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Last month I said goodbye to my darling Dad.  Dementia is a cruel disease that causes you to grieve for the loss of a loved one a long time before  they leave this planet.  It hurts in so may ways and the pain affects us so differently.

To properly acknowledge the influence my parents have had on my outlook,  principles, sense of adventure and sense of the ridiculous I am restarting my musings today – 20th December 2019.

So much has happened since our return.  We have had  to restore  our family to factory settings and find an income for ourselves, it would appear that we have almost achieved both of the above by renting a house for us all to live in and buying a house to rent out.  R has renovated said purchase and is feeling knackered and self satisfied in equal measures.  Thing two and his Perfect Girlfriend, soon to be Perfect Wife and mother will live in the rental (and pay us!) as guardians. Lucky managed to find a superb penthouse with his mate and Child One is happy in Peckham!

So we are going back to Greece to finish what we started!

We have a house to pack up, again, storage lockers to edit, furniture to ship and a new adventure to plan.

Well we’ve booked the Eurotunnel and Sunny has seen a vet, the latter being even less expensive than Greece, consultation, tablets and passport stamping for €6, amazing!   Armed with the most delicious cake in the world, replete with strudel and salami sandwiches we left Austria and headed back to Belgium via Luxembourg (because the petrol is half the price there).  Strangely we went to exactly the same petrol station in Luxembourg, even though we left a different motorway than last time, so we bought the same things and pretended to be in a time warp.

We arrived back in Bruges, at the same site we stayed in last time because it’s clean and convenient.  We haven’t seen any UK cars for ages but here we are surrounded by massive English motor homes towering over us and looking very comfortable, we have had terrible van envy especially when it is raining, but those big white busses are really not cool and the people in them are old (probably my age but I’m in complete denial). We still plan to go to the motorhome show next year though!

It’s nearly St Nicholas here in Belgium so everything is decorated, the Christmas market is not as good as the ones in Austria but the town looks really pretty and the sun shone for us today.  We went into one of the chocolate shops, making sure that it was proper Belgian chocolate because sadly it’s not protected by the EU like Champagne or Stilton and we bought so much we were given a tour of the kitchens by the owner who told us how it was made, where the beans came from and how they were processed.  The back of the shop opened onto the side of the hotel the gang in the film ‘In Bruges’ were hiding in and there had been a film crew on his patio while there were making it!

It has been a wonderful four months, not the year in Greece that we expected but we have seen some amazing places, made loads of new friends and loved some old ones.

 

We are in fairyland, I woke up this morning and there were mountains surrounding the campsite that were covered in snow and tinged pink by the morning sun, it was minus seven, crisp and gorgeous.

The campsite is nestled in a hollow and the mountains surrounding us are in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, there were deer in the snow covered meadow this morning where I took Sunny for a walk, he didn’t notice them because he was too busy eating the snow – he absolutely loves it!

We spent the day in Innsbruck at the Christmas markets where I bought a red beret, I used to wear one in my teens so I thought that under the current circumstances it was entirely appropriate.  Innsbruck is beautiful, the buildings painted, the river the most amazing blue and the shopping was interesting, which coming from someone who hates shopping is saying something.

The snow is fantastic, making us feel really christmassy but we can’t stay here, we haven’t got the right tyres and if the weather gets worse it could become terribly expensive.  We have had a big discussion and decided that it is time to return to the UK.  We have somewhere to go, thanks to my sister but we haven’t got a plan beyond that, something will turn up, it usually does.

We have circumnavigated the lake and explored the towns and villages around Lake Garda in so much as we know where they are, R has hurt his foot and is finding walking a little painful (which means it’s killing him).

The lake is amazing and there are so many birds around, we went to feed the ducks and were presented with an arial display by these dinky little gulls, so much politer than those in Brighton, who flew down and caught little bits of bread that were thrown at them.  There are flocks of mandarin ducks like little red and gold toys floating along and there was a great big baby swan following some boys along the road hoping for some food, Sunny was terrified.  We drove beneath an enormous flock of migrating starlings, they make beautiful patterns in the sky, we were mesmerised until the poo arrived and we couldn’t see through the windscreen.

R bought some Italian clothes, hoping that he could emulate their sense of style, I must say they did look good, I looked for some but Italian women aren’t shaped like me!   We had lunch, delicious pizza and wine, outside in the sunshine overlooking the lake and discussed what we should do next.  We decided to go to Austria and see the Christmas market in Innsbruck.

The drive was not so inspiring because there is a lot of industry, granite and marble being mined from the mountains but as we got into the mountains the scenery improved, the temperature dropped 15 degrees!   As we were driving the weather deteriorated and the wind and snow arrived, about ten minutes after R said how interesting it would be to drive through a blizzard.

We arrived at an amazing campsite just outside Innsbruck, it was -1 and snowing with zero visibility but Vanley was cozy and warm and it was quite exciting to think that we may get snowed on in our ‘tent’.  We didn’t, we have brilliant sunshine, the trees are covered in snow and the surrounding mountains are spectacular.  This campsite is amazing, it has little cabins and old fashioned gypsy caravans to stay in and the toilets and showers are fantastic, in the summer there is a lake with an obstacle course and another one with water polo nets, they’re frozen at the moment but this is definitely a place to visit if you like the outdoors.

