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3 Capes Reisende
Day 4: Cape Hauy and Fortescue Bay
26. januar 2023, Australia
Another incredible (but kind of tough) day.
We started out early (6:45 am) because our first feat was to climb Mount Fortescue. Luckily it was all in cool, lush rainforest which made all the steps a little bit more bearable.
On the other side it was back to the cliffs. We were able to dump our packs again for the trek out to Cape Huay - down, then back up for another awe inspiring view from the tip of the Cape.
Back to the packs, then it was a steady downhill climb to the end - Fortescue Bay. We all jumped in for a freezing (!!) dip before getting on the bus back to Port Arthur and descending on the Port Arthur Visitor Centre cafeteria (jelly, fruit cups, pies, panini, cookies, and coffee in plentiful supply).Les mer
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Day 3: Cape Pillar (Munro to Retakunna)
25. januar 2023, Australia ⋅ 🌬 17 °C
Day 3 started with a cup of tea on the deck as the sun rose.
Breakfast was porridge and coffee.
This was the 19 km day, but happily mostly without packs as we swung by Munro again before heading out to Retakunna.
If we thought yesterday was spectacular, today knocked it out of the park as we walked out to the tip of Cape Pillar. Along the way we saw seals down on the rocks (thanks to Russell and his binoculars) and (some) made the hair-raising climb up “The Blade” a skinny outcrop looking out to Tasman Island.
Tasman Island light-house is perched on the rugged cliffs. The handful of inhabitants had to get winched up the cliffs with their belongings. In the 1920s the light-house keeper and his wife had all their teeth removed before arrival to prevent an infection. When their daughter got pneumonia they had to send pigeons out and light a bonfire to attract attention and help - hard times.
Back at Munro we reluctantly reunited with our packs to make the hour long trudge to the last night’s cabin Retakunna. Ranger Jacinta met us and briefed us on the final days’ walk.
Dinner was dehydrated red curry, noodles and beef stroganoff with caramel popcorn chocolate for dessert.
It was Burns night and Russell and I shared 30 ml of the Old Pulteney.Les mer
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Day 2: Surveyors to Munro
24. januar 2023, Australia ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
Breakfast was pancakes with rehydrated maple syrup before we donned our packs and started the days’ 11 km hike.
Things started to get pretty spectacular after climbing Arthur’s Peak and hitting the cliff tops with views back out to Crescent Bay.
The trail then headed back into the forest before arriving at our next hut “Munro” where we were met by Ranger Renee.
A downside of Munro was a long walk to the pit toilets. The upside ? The incredible deck looking over Munro Bight and out to Cape Huay. Also - the only showers of the trip - bush showers where you hoisted a canvas bucket of water for a luxury 3 minute downpour !
Dinner night 2 we got stuck into to dehydrated stuff. Mexican beans and rice for Russell and Ivy, Indian veggie curry for me and beef stroganoff for Henry.
We passed the (seemingly endless) daylight hours with UNO and scrabble until the sun finally set around 9:00 and we could crawl into bed.Les mer
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Day 1: Port Arthur to Surveyors Hut
23. januar 2023, Australia ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
And we’re off…
Our first day started in Port Arthur and a boat trip out past Crescent Bay. The conditions were so calm we could venture out to the Tasman Sea and look out to the horizon where the next land mass you would hit is Antartica.
We were then dropped off at Denman’s Cove to wade in to the beach and from there the start of the walk.
We and our fellow walkers spread out on the beach, had our first snack of dehydrated apple and lollies and then set out with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
The coastal heathland made way for eucalypt woodland in the climb up to our first night’s hut - “Surveyors”. Ranger Jess met us and we put down our packs and settled in to enjoy the sweeping views of Cape Raoul.
First dinner on trail - snacks of savoys and rehydrated humus followed by pork and fennel meatballs with pasta.Les mer
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Everything’s back to usual now
15. januar 2020, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
We arrived home to a fully stocked frig and a beautifully cared for house thanks to Robin.

We were so happy to see her, and then Soph and Ross. And then of course it was wonderful to be reunited with Mum and see her feeling so much better.

What a brilliant trip we had. It was very special to spend time with George and Tegan and our London cousins ! We can't thank them enough for putting us up and showing us the best time ever.

Everything's back to usual now...until next time !!!

xxxLes mer
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Kuala Lumpur
11. januar 2020, Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
We broke up the trip home with a few days poolside in Kuala Lumpur.

We were to have met Soph and Ross, and I felt sad and guilty that we were there without them. That, and missing George and Tegan and the boys made it a bit of a funny holiday.

