Log 53 - Good-bye Holland, Hello Norway, England and Wales before heading home to Canada.

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.   Walt Disney

This log covers September 20th to December 4th, 2006 where we travel to Norway, England and Wales to visit some family and friends before our flight home to Canada in time for Christmas. We all have that 'going home' feeling, but the time passes quickly and before we know it we are back in snow!  

We have officially walked away from Tioga and she is now For Sale at De Valk yacht brokers. It is bittersweet as she was such a great boat and we have so many memories with her but owning an ocean going boat in land locked Alberta is out of the question. We are excited for the next couple months travelling and then the next phase of our lives back in Canada. 

De Valk yacht brokers Monnikendam, Holland

Wednesday, September 20th to late October 2006 - Family in Holland

Trunk of Uncle John's car filled to the brim. 

We are once again reminded how grateful we are to have Sheila's Uncle John's car. Clearly we still have too much stuff to take home but we will deal with that later. For now we all squish in and head to Arnhem, which will be our base for the last days in Holland. We have figured out that travelling at night avoids the crazy traffic on the busy, busy motorways. 

 

The next month is spent in Holland with family and getting used to once again living on land....so much space!

Dutch hiking boots?

Nice to see some folks still wearing the traditional wooden shoes. We wonder how comfortable they can really be?

Saturday, October 28th, 2006 - Sint Maarten : The Dutch Halloween like tradition. 

Gerrit and Joel demonstrate pumpkin carving.

While Halloween isn't necessarily a Dutch tradition, it is often celebrated in various ways throughout the country.  At Uncle John's in Almelo, we decide to host a Halloween party for all the Dutch relatives, and we even find pumpkins to carve! There are lots of costumes and we even have the kids go from the front door to the back door trick or treating. It is in a sense our good-bye send off as we leave for Norway in a couple days. 

Gerrit about to loose his head. 

The party is complete with a haunted house in the garage where we have eyeballs in a jar (peeled grapes) and brains (spaghetti) that we get the guests to enter and feel while blind folded. Once all are inside, Chris pretends to cut off Gerrit's head with cousin Sebastiaan's assistance. Ketchup provides a nice messy touch :)

Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 - Off to Norway!

Port of Oslo

There are numerous discount airlines that fly within Europe, so we hop on a Ryanair flight that lands us in Oslo, Norway. It turns out our neighbors from back in Calgary are in Oslo on a short-term work stint, plus the family we spent time with on s/v Stroller back in Seville, Spain live here. What an opportunity to chalk up another country in our ever increasing number of countries visited. 

The Port of Oslo is Norway's largest public cargo and passenger port. From Oslo, half of Norway's population can be reached within three hours. 

Thursday, November 2nd - Viking Ship Museum

One of many preserved wooden Viking boats. 

We arrived late last night and have a wonderful reunion with our Calgary neighbors, Mike and Mereta Heise along with their daughter Ellen. Today they take us to the Viking Ship Museum where we see some of the world's greatest Viking treasures including skeletal remains and amazing wood carvings. There were many preserved Viking ships as well as artefacts from boat graves around the Oslo Fjord. This museum was full of wonder and knowledge and it definitely brought Viking history to life. 

Ellen, Gerrit and Joel having fun in Oslo. 

After a fun lunch out with Ellen and Mike, they drop us at our friends from s/v Stroller - Knut and Trude Frolich with Ola and Henrik. .We spend the next couple days with them. 

Gerrit and Joel reunited with Henrik and Ola. 

Friday, November 3rd - Spending time in Oslo

Beautiful Oslo home. 

After a great night of catching up, s/v Stroller and s/v Tioga families head out for a day of adventure in Oslo. The homes on the way walking to the downtown are so pristine and colorful. 

The Royal Palace

They take us to the Oslo Royal Palace and though we don't see the changing of the guards, Ola playfully marches with a royal palace guard. 

Ola marching with a royal palace guard.

Old man enjoying his paper. 

As in most cities there are lots of bronze sculptures. This one of a man reading a newspaper on Akersgata Street catches our eye.

