We hit the road bright and early, having to say goodbye to Anya once more and this time, for the final time on this trip. Anya has been fantastic to us through out this trip and we can’t thank her enough for her help and friendship. So, off we set, nibbles and drinks within easy reach, IPods at the ready and chatter and stories filling the little car.

There is a small stretch of autobahn highway between Trier and the boarder of Luxembourg which Inga was excited to drive along, it meant that we had no speed limit and could make up some good time for the start of the trip... and good time we did make, at 230 kms an hour. I don't know about you but I have never been in a car that travels at the speed of light, so while it was kind of exciting, it was also terrifying, and when I turned to smile at Luke he raised his eyebrows at me which let me know he was in the same boat as me... still, it only lasted a few minutes and we slowed down to a more reasonable 110km... Inga sure knows how to put peddle to the metal and make good time!

It was a lovely trip, we made only a few stops on our way down and didn’t get lost once (it does help that Inga has been there a million times before!) It took 8 hours which seemed to pass very quickly and we were then standing in front of a lovely little holiday home in Grust, France.

We settled ourselves in and had a small rest before making our way to a little sea side town where we had dinner and watched the sun set over the beach, it was a lovely way to finish off a long day!

written by  Chris and Emily on August 23, 2009 from Grues, France
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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After this we continued on into the city centre where we took in the Port a Nigra once more and this time, took the chance to go up to the top and check out the inside of this amazing old wall as we did so, the views from up here were great, looking out over the city and all the people, it was nice to see the crowds but not be caught up in the middle of it all!

The tour of the top of the Port a Nigra didn’t take long so we moved on to the Dome, another landmark we had spent a lot of time looking at last time we visited but never got around to actually visiting. The Dome is home to the tunic Jesus wore on the day of his crucifixation (apparently) and is stored here behind closed doors and it comes out on display every 5 years or so. Unfortunately we don’t have 5 years to wait for this, so we got as close as we could and took the photos we could before having to move on.

Time now was ticking over into evening and we had some shopping to do for our road trip to France tomorrow, so we hit the supermarket. There was a time when I once liked going to the grocery store, picking up the weeks goods, looking over the bargain bits and bobs you could find, but lately I have found the whole thing a hellish ordeal. Perhaps it’s just the fact that Europe has so many people shopping at one time, it’s just too much for a quiet Tassie girl!

It was back home after this where we relaxed with a few drinks and waited for Inga to pop over for a quick visit. It was lovely to see Inga again and to catch up with her though; we kept all the goss for tomorrow’s long road trip to France!

written by  Chris and Emily on August 22, 2009 from Trier, Germany
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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As we had no transport we had to walk into the little village near Chipping, which wasn’t such an issue really, but when you’re carting a heavy pack and have to walk 3.6kms and pick up the pace as you’re running late it can become tiring! We got to the bus stop as the bus was pulling up which was a stroke of good luck but also promoted in us this little sense of proud satisfaction, we had made it JUST in time, picking up our pace had been necessary and we had done it, heavy packs and all.

The bus trip didn’t take long and soon we were at Stanstead airport with 3 hours to kill… and as we all know airports are really quite boring once you’ve discovered all the over priced eateries, news agencies and little last minute oops I forgot this and that travel stores.

We tried to go and check our bags in but the Ryan Air lady was very rude in telling us “You’re too early, go away and come back in an hour” It wasn’t the fact that she wouldn’t check the bag, it was the fact that she was rude about it. So, we went and sat down in a little over priced café to have a coffee and wait out the hour… As we sat it came vastly apparent that there was an unattended suitcase sitting at a table beside us. We waited and waited for someone to come back and claim it, it was a large suitcase, not one you could easily forget… We waited and waited and I noticed other people around us noticing it as well. Chris and I decided that we would wait another 5 minutes, if no one had claimed it then then we would notify someone… 10 minutes passed and still no one, so, up I got to find a security guard who duly followed me to the café, where we found… a man sitting with the case now. Typical. The security guard rolled his eyes at me and said in a very annoyed voice that “people should know better by now, sometimes they’re just stupid and don’t think, you did the right thing love, thanks for letting us know” So I didn’t feel too stupid then.