But - it was a big treat to be staying at the Meridien KL. We played and swam and had drinks by the pool, went to the Chinese markets for a fish foot spa, and visited Brickfields (the Indian section). We went out to the Hindu Temples at Batu Caves. There were some spectacular Hindu statues, and monkeys everywhere !Les mer
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Goodbye London
10. januar 2020, England ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C
A sad day as we got ready to leave London and our family.

We did some last minute shopping in Richmond then met George and Percy for a pub lunch.

Then it was home to pack and to enjoy some last cuddles with cousins before heading off to Heathrow.Les mer
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Tower of London and our last night
9. januar 2020, England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
We weren't quite finished with London yet, and today we went on a tour of the Tower of London. We were shown around by one of the old Yeoman with an impressive uniform and a wry sense of humour.

It was a smashing day - cold, but bright and sunny. Perfect weather for some iconic London shots.

Back at Connaught, I took a last trip to Waitrose for supplies for a farewell meal - negronis, steaks and spuds.Les mer
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Harry Potter world !
8. januar 2020, England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
We took the train out to Watford Junction and then out to the Harry Potter studios at Leavesden.

There was everything here a Harry Potter fan could want - and also enough to entertain someone more like me.

Henry and Ivy blew the last of their holiday money in the gift shop (Ivy - a t-shirt and lots of lollies, Henry - the wand of Yaxley, an obscure character who exists in mostly deleted scenes from the movies).Les mer
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Norwich
7. januar 2020, England ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
Today work and school started for the London Coles. Molly arrived to take the boys to school and I took myself off on the train to Norwich to spend the day with an old and very dear friend Elizabeth.

Meanwhile Russell, Henry and Ivy tagged along on the school run and went into town to the Tate Modern. Apparently they were plotting a day trip to Paris - but sadly didn't take their passports.Les mer
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Happy Birthday Percy !
6. januar 2020, England ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
Percy was four today !

We all went into town to a favourite of George and Tegan's - Dishoom, which "pays homage to the Irani cafe's and all the food of Bombay". We started with mango lassis and breakfast and then moved into the lunch menu. Everything was delicious.

George and Tegan took us to their old stomping grounds in Bloomsbury and we went to the children's playground at Coram Fields to burn off some energy.

We finished up at the British Museum. There was a divergence of interest level (and tiredness level) in our group, and so we broke into three different parties for the journey home.

We were all ready for tea and cake when we got there.Les mer
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
5. januar 2020, England ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
When morning came, the news from Wollongong started to trickle in - Mum seemed better, although a bit battered about. George and I both got to speak to her and felt re-assured. We knew she was in good hands with the doctors and of course Soph and Ross.

Our other incredibly exciting Christmas gift was tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. We saw the first half as a matinee, then had dinner and back in for the second half. It is difficult to describe how amazing this show is. Also, you are not supposed to spoil the secrets and surprises. It was the best experience - lots of magic and effects, but also funny and a great story. the 5 hours went by in no time.

While we were in town Percy had his party with nursery and family friends, complete with a triumph of a Spiderman Cake.Les mer
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The Last Skywalker
4. januar 2020, England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
A longstanding itch for Henry was scratched today when we went to Barnes to see "The Last Skywalker", The London Coles' local cinema is fantastic. It started as a dance hall, then was a cinema, and from the 60s onwards it was a recording studio and before the movie there was footage of all the famous bands that recorded there - Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zepellin, Queen, Pink Floyd...

During the night however we received some worrying news from home. Our Mum had had a fall at the beach and had been taken to hospital. After a flurry of phone calls it was still a little unclear what had happened. We were so thankful to Soph and Ross who pulled themselves off their flight to Malaysia to return to Wollongong and take care of Mum.

I was glad to be with George - it is hard to be far from home when bad news comes in.Les mer
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Farewell Keats, arrividerci Roma
3. januar 2020, Italia ⋅ 🌙 3 °C
For our last night in Italy we stayed in the fancy Hotel Meditterraneo recommended by Tegan's brother - right next to the station.

While the sun was setting we took a walk to the Spanish Steps. I was keen to re-visit the Keats House, where I started by Roman trip with Soph almost exactly 23 years ago. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations, but you could go in to the gift shop and watch a documentary about Keats. It was a quiet little oasis right next to the crowds and selfie stick sellers next door at the Piazza Spagna.

In 1821 Severn wrote in his diary: “28 Jan 3 o’clock in the morning - drawn to keep me awake - a deadly sweat was on him all night”. Before he died, Keats asked to be lifted out of his bed to look out his window one last time.