Saturday, November 4th - Holmenkollen Ski Museum and Tower

Famous explorer

Located at the base of the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, this ski museum is apparently the oldest ski museum in the world, The museum contains 4000 years of skiing history including rock carvings dating from the stone age. It displays skiers and skis from the Viking age plus equipment used in the polar expeditions of Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen, two famous Norwegian explorers. 

Views of Oslo and surrounding area

The beautiful panoramic views from the top of the ski jump are of the City of Oslo and surrounding areas. Apparently the first ski jumping event took place here in 1892 with a crowd of 12,000 people. Though the jump back then was merely a natural hill with a snow and twig ramp, nothing like it is today, the sport clearly caught on and evolved.  Our picture is unable to show it, but the structure is pretty unique arching high in the sky.

Ski simulator fun!

Using state-of-the-art technology, the Holmenkollen ski simulator brings you closer than ever to the real thing. The five minute ride has room for 12 people, so all the boys enjoy the thrill of ski jumping together. 

We all enjoy an ice cream on the observation deck and the opportunity for a final group photo of our two families. Thank you so much for the wonderful memories. We are heading back to the Heise family for Thanksgiving dinner and our last time in Oslo. 

Joel, Henrik, Trude, Ola, Chris, Gerrit and Sheila on The Observation Deck

Sunday, November 5th - Happy Thanksgiving - grateful for our time in Norway

Mike carves the turkey :)

It has been a long time since we had an official Thanksgiving turkey dinner complete with all the fixings so it is a real treat. Mike has cooked the turkey to perfection and we are all grateful to be in each others company. 

Colorful Norwegian countryside

We spend the next couple days hanging out and visiting some of the local parks and countryside.

Gerrit, Ellen and Joel - great friends.

Colorful cows 

We have had an utterly marvelous time here in Norway, but we must say good-bye and move on with our plans. It has been a fantastic trip. 

Saturday - November 11th - Deventer, Holland Ham Radio shack

Chris, Gerrit and Joel in Jan's Ham Radio shack

After Norway, we make a last quick stop in Holland to pick up our belongings and prepare to head to England. We can't leave Holland without stopping by Deventer to personally thank Jan, a Ham radio operator who's station we used regularly while crossing the Atlantic ocean.   VE6RXM was our Ham radio call sign on board Tioga and we used a service called Winlink Global Radio Email (Winlink.org) The system was built, operated and administered entirely by licensed "Ham Radio" volunteers. All through our trip, with the use of long distance airways to stations like Jan's, we were able to use this service to send and receive emails, post our position reports and likely most important of all, obtain regular weather reports. These unsung hero's love radio and all the equipment they get to tinker with. To us it meant the world. Thank you to Jan and all the other volunteer Ham radio enthusiast stations we used throughout our trip. 

Sunday, November 12th, 2006 - Stena Line Hoek Van Holland to Harwich, England

One last bout of sea sickness

We take the train to Hoek Van Holland (Hook of Holland) in the southwest corner of Holland, hence the name: hoek means corner The Stena Discovery HSS (high speed sea service catamaran ferry) is our ship today. She is 127 meters long, can carry 1520 passengers and 375 cars, with a cruising speed of 40 knots (75kmph) making our crossing to Harwich, England in 7 hours and 30 minutes. Well the North Sea has other plans for us and sends us out of the sailing world with a bang. We get hit with 40 plus knots of wind and massive rolling waves that cause even this big ship to literally shudder. The staff is passing out sea sickness bags and asking people to stay seated as walking could have you thrown into the wall before you know it! Chris, who struggled with sea sickness on and off over the past years, groans at this final send off. 

Turns out the Stena Discovery is close to the end of her service. January 8th, 2007 will be her last North Sea crossing due to various issues over the years and high consumption of fuel. 

Tuesday, November 14th - Windsor Castle in the English county of Berkshire

Windsor Castle

Back on the French canals we spent a night tied to a quay with a lovely British couple on board their power yacht The Jolly Roger. The vessel was aptly named as Roger and Diane were so friendly and full of life. It turns out they live across the River Thames from Windsor Castle and they kindly invite us to come spend a night with them when we land ourselves in England. What a glorious location to head out and visit Windsor Castle, the oldest continually occupied castle in the world and said to be Queen Elizabeth's favorite home.