We’re off on a bus and Sunny has to wear a muzzle on public transport in Austria so that might be interesting!

We spent a fabulous day yesterday buying shoes, the shoes that should have been purchased on our first visit, I’m glad they weren’t though because I’ve got two new pairs of boots!  They aren’t very sophisticated but as Child One would say, ‘They’re so you Mum!’ They are Italian though and I think they’re very chic!

We discovered the most delicious cheese ever and it comes from a village in the hills above the lake,  the guy in the shop recommended that we visit so we spent the afternoon circumnavigating the Lake via the little village.  The lake is at 40m above sea level and we went up to 900m almost vertically with hairpin bends every thirty metres, Vanley was valiant and I had my eyes shut while R laughed like a maniac!  The views from the top were amazing, the lake glittering below, tiny villages like toys perched on the side of snow capped mountains and the trees, red, orange. gold and green.

We found the cheese village but unfortunately it was closed, the whole of Italy and France close between one and three it would seem, very civilised but a bit inconvenient for us tourists.  We carried on driving until we had gone around the entire lake, we found so many lovely towns which we only have four more days to explore.  We went back to the shop and asked the guy to get us some cheese to take home, whether it gets that far remains to be seen.

In one of the supermarkets we saw bottles of wine with wicker around them, we bought one so we could put a candle in it, the wine went so well with the cheese that we are drinking it like water, we’ll have a home like an Italian restaurant circa 1975 when we eventually get one!

We have just arrived in Italy, we are staying on a golf resort near Lake Garda, not just parked in the middle but in an apartment with full access to a spa, gym and of course golf.  We probably won’t be using any of them because there is so much countryside here to walk in but my legs do need waxing….

We cooked the roe deer as instructed, for a very long time with wine, herbs and garlic and it was so tender.  I could only eat a small slice because I kept visualising Bambi standing on a hill waiting to be shot, I do realise that it is so much healthier for the animal to be free before we eat it but the fact that I’ve only managed vegetables since is probably a sign of things to come.  I don’t have a problem with roquefort though.

We walked every day, the first day we walked down the mountain to a lake – we didn’t get there but we saw some beautiful cows and a massive bull, the tiny electric fence didn’t look like it would keep him back if he decided to charge so we walked past nonchalantly pretending to be brave and holding tight to Sunny in case he took it into his head to run!  It was such a beautiful day, we were in t-shirts and still we were too hot, the sun was shining and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.  One interesting thing is that the trees in France are covered in mistletoe, I’ve never seen so much, it’s everywhere and has pretty flowers as well as berries, R decided he wanted some and shredded his arm getting it down, he was very proud of himself until I pointed out that it would only last a few days so he threw it back in the tree.

We decided that it’s better to take our walk by going up first and behind our cabin was a track up the mountain we walked a bit further each day and the views were spectacular. The first few days were stunning, then it rained and sleeted a bit, then it snowed a bit.  The   day before we left was clear and dry when we started on the walk but by the time we finished it was snowing slightly.  We went to bed with it snowing lightly and when we woke up it was beautiful, so christmassy and Sunny absolutely loved it.

We drove to Italy on the motorway, we usually go the scenic route but we wanted to get here quickly, when we left France it was cloudy and overcast but dry and clear, we went through the Mont Blanc tunnel (not my favourite thing to do) but when we got out it looked like Narnia, cheered me up immensely.  We are going to spend a week here and then head back up through the alps to Germany.  I’m not supposed to say but we have come back to buy a pair of boots that R didn’t buy last time we were here, I hate that we always have to go back to the first shop and buy the first pair he saw, we don’t usually travel 500 miles to do it though.

We tried to book some extra time in the good place but they wouldn’t answer the telephone so we decided to go back to Alsace where we had missed several villages that we wanted to visit.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find places to stay as Vanley is quite compact and therefore when it’s raining we only have a tiny bit of space to share, even Sunny is fed up with having to live on a seat.  It hasn’t stopped raining and getting everything dry is a challenge.  We only stayed two nights in Colmar, which is a lovely town and we were by the river, during which time we checked to find out where the best weather was, in the alps apparently, so here we are.

Perched on the side of a mountain 1000 metres up with spectacular views of snow capped mountains on one side and imposing vertical cliffs on the other, pine forests in front and behind, we have our own little log cabin.  There are no other tourists and the village is so tiny, we counted 20 houses, including gites.  The nearest shop is 14 km away and there is no light pollution, I’ve seen two shooting stars so far.

The autumn colours are amazing and change every day, R has fallen in love with mountains and keeps saying this will look beautiful covered in snow, hopefully he’ll come skiing now!  All our belongings have been washed and dried and the kitchen has an oven and a dishwasher, luxury!   We found the cabin on the internet and it was cheaper to stay here for a week than to stay on campsites as it is out of season.  The lady who showed us how to get here lives in the next village and has never been off the mountain, she works two jobs and her family hunt for their own food and cook in a wood oven, she is so excited to speak to a foreigner, usually she can’t communicate because she only speaks French, This morning she bought us freshly cooked croissants, a haunch of roe deer and instructions on what to do with it.  Her husband killed it and I have to put in the oven.

