This time, we went by car and ferry: we drove to Dunkerque, took the ferry to Dover, and drove the last part, to their new house in Newbury. “What? Where? Didn’t they live in Bristol?” Yes, they did, but not anymore. They moved earlier this year. We hadn’t been there yet. In fact, we hadn’t seen them since December! Back then, Willem was 7 months and Marijn only 2 months old! So, it was very nice seeing each other again.

In the last week of our holiday we moved even further south and east, to the other side of the Cevennes. We stayed there with Irene’s French “parents”, in a very large house, in a very small and very old village. We did one easy walk here, but it was just too hot! The rest of the week we just enjoyed the beautiful surroundings, the nice old villages and the great weather.
And, unfortunately, all good things come to an end, so yesterday was our last day. We left around 9 in the morning and arrived home at about 10.30 in the evening! Tomorrow, it’s back to work!

Viaduc de Millau

Gorges du Tarn

Le Vase de Sèvres, in the Gorges du Tarn

P.S. These are some of the pictures we took with our new camera. After three weeks of intensive use, we can say we are very pleased with it. The camera is easy to use, yet versatile. And the photos are of very high quality.

We had a lovely, relaxed couple of days. On Saturday, we visited Tintern Abbey and made a walk in the surrounding area. On Sunday, we just strolled around through town. Unfortunately, I was a bit sick both days, but that didn’t stop me from walking.

All in all, we had a nice weekend, some time to read a book, chat with each other, and relax.

On the “professional” level: my first month as a software engineer has come and gone. And I’m allowed to stay! I’m very pleased with the job, so far, it’s nice, it’s interesting, and it’s challenging. And with a bit of luck, before long, I will be able to do most of it from home!

My brother and sister-in-law from Bristol were here for the weekend, so the four of us went to the cinema in Vlissingen. It’s a very funny movie about 4 wacky animals who… well, just read the rest from Ari’s weblog. BTW, I do agree with Ari that it’s not as good as, for example, Shrek. But it’s nice.

So, we arrived on Saturday evening. We were picked up at the airport by my brother and his wife! (Last year, they didn’t have a car yet – they got it about one week after we left – so we had to take the bus then.) They brougt us to their new house.

“Hey”, the observant reader will say, “didn’t they move last year?”
Yes, you’re right, they did. But they moved again. That’s why we went to visit them, to see their new house!

This time they bought a house, and a very nice one too. Brand new, 5 minutes walk from the station, 5 minutes walk from a large shopping centre.

On Saturday evening, we went out for dinner. They said they hadn’t properly congratulated us yet with our engagement!
Weak excuse, but hey, you don’t hear me complaining!

On Sunday, we went to Big Pit, National Mining Museum of Wales. Big Pit is a coal mine, that stopped working in 1980, and was turned into a museum. Very interesting, the main attraction being an underground tour by an old miner with a terrible Welsh accent. Amazing to experience – albeit just a little bit – the dreadful conditions these miners had to work in.

On Monday, Irene and I visited @Bristol, “a place of discovery and surprise”. There are several attractions, such as Wildwalk, an indoor rainforest, and the IMAX Theatre, but we visited Explore@Bristol, a sort-of interactive science museum. No difficult science, all very easy, but with a lot of nice simple experiments – great for children! Even big children, like ourselves. Finally, the Imaginarium (see photo), something like our Omniversum in The Hague, showed an interesting short movie about our solar system, “Oasis In Space”.

I know, I know, I’m a few days late, but I’ve hardly been online in the past two weeks!

My girlfriend and I went to Lyon for a few days, just before Christmas. She has worked there for almost a year, about 8 years ago, so it’s like a second home town to her.

It’s a beautiful town, with its Cathedral in Vieux Lyon, the Basilica and Roman amphitheatre in Fourvière, and The Confluence of the two rivers Rhone and Saône.
Update: I almost forgot the magnificent wall paintings, all over town.
We also visited the nearby medieval city of Perouges, a very small, but very nice and very old town, certainly worth a visit.
If I have the time, perhaps I’ll scan some of the photographs for my gallery.

Anyway, we came home on Christmas Eve. We didn’t do anything special the rest of the holiday. We celebrated Christmas at home, with our parents, and New Year’s Eve with friends and – of course – visited family on New Year’s Day.

Oh, we saw The Discovery of Heaven on television. A great movie! Very intruiging. I had seen it in the cinema already, two years ago, and after that got and read the book, which is also very good!

Well, it’s back to work now! For a few days, that is… Next Friday, we are flying to Bristol, to visit my brother and sister-in-law. “Hey”, the observant reader will say, “didn’t they live in London?”
Yes, you’re right, they did. But not anymore. They moved. That’s why we’re going to visit them, to see their new house!
And maybe they have a cinema there too… so we can go and see The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King!

I’m off for the weekend, leaving for London on Friday morning.
I’m going to visit my brother and sister-in-law, whom I haven’t seen since their wedding. And I still haven’t seen the photos I made that day.
Furthermore, they have got a book for me, and I’ve still got half of their wedding present And of course, a weekend in London is always nice, there’s lots to see…

I’m going with the London Express, by train and boat. You can go from any train station in The Netherlands to Hoek van Holland, there you take the Stena HSS Discovery, (the catamaran Hoek van Holland – Harwich) and finally the train from Harwich to Londen Liverpool Street Station.
I’ll be coming back on Monday evening, hoping the trains and metros are still going when I arrive in Hoek van Holland at about midnight.

Next, I will be working for a couple of days…
and on Thursday night or Friday morning I’ll be leaving again, for France this time.
I’m going camping and (mountain) walking with a girlfriend somewhere inbetween Grenoble and Briançon, near the Italian border (in “le Parc national des Ecrins”, see more info and a map).
We’ll be gone for almost two weeks, The Return Journey will be on Wednesday the 20th of August.

Coincidentally, we have lived in Friesland, The Netherlands, for nine years, and, as you probably all know, St. Boniface was murdered there, in Dokkum, in the year 754.

Anyway, we had a nice holiday in The New Forest, a fine area for walking or cycling.
One very beautiful tourist attraction in the neighbourhood is Salisbury Cathedral.
Another must-see around there is of course Stonehenge. We didn’t go there this time, but we have been there a few years ago.

The wedding, last Saturday, was very nice. Thankfully, it was a very joyful day, in spite of the recent tragic events in our family.

They had asked me to be the “official” photographer, so I walked around all day with 2 cameras, 3 lenses, 10 rolls of film and one flash. I guess I made over 250 photos.

Unfortunately, I need to have a little patience, before I will see the pictures I made. They won’t be developed until the newly-wed couple is back from their honeymoon to Vancouver and Vancouver Island, Canada.

We went to see The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers. Great movie! Well, at least for my part!
However, my future sister-in-law would’ve walked away if it hadn’t been for us. She didn’t dare to watch the massive fight scenes with all the horrid creatures like Orcs and Uruk-hai. Afterwards she kept saying she couldn’t believe the movie was for 12 years and older…
But, as I said, I thought it was a great movie… Looking forward to part three!