King Henry Viii Gate into Windsor Castle

Originally built by William the Conqueror in the late 11th century, it was intended as a fortress to oversee a strategic part of the River Thames and protect Norman dominance around London. Many wars and much history eventually landed the castle in the royal families hands about 1000 years ago. During WW2 when London and Buckingham Palace were being bombed relentlessly, Queen Elizabeth and her sister Margaret (both Princesses at the time) lived in the castle as it was considered safer. A bell would sound a bomb scare and the girls would head to the underground dungeons to sleep for the night. Having spent so much of her childhood at the castle, when she took her throne in 1952, she decreed the castle would be her principle weekend retreat. 

Gerrit, Foot guard and Joel

We have to take a picture of Gerrit and Joel with a Queen's foot guard in his winter grey great-coat and bearskin hat. For about the last 200 years the five regiments of the Queen's Guard have worn real bearskin hats. They originate from the gunners in the British military wearing the bearskin hats to make them taller and more intimidating as they were the ones doing the frontline hand to hand fighting. They are made from Canadian black bear fur and last about 80 years.

A final fun fact of the castle is if the Royal Standard flag is flying, Queen Elizabeth is there. Otherwise the Union flag will be flying when she is not in residence. 

Thursday, November 16th - Harrods Luxury Department Store

Harrods in London

Poking about Harrods is fun but it is much above our price point. It is said to be one of the most exclusive department stores in the world where the rich and famous like to shop. Many tourists often buy small souvenirs here like tea, chocolate or other inexpensive items to take home. We are looking for a shrine we have heard about so we pass on the trinkets.

Diana and Dodi shrine

On the lower ground floor at the foot of the Egyptian escalator there is a candle-lit shrine to Dodi Fayed and Diana, Princess of Wales (no longer Princess Diana after the divorce from Charles). It contains their images beneath a pyramid-shaped display case containing a ring Dodi had given Diana and the wine glass she used in her last meal. Sadly both Diana and Dodi were killed in the early hours on August 31st, 1999 when the car they were passengers in crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris France.  It was said at one time the condolence book was so popular it had to be replaced every 10 days.

Friday, November 17th, 2006 - Kings Cross train station - Platform 9 3/4

London Tube

Getting around the ginormous city of London via the underground Tube system is really quite simple as long as you are very aware of where you on the maps to correctly make a transfer if required or to simply get on and off the train where you want to be. Built in 1863 as a way of reducing street congestion, it is the world's first underground railway system. It has exploded in growth over the years to over 250 stations serving multiple regions outside London. The nickname "Tube" comes from the circular tube-like tunnels through which the small profile train travels.

On their way to Hogwarts School

Today we are on route to the Kings Crossing station in search of Platform 9 3/4. Our family has long been fans of the  Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Chris was reading the first book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, to the boys back in 1999 before we left on this trip. As the books were released over the years, it became an outing for us to find an English book store wherever we were in the world, and get our hands on the next copy released. Chris would do regular readings of each book complete with voices of each character. Our family has fond memories of Harry Potter so it is very cool to find Platform 9 3/4 where the Hogwarts Express begins its long journey to Hogwarts School. 

Westminster Abby - A Royal Church

Westminster Abby - Gothic architecture

Later in the day we stroll by the famous Westminster Abby. The Abby has been the official coronation church for British Monarchs since 1066 starting with the Coronation of William the Conqueror on Christmas day. A total of 39 coronations have taken place in the Abby, the most recent being for Queen Elizabeth who was Coronated on June 2nd, 1953 at the age of 25. 

Glorious archways inside the Abby.

The church is also known to host the Royal weddings and is the final resting place for more than 3000 British Monarchs and other renowned individuals. 