We were able to drop our bag (Ryan air lady informed us that yes we COULD drop our bag now, the baggage drop had opened one minute ago, such attitude!) and then gone through the metal detector where for some reason, unknown to me, I sent the alarm off and had to be searched. At first I didn’t realize what the lady was on about, she stood in front of me with her arms outstretched and it took me a wee while to cotton on as to what she wanted me to do as the whole time she was talking over my shoulder to a man behind me about some silly TV show that was on last night. I stood with my arms out where she gave me quite a thorough search really, a bit to invasive of my privacy if you ask me in such an open place, hands down my pants and up my top. Hmph. They didn’t find anything and what tripped it I don’t know as I was wearing my standard “no fuss and maximum comfort” flight clothes that have never caused me a problem before. Oh well. We then had hours to kill at the airport so the purchasing of tacky magazines was a priority and we settled in for a bit, before having to leap up and run to our gate. We kept looking at the board and it didn’t have a gate number or time and there was also no PA call for it, but then suddenly it came up flashing “BOARDING” so we had to RUN to the other side of the airport and got there in time to be some of the last in the line, we were now really quite buggered.

The flight really wasn’t that great. Bumpy, jolting and with crying children. It wasn’t the best flight we could have asked for, but we touched down soon enough (but not before the air stewardess went about the cabin offering cigarettes for sale) and then waited for Anya to pick us up! We had to wait an hour or so for her as she was finishing up work and it is about a 45 min drive from her house, but it was okay, we settled down with a drink and waited patiently.

Anya finally arrived and it was great to see her again! Big hugs hello and we head to the car where she asked “would you rather the autobahn or the quick way?” We opted for the autobahn (still a novelty for us all) and we head off…but then, there was a detour and we had to head off the road, and then… we got lost, even with a GPS… and then… Luke leant over and very casually asked “How far til we get home?” Anya said “about 70 or so” and Luke calmly asked “is that going to be enough petrol?” We all looked at the gauge and it was sitting on empty, and then the reserve light came on then flashed then off… oops. We were now lost and almost out of petrol and we were on little dark roads that seemed to have no civilized life form… we drove and drove and drove, past some amazing scenery, past an old castle on a hill in the middle of nowhere until Anya stopped and asked a little pizza shop that was open where the nearest petrol station might be, and thankfully it wasn’t far. We head there and filled up duly before heading back towards her home. What should have been a 45 min drive took us 3 hours and after this Anya took us to dinner, or, really, more like a midnight snack of pizza before we got back to her home and fell into bed exhausted!

written by  Chris and Emily on August 21, 2009 from Frankfurt, Germany
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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Chris and I then had the fun task of trying to navigate our way back to Chipping through the early morning traffic. It was still early, but traffic was building. It didn’t take too long but it was still a little stressful and I’m just so thankful that we had the little GPS to help us find our way “home”

When we got back we decided that we would take a day trip to Cambridge. So, after a bit of brekki we head off. We looked about the city for a bit together doing a little shopping before Chris and I head to the cinema to see the new film “Inglorious Basterds” which was good, though a little gruesome at times. The movie went longer than we thought, so we rushed back to meet Luke and head home to pack our bags for our trip to Germany/France tomorrow.

written by  Chris and Emily on August 20, 2009 from Cambridge, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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We head to Dells home for breakfast where we also met his good friend Tony, who is, we have to say, a very very funny man (in a ha ha way, not huh? way) it was great to finally meet him after hearing so much about him, and Dell is right when he says that Tony is a great guy.

Dell very very kindly made us breakfast this morning, fueling us for the long trip ahead and it was really sad to be saying good bye to him. Dell is such a great mate, we love spending time with him and are so thankful for the tour he took us on around the Highlands, we really had a great time. We’ll miss Dell heaps, but know that it won’t be long until we see him again, and that’s very exciting!