We had our last dinner at the rooftop restaurant at Hotel Mediterraneo. We were all looking forward to getting back to our London family.Les mer
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David and Duomo
2. januar 2020, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
Today we set out super early for the Accademia. Determined not to repeat the mistakes of the Sistine Chapel, we had tickets for 8:15 am and were at the meeting point 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

It was fabulous - there were very few people at that time and we had prime position and plenty of time to gaze upon the man himself, David ! The block of marble used for David had been tried and rejected by a few different sculptors as too hard to work with before Michelangelo had a go. Incredible that something so beautiful was created. This time I was really struck by the determination, but trepidation in his eyes.

We also spent some time with the Medici instruments and the rest of the gallery before joining the long line to go into the Cathedral. Unfortunately tickets to climb the Duomo were sold out for several days, so we had to content ourselves with the view from the inside. Which is beautiful enough !

After that, it was farewell Florence and back on the train to Rome. I made the booking a little late to all sit together, so Ivy and I sat in one carriage, Russell at the back of the next, while Henry found himself in a foursome with some grandparents and their grandson. Happily, we all made it off at the right stop.Les mer
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New Year’s Day
1. januar 2020, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
It turned out that not everyone had an early night last night. I went out at around 7:00 am - the streets were deserted but strewn with empty bottles and other NYE detritis.

Florence wasn't messy for long though, By the time I headed back for coffee and breakfast, the street sweepers were out and the story book beauty was restored.

Most of Florence was closed for New Years Day. It was strange walking over the Ponte Vecchio with all the jewellery stalls closed and locked.

The Leonardo da Vinci museum was open so we spent an hour or so there. We went across the river and walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo to look out over the old city.

Came back along the Ponte Grazie where George throws Lucy’s photographs into the Arno (because they were covered in blood).

We visited Santa Croce then had dinner at Osteria del Gatto e la Volpe.

Today was a great gelato day. I have discovered an unbeatable combination - hazlenut (or could be nocciola or baci) with cherry (whole soft stewed cherries in a sort of fior di latte).Les mer
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New Year’s Eve in Florence
31. desember 2019, Italia ⋅ 🌙 0 °C
Today we took the train through the Italian countryside to Florence and made our way to the Hotel del Corso around the corner from the Duomo.

Our rooms turned out to be a two and a half level apartment with kitchen, laundry and bathroom in an old building next door to Dante’s house. Our hosts Chiara and Giulia were lovely and helped us get settled. Chiara booked us into a restaurant called Chiaroscuro for our New Year dinner.

After dinner we walked around Florence, enjoying the lights, the merry-go-round, and more gelato before tucking ourselves into bed by 9:30 pm.Les mer
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Vatican and the Sistine Chapel
30. desember 2019, Vatikanet ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
Today started with coffee and Italian hot chocolate at our new favourite cafe "Giselda Forno" around the corner from Hotel Ripa.

From there we walked across the Tiber to Campo di Fiori and wandered the market looking for George's ragno undershirts. Failing in that task, we got some pizza slices for lunch and headed back across the river to Vatican City.

From there things started to unravel a little. I had failed to read the fine print on the skip the line tickets for the Vatican Museum that I had bought online. That meant we spent about 40 minutes in the wrong queue before we were told we had to go to a separate meeting point to collect our tickets. By that time we had missed the start time for our self guided tour. Apparently our only option was to hand over several more Euros and upgrade to the next guided tour in an hours time. That tour started with another 40 minute wait in the skip the line queue.

Anyway, I know I shouldn't grumble. Standing and looking up at the Sistine Chapel ceiling is certainly an experience of a lifetime. We ended by visiting Michelangelo's other masterpiece - the Pieta in San Pietro.

By the time we left the Vatican it was dark and after a few wrong turns our walk home became a bit long and scary. We opted for the comfort of Hotel Ripa again for drinks and dinner before getting an early night ahead of our trip to Florence in the morning.Les mer
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Colosseum and Roman Forum
29. desember 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
Luckily by morning, Ivy had made a full recovery and we were able to head out after breakfast for our tour of the Colosseum and Roman forum.

We stopped off on the way at the Trevi Fountain to throw some coins.

We met our guide Inger who took us on our tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. It was a treat to have her taking us around and telling us historical stories. It was particularly awe inspiring to stand in the spectator area and imagine the Colosseum flooded to stage sea battles. They also brought in wild animals from around the world to battle it out for the entertainment of the people of Rome.

We finished by taking in the Pantheon as the sun set and then to "Ivo" in Trastevere (as recommended by Ash and Huxley) for pizza and pasta.