Though we only scratch a small surface of what lies in this beautiful church, we understand why it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Saturday, November 18th, 2006 - The London Bridge and much, much more

One of the towers of the Tower Bridge

London is just one big site after another. History is everywhere. We have walked in Trafalgar Square and taken in the London Eye from a distance as the line ups to get on it are long. The London Dungeon is filled with screams and thrilling storytelling that proves too much for us and we end up exiting early. The museum at the London Bridge is great and we now know the difference between the  London Bridge and the Tower Bridge. The two bridges, which apparently get confused constantly by tourists, are a 15 minute walk apart along the River Thames. The more glamorous Tower Bridge is a suspension bridge built between 1886-1894 and has two magnificent towers each 65 meters (213 feet0 high. The current concrete and steel version of the London Bridge was inaugurated in 1973, though many different bridges have stood for centuries before. There are no architectural extravaganzas like the Tower Bridge has. We opt for hot dogs at the base of the Tower Bridge and head to our apartment flat for some down time before we head out to our show later. 

The apartment flat we are staying in while in London has been graciously offered to us by a family we met way back in Seville on board s/v Cordelia.  Steve and Jane with sons Ed and Al live in Wales, but Steve works in London so they have a flat there for our use. What a kind family we will visit later in Wales. 

We Will Rock You - the musical by Queen 

London musical - We Will Rock You - Fantastic

A huge benefit of our home school association, Argyll Center, in Edmonton, Alberta is that anything we attend that is considered educational is paid for Joel and Gerrit plus one adult as they are too young to attend on their own. This has been a fantastic gift to our family over the years as we have visited incredible museums and events around the world. The arts are educational so this musical comes to the top of our list. 

We Will Rock You does not chronicle the story of the band, Queen, but rather it incorporates the songs of the rock group into this futuristic story. It tells the story of a globalized future without musical instruments. A handful of rock rebels, "The Bohemians" fight against the powerful Globalsoft company and its boss, "The Killer Queen". They fight for freedom, individuality and the rebirth of the age of rock. It is a fantastic show where the good thankfully prevails.

Though we are out of luck tonight, apparently Brian May, co-founder of the group Queen, will occasionally show up and play a few songs with the band. What a special treat that would have been. 

Sunday, November 19th, 2006 - Buckingham Palace - The Changing of the Guard

London's magnificent Buckingham Palace is more than just the home to the British Royal Monarchy, it is one of the most visited attractions in the city. The public art gallery, picturesque statues and the ornate gates that surround the royal residence are all huge draws for tourists. But, The Changing of the 

Guard is iconic and something everyone takes in while vising London so we follow suit. 

Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Guard

Elite soldiers have guarded the King or Queen since the reign of Henry Vii who made the royal body guard a permanent institution, which has spanned over 500 years of history and continues today.

The Changing of Guard is the official ceremony when the Foot Guards currently guarding the monarchy (the Old Guard) are released from their duty, to be replaced with the new soldiers (The New Guard). There is a variety of music ranging from traditional military marches to songs from shows and familiar pop songs. The soldiers movements are very precise and the event lasts about 45 minutes. We learn the ceremony is actually taking place over three locations, Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace and Wellington Barracks. All are having the guards changed through this ceremony. 

Classic British Telephone Box

Telephone Box

A British cultural icon - the red telephone box - called a phone booth in the Americas, is a familiar site on the streets of London. It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and along with the red post box and the red London bus, is an instantly recognizable symbol of Britain. Scott's design of the cast iron telephone kiosk won a Post Office sponsored competition in 1924. Apparently the local government districts in England had resisted the post offices efforts to erect kiosks on their streets until this iconic telephone box was introduced. Even though they have evolved in many ways over the years with respect to things like size and the materials they are built of, they hold a soft spot in the heart of  the London people to this day. 

The Prime Meridian -  Greenwich, London

World-famous Prime Meridian Line

With Chris and I both being graduates of Survey Technology, NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology), we are very familiar with latitude and longitude and all that goes with it. Since the late 19th century, the Royal Observatory is the historic source of the Prime Meridian of the world, Longitude 0° 0' 0".The world prime meridian marks the divide between the eastern and western hemispheres. 

The Greenwich Meridian was chosen to be the Prime Meridian of the World in 1884. Forty-one delegates from 25 nations met in Washington DC for the International Meridian Conference. By the end of the conference, Greenwich had won the prize of Longitude 0°. 