After large warm hugs and fond farewells we hit the road, Chipping being our destination. We took a bit of a detour and took a more scenic route, which was great but perhaps put a few extra minutes on our travel time. It was nice though as this route took us to a little carpark where all around you are these amazing rolling hills, a little take away drinks/hot food caravan and a large Stone that on one side says “Scotland” and on the other “England” As much as we’ve enjoyed England we were very keen to spend as much time as possible in Scotland, so we brought a hot drink and sipped these in Scotland before bracing ourselves for the nasty weather of England and the long drive home.

It was a uneventful drive home, Chris was a real trooper, my hero, and drove with only one or two small stops, all the way back to Chipping. Luke and I were both very grateful for this. We got back to Chipping at about 8pm, which was pretty good time really. We were so tired we fell into bed after a quick meal and “hi” to Sue and Patrick, promising to fill them in on all the news tomorrow

written by  Chris and Emily on August 18, 2009 from Buntingford, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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We head off from Ullapool and hit the road Edinburgh bound. We took a more scenic route where we stopped once or twice for photos and also to check the oil of the car, which is showing signs of leaks. It was nice to hop out here and there and stretch the legs.

It took a good few hours but we eventually made it back to Edinburgh where we picked up some Chinese for dinner and dropped Dell home before heading back for another night at the camp site we had originally stayed at. It didn’t take long thankfully to set the tent up and we again had a great little spot under the bridge that helped protect us from the rain and wind a little.

It was a great day, very scenic and filled with great friends and a lot of fun, but not that much happened to report of!

written by  Chris and Emily on August 17, 2009 from Edinburgh, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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We made a few stops on the way up, one of which is really close to Dells heart, that being the Commando Monument, a statue dedicated to the soldiers and those who have lost their life while serving in the forces. It was a lovely monument, up on a little hill with an amazing outlook over the valleys and mountains, an amazing calm spot to be. From here you can also see Ben Nevis, the largest mountain in the United Kingdom.

After this we kept driving until we got to… LOCH NESS!

One can not come to the Scottish Highlands and NOT make the effort to stop and attempt to spot Nessie. There was one stage where we thought we may have observed the mythical beast, but it turned out to be nothing but a blade of bent grass, none the less, it was a Kodak moment and a picture was snapped accordingly. Loch Ness is really rather large, it took a good time to drive around it, and it was made a slower trip thanks to the million of other tourists, all of which seemed to love to pull caravans behind there little cars, particularly annoying when your driving up hill I’m sure you’ll agree!

After these two sites down and ticked off the list we kept on driving, though it seems we never got too far before having to stop again as the scenery here is just so amazingly, breath taking, stunningly gorgeous. We could never tire of looking at such amazing natural beauty and all you could here in the car was a “WOW!” or “CHECK THAT OUT!” every few minutes as we all sat in awe of the beauty around us.

We made a quick stop at a little waterfall that we came across, and like everything else in the Scottish Highlands, was beautiful.

It took awhile to get to Ullapool and night fall was slowly creeping up as we arrived. We tried for a B&B or two, but again the entire town seemed to be taken and full, no real surprise, it’s a gorgeous little town. Dell suggested we first go and have a feed then tackle the job of accommodation on a full tummy and clear head, this did sound like a fine idea, so off we went to a seafood restaurant that he had frequented last time he was up this way.

The restaurant was nice, but it was the staff who so lovely that everything seemed to be that touch nicer with them there with their welcoming and warm service. They were very friendly and even remembered Dell from his last visit AND, they were so lovely that despite the fact that they only had a 3 bed room left, they gave it to us saying that it was no problem that a mattress be made up for a 4th. No other hotel or B&B we came across was willing to do that for us on this trip, so we were very thankful and very impressed.

You could not fault the food, the service or the hospitality that this lovely little family run restaurant/motel supplied, they really made us feel at home and we were so thankful!

