn't end there though, as we headed next to the Moulin Rouge to see a cabaret show. I wasn't quite sure what to expect before the show-and indeed quite literally-I saw alot more of everyone on the stage than I could have ever imagined! It was quite an experience-the costumes were scant but spectacular at the same time, the music was simple but classic and the dancing, especially the can-can, was really fantastic. It was the perfect way to spend the final night in Paris with my dear Del and our lovely friends.

This trip with Del was my third visit to the French capital and more and more I find this is a city that I can never seem to get enough of. I am always sad to leave. It was with a very heavy heart then that I bid farewell to Del the next day as she departed directly from Paris back to Sydney accompanied by her trusty companions. We said goodbye in the heart of Paris on a grey wet cold morning that mirrored my own sadness at saying goodbye. Our summer holiday had wound to a close but it is without doubt we created some wonderful memories travelling through the English countryside, the Welsh Capital and the City of Lights.

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