This is also home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Prior to the Prime Meridian, almost every town in the world kept its own local time. There were no national or international conventions to set how time should be measured. Now there are 24 time zones around the world with a time difference of one hour. All originating from here. Very cool to stand here as a family.

Monday, November 20th - Farewell to Jolly Old London 

Our ride for the next few weeks.

Yesterday we pick up our Hertz Rental car and spend the day getting out of London. It was a tough day as not only was Chris a bit under the weather with a flu, he now had to drive in incredibly busy traffic on the opposite side of the road from what is normal to us. Stressful to say the least, but we make it safely out to Plymouth where Chris's Uncle Pete and Aunt Shirley live. It takes us almost 5 hours! We are exhausted and happy to think when we drop this car we will be getting on a plane home :)

Tuesday, November 21st - The Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain

Silhouette of the Stonehenge

Pete takes us to the Stonehenge for an afternoon. It's a prehistoric monument consisting of an outer ring of vertical standing stones, each around 13' (4 m) high and 7' (2.1 m) wide, weighing around 25 tons and topped by connecting horizontal stones.  Archaeologists believe it was constructed from around 3000 BC to 2000 BC. It is owned by the Crown and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in1986, though it has been a protected monument since 1882. Scientists think the stones were a way to tell the time of year as the stones are aligned towards the sunrise on the summer solstice. Nobody knows for sure how the stones were moved to Stonehenge. 

When Chris and I visited here back in our 1985 Volkswagen Van days, we could walk right up and through it. Today, due to it's ruinous state, people are kept largely back. 

Wednesday, November 22nd - Plymouth Royal Navy Base

Entrance to Plymouth Sound.

HMNB (Her Majesty's Naval Base) Devonport is the largest naval base in Western Europe and is located just west of the city of Plymouth. It's a vast site and happens to be where Uncle Pete heads off to every morning on his BMW motorcycle for work. Pete is ex Royal Navy and is now involved with the designing and refitting of ships. On any given day various Royal Navy ships can be seen at the entrance to Plymouth Sound. Here Pete is pointing out one of them but we unsure exactly which one.

 

Thursday, November 23rd - The Mayflower Steps, Plymouth

Pilgrim's departure point.

Today we visit the Mayflower Steps, which is the site in Plymouth where the English ship, The Mayflower, set sail from and transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from Plymouth, UK to the Americas in 1620. They were a group of about 100 people seeking religious freedom from the Church of England. The Mayflower was intended to land in Virginia, but storms shifted the ship's course north. As a result they landed in  Cape Cod, Massachusetts and founded the Plymouth Colony. The actual steps the pilgrims left from no longer exist, but this granite block bearing the ship's name marks the approximate site. 

Thank you Pete and Shirley for a wonderful time in your part of the world. It is time to move on. 

Shirley and Pete of Plymouth :)

Saturday, November 25th - The Peak District National Park, England

Hills and dales in the Peak District.

We travel north to Leicester where Chris's cousin Jackie, her husband Andy and two kids Zoe and Matthew live. It is bizarre to think we have never met these people and yet, they are family in a far away place. We do a day trip to the beautiful Peak District National Park near Thorpe Cloud. As we walk along we are shocked at how lush and green the countryside is. The Peak District was the first of Britain's 15 national parks and was designated on April 17th, 1951 - not all that long ago considering the age of everything in England.

Delightful cheeses of Britain.

Later back at Jackie and Andy's home, they have a special cheese tray to share with us. The round red one is local Red Leicester cheese, which is a hard English cheese made in a similar manner to Cheddar cheese. The green one is a Sage Derby, which is a variety of British Derby cheese infused with sage to produce a glorious green marble effect. The purple one is a Port Wine Derby cheese marbled with a delicate Port infusion. There is a Brie and one other unknown delight to finish off the tray. These guys went out of their way to show case some local British cheeses. Thanks so much. 

Our cheese tray is followed by a very fun dinner where we all share stories and spend some quality time. Thank you for a wonderful evening. 

