Trip to Europe

On Nov. 05.-2009 Cynthia and I returned to Canada from a three week vacation in Europe. We were there with our Welsh friends the Byles and Davies families.
The first week was spent in the north of the island of Mallorca, in a town called Alcudia. The area was very pleasant and the weather good enough for us to wear tee shirts and shorts. On one day we rented a seven passenger vehicle and drove south to Palma, the largest city on the island. In the picture above you can see the other five standing outside the magnificent cathedral of the city. We also enjoyed wandering the many squares and narrow streets, stopping to watch and listen to the street artists in those places.
We returned to Wales via Bristol airport after one week. We had two nights with Barrie and Pat Davies. On one one of those nights we met some friends from our childhood at a neighbouring pub. They drove down from Manchester area to see us. We had not seen each other for over 40 years. That was a good occasion.

From Abergavenny, we were driven north to Rugby by Cynthia's sister Janet and her husband Alex Frankl. They met us at The Bell Pub in Skenfrith just outside Abergavenny. Barrie and Pat took us there and then left us in the care of the Frankls. Below you see us enjoying coffee on the pub terrace after a fine lunch.

Our four nights with Janet and Alex were great. they treated us like royalty. One day we went for lunch in Coventry and then on into the city to attend a matinée of a play by a French playwrite. It was called Babylone,at the Belgrade theatre, and was an amazing event to watch as two male characters held us spellbound for 75 minutes.
Eventually Janet and Alex drove us south to Bicester (say Bister) to meet Janet and Michael Raynor, friends of ours for many years. Once the handover was complete, the Frankls went to do some shopping while we and the Raynors had a coffee before heading back to their home in the village of Cuddesdon, which is outside the town of Wheatley, which in turn is outside the city of Oxford. Phew! Still with me? While we were with Janet and Michael, their daughter Caitlin, her partner Michael and their baby Edith came to stay overnight too. Below you see Cynthia with Janet and toddler Edith.

We saw a production of a local play while we were there. We also spent some quality chat time with the Raynors before, after three more nights, they handed us on to our next hosts. The Raynors drove us to London, to Trafalgar Square and guided us in the direction of the National Gallery. In the Sainsbury Gallery, we saw an amazing exhibit called The Sacred Made Real
(If you click on the link, a full explanation of the exhibit can be read on the National Gallery's website.) They also took us to the Portrait Gallery which was also an eye-opener for us. In the afternoon, the Raynors kindly drove us to our last stop before returning to Canada...the home of our cousins Julia and Roger Hussey who live in Shirley, Surrey, south of the city of London.
The first evening we spent with Julia and Roger was a quiet one, but much appreciated by us. Julia had been working hard, so she enjoyed coming home and spending an evening chatting over a glass or two of wine. Roger was preparing us for the next day, when he would take us up to London in his black hackney cab. That day came and off we went. We went specifically to see the Churchill Exhibit and Cabinet War Rooms

This was a new experience for all three of us as Roger had not been either. It added to his already vast knowledge of the city of London and its history. As Roger had taken us in the cab, by law he was required to leave his meter running. When we got home to his house that afternoon, our fare would have been £210.
One afternoon Roger and a friend Dennis and I, drove over to a local public golf course and had a very pleasant nine holes. None of us played brilliantly, but the weather was gorgeous and the company excellent, so what more could one ask for?


Our last evening with the Husseys was a pub night with them and their friends. We all went out for dinner at The Railway, one of their locals. Below you see our group in the pub. They are a great group and the whole lot have marvellous times together.

Finally we caught the plane back on Nov. 05th and Ben met us at the ferry in Nanaimo. It had been a grand time, but we were also pleased to get our heads down in our own home. Thanks to all who made our trip such an enjoyable one.