After dinner and a few drinks Luke and I went back to the hotel room to shower and chill out for a bit while Chris and Dell head off to discover the area around us, coming across a little fishing port and a pub where they stopped for a pint before returning home for a good nights sleep!

written by  Chris and Emily on August 16, 2009 from Ullapool, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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Our first port of call for our Highland Trip was the William Wallace Monument, which is a tower full of information and facts on William Wallace… and, it is home to his sword, which I have to admit was impressive looking! The views from the top of this monument I have to say were breath taking… in many ways. Not only could you get a 360 degree view for miles, the wind up there was Unbelievable! It really, literally, took your breath away… and as Chris found out, your sunglasses. The wind ripped them off his face and down a level, to where Luke was actually standing and who picked them up. I can’t imagine where the wind would have whisked them off too had Luke not found them. We had a few very quick photos up at the top before declaring “too bloody windy” and took off back down the stairs.

We then hopped into the car and made our way through Glencoe, which was really stunning and continued on our way into the Highlands. You were able to tell when you had entered the highlands, the scenery had changed and the atmosphere just felt so much calmer. It was lovely!

We eventually arrived in Fort William which is a little port town and full of B&Bs, which you would think make it easy for us to find accommodation, but every sign we passed bore the words “NO VACANCY” ooohhhh. Hmph. We asked at the Backpackers, but no, we asked at a B&B that did have vacancy, but the owner wasn’t keen on offering the room to 4 people, and although he didn’t say it in so many words, declined to give us a room. His loss we figured. We kept moving until we found one last B&B and went on in, and Frank, the owner, was lovely and said “ahhh, yeah, no problems” So, we happily dumped our stuff and hurried off for a meal as it was getting late but more so because we were hungry! We had a nice meal at a little resturant, big meals for the price but still, it was all so good you just wanted to try their desserts! After all this we wandered back to the B&B for a good nights rest.

written by  Chris and Emily on August 15, 2009 from Fort William, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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Luke, being an early riser, took an earlier bus in than Chris and I and we arranged to meet later in our new ‘meeting spot’ We lazily got ready and pulled on jumpers and warm gear for our day out. We met Luke at the designated spot and then Dell for a cuppa before he had to start work, we arranged to meet later that night for a drink and meal.

Luke, Chris and I spent the day walking about in the constant rain, getting wet and having to dodge umbrellas, Chris at one stage was poked in the head quite hard by an umbrella spoke, and cried out “OW” to which the girls giggled and said “sorry” as if it was a great game they were playing, that really got me, and at one stage I moved just in time before being struck in the eye, when I called out “Watch the eyes!!” the old woman just gave me a filthy look. This is not the Edinburgh we fell in love with yesterday let me tell you!

We thought long and hard of sight seeing but decided in the end to leave it for today. A) It was raining to hard B) you couldn’t see anything with the cloud and mist and C) there were people EVERYwhere doing the same thing, so we gave it a miss and went shopping for a few items that were needed and then onto a comedy club for lunch, where for a really good price you could get 2 meals (that were really yummy) a cheap ticket to see a performance and a beer, and on top of all that, it was a really nice pub with a nice atmosphere, so, we settled in here and waited for the next comedy act to start. We didn’t mind waiting, it was out of the rain and in a nice place.

The show began and sadly, I don’t remember his name, but the comedian was a very entertaining singer/song writer. He played for an hour or so and sang songs that had people laughing and looking at one another in an amused way. He stayed on stage for an hour or so and was cheered loudly at the end!

After this we made our way in search for the next venue that was selling tickets to a show Chris and I wanted to see called “One man Lord of the Rings” It sounds bizarre and odd I know, but it was actually really really good and quite funny. It was, just as the title suggests, a one man performance of LOTR. The actor was brilliant doing all the impersonations and dialogue, he did all the parts that we know and love and covered what would normally take to watch in 9-12 hours in 90 minutes. He was very good.

After this we went and caught up with Luke and Dell who had decided not to come along to this event and instead have a few drinks at the pub. As it was getting late now we head to Dells car and back to the camp site, arranging to meet tomorrow morning to head off on our Scottish highland road trip!

written by  Chris and Emily on August 14, 2009 from Edinburgh, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
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