Gerrit, Andy, Jackie, Matthew, Joel, Chris, Sheila and Zoe

Sunday, November 26th - Sherwood Forest, Nottingham England

Sheila, Gerrit and Joel excited to be in the Sherwood Forest

How fun is this - our route today takes us through Sherwood Forest! A former royal hunting ground in the county of Nottinghamshire, still famous today for its association with Robin Hood, the outlaw hero of medieval legend. We do a short walk to stretch our legs and continue on to York in the north of England.

3:30 pm - City of York, County of Yorkshire in the north of England

York Minster

We arrive in the city of York late in the afternoon. Just in time to walk a few streets and take in the iconic York Minster - full name - The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York. Apparently the Romans built a large fortress on this site when they occupied the city around 71AD, and you can now see walls and relics from the time in the Undercroft (crypt) beneath the Minster. There have been many different structures built on this site over the years. In 741 the church was destroyed by a fire and was rebuilt in about 767. In 1069 it suffered damage during William the Conqueror's reign of the north and was destroyed again in 1075 by the Danes. The present Gothic-style church was built over 250 years, between 1220 and 1472. Thankfully during the 20th century there has been a more concerted effort for preservation work of the church, though another fire in 1984 caused serious damage. If the wall of this church could speak, I am sure the tales would be unbelievable. 

Monday, November 27th - JORVIK Viking Centre

Gerrit the Great.

York was captured by the Vikings in 866AD and held as such until the Norman Conquest of 1066AD. Until the 1970's the only archaeological finds from this Viking-Age period were items dug up by chance. It lay dormant for a long time, until in 1972 the Coppergate excavation by The York Archaeological Trust uncovered new and exciting facts. They discovered the area is up to 9m deep in archaeological layers, which mostly date to the Viking Age. The moist peaty layers they discovered preserved the organic remains of buildings, bones, clothing, seeds etc etc, which rot away to dust on most archaeological sites. Once the dig was completed in 1981, York Archaeological Trust knew they had a duty to present these precious artefacts to the public and thus the JORVIK experience was born.

Viking residents of York

It is a wonderful interactive museum where visitors have the chance to come face to face with the Viking residents of York from over 1000 years ago. We quite literally were transported back in time to explore Viking-Age York. 

The excavation at Coppergate produced over 250,000 pieces of pottery, 5 tons of bones and 40,000 individually interesting objects, which included 1700 leather shoes of Viking-age. Remarkable given leather rarely survives in archaeological deposits.

Human femurs from 1000 years ago.

The bones shown here really caught our attention as they show gashes in these human bones acquired in battles. They are labeled "Battle injury - disabling wound to the femur."  We wondered if these blows to the bones were fatal? or did the poor guys hobble off in immense pain and carry on at a later date. Absolutely amazing museum that is continually transforming to make it even better.

York City Walls

Walls that long ago offered security

Since the Roman times, York has been defended by walls of one kind or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain intact so York has more miles of complete medieval city walls from ancient times than any other city in England. They are fondly known as York City Walls, the Bar Walls and the Roman Walls...take your pick. They are free to walk from dawn to dusk and we enjoy the splendid elevated views the walls produce. 

Tuesday, November 28th - Scarborough, England day trip 

Scarborough along the North Sea coastline

About an hour north east of York lies the seaside town of Scarborough where Chris's mom, Ann, was born and raised. It originated from a 10th century Viking fishing settlement in the shelter of a craggy sandstone headland along the North Sea coastline. It is a popular holiday resort known for its sandy beaches, ice cream and seafront cafes, but we are definitely here in the off-season so it's pretty quiet. It is just nice for us to see the open water again and feel the fresh breeze on our faces.

The Old Fish and Chip shop

Chris's mom has given us the address of the fish and chip shop she grew up in and fondly remembers. It was called Ramshill Fish and Chips (just off Ramshill Road)  back then and it appears to be the same today, though it's closed so we can't tell for sure. For Chris's mom, the fish and potato preparations were done in the cellar, right beside their air raid shelter, which was a metal cage with a mattress inside. There was one room behind their chip shop, which was the kitchen/living area. Upstairs were two unheated bedrooms that only had gas lighting. The bathroom was in the back yard along with a coal fired boiler to heat their water. Add bombs dropping during WW2 and there you have a day in the life of Chris's mom. She says they served great fish and chips!

