international travel

Sunday in Sunny Durham England

Sunday in Sunny Durham England The clouds billow behind the norman towered cathedral of Durham. Here we stand in awe of one of the oldest cathedrals in England. Our new traveling companion Explorafriend has some lovely people she knows who live here.  So we climb in our little rental car and they suggested they show […]

Visiting Osmotherley and country North England

Visiting Osmotherley and country North England We have been joined by my longtime friend from Australia for the next chapter of our traveling life. An amazing and positive companion, who is also a terrific planner. We had a little hire car, and we were off hunting for a vehicle to purchase. The GPS we had […]

Yay – Our new travelling buddy has arrived

Yay – Our new traveling buddy has arrived !! Today is an exciting day. After nearly 2 years with only my son and I traveling together, we are to be joined by a great friend I have known for 20 years from Australia. There were screams and hugs when she arrived, and we were all […]

Newcastle UK. Day 1

Newcastle UK. Day 1 We have arrived in Newcastle to house-sit. We chose Newcastle for a few reasons. Firstly, my ancestors are from here. Secondly, we are waiting for the arrival of our friend from Australia who will join us for the next few months of travel. The double-decker bus stop is right outside the […]

Newcastle UK and Bamburgh Castle

Our lovely start to Newcastle UK and Bamburgh Castle Thanks to our kind friends in Accrington who gave us a ride in their new 4WD all the way to Newcastle. There waiting for us was our next fun host, Maxine. I met Max at a wedding in Perth many years ago, pre-child. And we hit […]

Accrington near Preston. Staying in a meadow.

Accrington near Preston UK. Staying in a meadow. We left Liverpool and our friends drove us to Accrington. As we drove up the town street, it suddenly changed to a stony road. Before we knew it, we were in the hills. The view was magnificent across the meadows and green fields, looking out onto the […]

Liverpool England UK with a 9 year old

Liverpool England UK with a 9-year-old We are staying with friends just on the edge of Liverpool, so being a bank holiday weekend, we decide that it might be best to head in on Friday and explore. We catch the train to the city. It is spring but the wind is biting and we sit there […]

The Beatles Story Liverpool, England

The Beatles Story Liverpool England It’s been a ‘Hard Days Night’ is playing as we wander into The Beatles Story. Once inside we learn about where the boys grew up. Schools, first bands and general youth of The Beatles. It shows posters and a stage remake of their days in Cavern. You can choose to […]

Llangollen and Conwy to Chester

Llangollen and Conwy to Chester We left Llangollen town and journeyed out to Trevor to capture a photograph of the Aqueduct. From here we became lost. These twisty windy roads with their Welsh names of the next town seem to all merge together. We have little way of knowing which way to go. Left becomes […]

Llangollen Canal Boats Horse Drawn and Aqueduct

Llangollen Canal Boats Horse Drawn and Aqueduct Today, we wanted to go on a canal boat ride. As we drove into Llangollen the rain and the showers started. Next thing we knew, we were walking toward the river and a deluge came upon us. On we went, jumping over puddles, and huddling under bus shelters. […]

Harlech Castle and Snowdonia Wales

Harlech Castle and Snowdonia Wales We headed out early as we were planning to go up Snowdonia Mountain on a steam train.  So we drove to the base town, but when we arrived, the mist was thick. I was told not to bother if it is and to come back another day, so as we […]

Wild Pheasant Hotel and Spa Llangollen Wales

Wild Pheasant Hotel and Spa Llangollen Wales Driving into Llangollen just before you reach the town is where we spent the most amazing night at the Wold Pheasant Hotel. We had tried a hostel in town. They had a sign saying call them. Well, we had no phone. We waited and in fact, came back […]