We also got serious with gelato for our first proper day in Italy. Some favourites emerged - frutti di bosca for Henry, mango for Ivy, and Russell and I went for the fior di lattes, dulce de leche, aran etc...Les mer
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Rome - Hotel Ripa, Trastevere
28. desember 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
Today we left our comfy home away from home for our Italian mini-break.

Poor Ivy started the day being sick. We tried to be discrete with a plastic bag in the back of the taxi on the way to Gatwick. She felt so unwell while we were waiting at the airport, on the plane (thankfully only 2 hours), getting through immigration, and on the train to Rome and bus to Trastevere.

It was a huge relief to arrive at Hotel Ripa in Trastevere. It was so comfortable and welcoming and Ivy could finally curl up in the queen bed under a cosy duvet and get some sleep.

Henry, Russell and I then took turns going down for drinks and dinner at the hotel bar and restaurant downstairs. Henry was so enchanted by the free bread they kept bringing he couldn't make it through the main meal. This became a bit of a theme for the trip - with Henry and Ivy throwing themselves at the bread basket at every restaurant and trattoria we went to.Les mer
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Ice-skating at Hampton Court
27. desember 2019, England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
Today we all headed out to nearby Hampton Court Palace where an ice-skating rink was set up for the Christmas season.

After a few turns of the ice rink, we got tickets into the palace and grounds. Hampton Court Palace is where King Henry VIII set up court, and it is now a historical museum. There are real working kitchens with huge hunks of meat roasting, and pies cooking.

We wandered through the Great Hall, reading about Tudor dining etiquette: "Don't shift your buttocks left and right as if to let off some blast. Sit neatly and still".

Henry's Counsel Chamber is set up with projections of all the main players (Cromwell, Cardinal Wolsey etc) holding forth with advice and opinion.

There were also actors in costume roaming around acting out hilarious scenes about a group of players coming to court to entertain Queen Elizabeth. Lots of Shakespearean confusion, cross-dressing and audience participation.Les mer
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Hamilton !
26. desember 2019, England ⋅ 🌧 8 °C
I received the most exciting Christmas gift ever - tickets to Hamilton for the whole family !

We had been listening to the soundtrack for the last 18 months, so I knew we would love it. But - the show itself exceeded all my expectations (which were high !!). This set up the sound track for the rest of the trip, with lots of singing and quoting of favourite lines..."Da da da dat da dat da da da da da ya da".

Before the show we took a tour of St Paul’s, climbing the dome and looking out over the city of London in the swirling wind. Tegan hooked us up for dinner in a great place called “Bone Daddies” - serving Japanese comfort food.

A fantastic day and night !Les mer
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Christmas Day
25. desember 2019, England ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
Christmas Day ! Everyone was up early to get stuck into all the presents under the tree.

It was a glorious sunny day so we went for a walk (and climb) in Richmond Park.

Then it was time to get stuck into the festivities. Negronis all round, and then Christmas lunch was a triumph - beef wellington, pudding and trifle.

Everyone fell into bed with new Xmas books and reading companions.Les mer
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Waitrose
24. desember 2019, England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Today was a day of shopping, cooking, wrapping and getting ready.

It was so lovely to be with the London gang for Christmas, even though we dearly missed Mum, Soph and Ross who sent us messages from home. Mum mainly wanted to know whether we had been to Waitrose yet - prompting the “Waitrose Selfie”.

We also ticked off another London tradition by going to the Bank of England pool for a swim before fancy Xmas Eve tea (roast chicken and Plumble.Les mer
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4 Connaught Avenue
23. desember 2019, England ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C
We arrived at 4 Connaught Avenue before dawn break to the sounds of George and Percy pattering down the hall and whispering “they’re here”. It was a very exciting reunion - hugs and kisses all around and a quick tour of the house and sleeping arrangements.

But Christmas was coming and there was lots to do. Tegan and I headed out to Barnes for meat, fish and veg, while George, Russell and the kids got on the bus to Richmond for last minute gifts (and breakfast).

To stave off afternoon jet lag, we headed into the city in the afternoon to look around the shops and Leicester Square and soak up the pre-Christmas excitement.Les mer
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Kingsford Smith Airport
21. desember 2019, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Somehow we got to the end of the school and work year and made it to the airport full of excitement and anticipation. Summer in Australia had started with horrific bushfires and our flight was cancelled due to smoke and strong winds.

We headed home from the air-port with disappointed hearts. We didn't have to worry too long. A replacement flight was arranged and we were off the next day, still in plenty of time for Christmas with the family.Les mer
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