Wednesday, November 29th - Red House, Hackness, England

Red House in behind Sheila, Chris, Mary and Joel

Since coming to the area of York and Scarborough, we have been staying with Chris's aunt Mary. She lives in the beautiful cottage part of the Red House in Hackness. Formally the Johnstone Arms Inn, somewhere along the way it became a house. Whatever the history, Mary lives in a beautiful part of England. She even has a barn where she keeps her lovely little pony.... We tag along with Mary on her daily pony walk. 

Gerrit, Sixy and Joel

Mary's pony is named Silver-Sixpence or Sixy for short. Sixy has a pretty nice barn and pen and Gerrit and Joel love to spend time out there. 

Joel, Gerrit, Chris and Mary (and the red telephone box)

Just down the lane is one of those iconic red telephone boxes. 

 

Beck Isle Cottage, Thornton-Le-Dale in North Yorkshire.

Beck Isle Cottage - Sheila, Gerrit and Joel

Mary takes us to visit the picture-postcard village of Thornton-Le-Dale to see Beck Isle Cottage, which is one of the most photographed homes in the country. Built in the 17th century with a cruck frame and thatched roof, it stands on the banks of the Beck and regularly appears on chocolate boxes, jigsaws and calendars. Thousands of tourists visit here every year so we are happy that we get to view it all by ourselves today. 

Friday, December 1st, 2006 - On our way to Wales - Good-bye Aunt Mary and the Red House

Joel, Chris, Aunt Mary and Gerrit in front of the Red House.

Our time in the north east of England has been wonderful. Today we say good-bye to Mary and are on our way to Wales for one quick night before our flight home tomorrow out of the Manchester airport.

Welsh welcome

While driving to find the home of our friends from s/v Cordelia whom we met back in Seville, plus they loaned us the flat for our stay in London, we have to stop and take this great picture welcoming us to Wales in both English and Welsh. Welsh is a Celtic language that is native to the Welsh people and said to be one of the toughest Western European languages to master. Today in Wales both languages are spoken but English has become the dominant language. 

Fun night in Wales 

Steve whips up martinis - a specialty of his

We arrive in time for Steve to introduce us to a martini. A cocktail made with gin and vermouth and garnished with an olive. What could go wrong? It is a great rendezvous as we haven't seen them since February 2005 back in Seville, Spain, so the evening is spent catching up with many good laughs and stories of each others travels. Time slips by far too fast and before we know it we have a plane to catch!

The Tiogan's and The Cordelian's

Over our years of travel we were fondly referred to as the Tiogan's after our s/v Tioga. It is common practice as people would always remember your boat name first and that is who you became.

Here is our last Tiogan photo along with our friends Steve, Jane, Ed and Al, The Cordelian's. 

Thank you for a fun time in Wales!

Saturday, December 2nd, 2006 - Manchester Airport

Here we are waiting for our direct flight to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It took us almost 5 years to get here and it will take about 8.5 hours to get home. Chris always said "Nothing goes to weather like a 747". Considering a person can quickly walk about the speed a boat sails, we have come a long way. 

The flight is great and we land in Calgary in the cold dark late evening. 

Grandma Linde with Joel and Gerrit. 

A quick overnight in Calgary and then we are off to Sheila's family farm near Breton, Alberta for a warm reunion. It turns out Joel and Gerrit's Grandma on the farm has bought them Christmas gifts for every year they were gone. They get a bunch of gifts from past years as an early Christmas and welcome home. It is wonderful to be back in Canada. There literally is no place like home. 

We hope you enjoyed reading about our travels aboard our sailboat Tioga. We are forever changed as a family because of this trip. We are no longer part of the dreamers club...we did it. 

We will keep a current epilogue to update where we are in life. Check it if you like. 

For now Tioga signs off :)

Every great accomplishment was believed to be impossible at one time.....
                                                                     by Jackson Brown, Jr