I am sitting in the garden of the cabin in a cloud which is burning off, when I woke up it was opposite the cabin just sitting there like a cartoon, now it is over our house and you can only see 10 metres but the sun is breaking through, I have to sit in the garden because there is only 3G outside and the wifi doesn’t work.

I cooked a beef bourguignon last night so we will eat the leftovers tonight and cook the venison tomorrow.  R said that it will be hard going back to eating shit food if we home, as I do most of the cooking I’m not sure what to make about that, I think he means the produce.

 

 

I’ve been to Paris and I love it but it has proved quite difficult to find somewhere to stay that is convenient to the city, so we decided to stay on the outskirts.

Thats all a total lie, we didn’t want to be cultural we wanted to see Child one’s friend who works in Disneyland!  He was Jack Skellington today and got us in for free which was fantastic and really kind of him.  We had our photo taken with him – he forced R to join in and even made him scream in front of everyone, that’s so far out of his comfort zone that I couldn’t stop laughing!  Disney was ready for Christmas and was so pretty with trees and lights everywhere.  It was such fun not having the dog (left in our cottage) or any children to hamper our enjoyment of the roller coasters!

We are staying for two nights at the Centre Parcs Nature Village, which is actually like being in the Good Place, I kept expecting Ted Danson to be around the next corner while walking Sunny this morning.  We are in a little wooden cabin that looks like it was made in Ikea,  I think I want one in the garden if we ever get a house.  It has an induction hob in the kitchen which I’ve never used before (cooked the steak beautifully), a dishwasher, a bathroom each, really comfy beds and SPACE!

We laughed all day and took Jack Skellington and His lovely Spanish man for supper as a thank you and ate almost a whole raclette in one sitting.

I really wanted R to love Belgium as much as I do, it didn’t start too well with nowhere in Brussels to park and rain on arrival in Bruges but then the sun came out and we walked into the city.

I had several requirements that needed to be fulfilled, hot chocolate, a waffle, frites and of course lots of chocolate.   I was not disappointed and nor was R, Bruges was shiny and beautiful, it wasn’t too crowded or too cold.   We had frites – I had mine with flemish stew which is traditional, R had a burger and spent the whole meal wishing he’d had what I ordered, I shared a bit, then I had hot chocolate from a chocolate shop, R said it would be too sweet and didn’t want one but proceeded to drink most of mine, then I ordered a waffle, again R said he didn’t want one but ate most of that too.  I don’t think I was believed when I explained how important chocolate is here but after the 15th shop R understood and four bags later he was ordering all sorts of things. especially when he realised they don’t want to speak French.  He has a kilo of hazelnut chocolate all to himself and even bought artisanal chocolate spread.

We walked our legs off and by the time we got back to the van we could hardly move, R had blisters because he had to get new boots after he ruined his in the dyke.  Bruges is still one of my favourite cities and we will definitely come back and not just for the chocolate.

We did our food shopping before we left Belgium and got some favourite stuff to bring home as well as bottled coq au vin for the journey and steak for supper.

p.s.  There is food in other countries

We spent a lovely few days with my Auntie, had a good gossip, catching up while she did all our washing and cooked us the most amazing food, we slept in a proper bed and my feet were clean for the whole time!

After R’s dunking in the dyke he had to buy some new shoes, the shopkeepers thoroughly enjoyed his discomfort as we told everyone why he was wearing sandals when everyone else was wearing scarves and hats!

We visited The Hague and had a look at the palace, not quite as impressive as some, the parliament and the house of justice and R got the smallest glass of wine in history and was told when we complained that wine was for tasting not drinking, that’s definitely not what the rest of Europe said.

We left refreshed and drove to Brussels with a view to staying in a camper van park and sightseeing, I wanted to show R the Mannekin and get hot chocolate from the bakers guild but when we arrived at the place where the camper stop should have been, there was nothing, just a few dodgy shops and flats, we were in the most dreadful part of the city you can imagine, I didn’t want to leave Vanley on his own so we went to Tervuren to see my old house.   It was really weird going somewhere I hadn’t been for years, when we lived there it was new, now there are enormous trees everywhere but it was eerily familiar.  I found the place where my sister and I once found a big bag of sweets and ate them!    We couldn’t get into the village because there was a fair there and we didn’t have as much time as we would have liked because everywhere closes and we didn’t fancy sitting on the side of the road again.  At least we saw the Atomium, I told R it was the Belgian version of the Eiffel Tower but he pointed out that nobody has heard of it.

We are in Bruges now and we have just sat around all day today because it was raining and Sunny was feeling very sorry for himself but tomorrow the weather is supposed to be better so we will go sightseeing and chocolate shopping.

We are noticing that it is getting more and more difficult to find places to stay, maybe we should have bought a bigger van!