Christmas holiday 2007

We travelled to The Netherlands by train and boat this christmas holiday. The ferry crossing was overnight to Hoek van Holland where we arrived on Saturday 7:30. After a beautiful train journey trough a frozen landscape we arrived in IJlst where we immediately went ice skating at the local "ijsbaan" the same afternoon. Sunday we spent with my brother and sister and their kids (see pictures). Monday we went to the Sauna. Christmas day we took the train to Hindeloopen and played Fluxx in the evening (as we did almost every evening). Boxing day we left early to Leeuwarden to sail with my brother's barge to Groningen. We set off early but after about 15 km had to stop because a bridge wouldn't open for us, and we had to wait for the next day. Thursday we arrived in Groningen and had dinner and drinks in town. It was great to walk around this town again where I lived for 13 years. On Saturday evening we had to catch the ferry again at 22:00, back to Harwich. We left early from Groningen and visited the Zoo in Rotterdam, Blijdorp. The male Gorilla, Bokito, reached the news headlines last year all over the world after escaping from his enclosure and attacking a visitor who had been annoying him for months. Our ferry crossing was brilliant and 11:00 Sunday morning we arrived home again.

Photos:

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Anniversary Cake

Ann surprised me with this amazing cake! It's a chocolate sponge cake with icing, with on top three cats and us made out of marzipan. Me, with glasses and orange t-shirt. Ann, in her brown skirt and Olive on her lap. Rose, from marbled marzipan to make her look like a tabby. And Callum with his white eye patch. The cake shop where they make these cakes is in the covered market in Oxford and I always enjoy looking in the window. The cake was, and still is, delicious.

From Anniversary Cake

Le Manoir

Last month, on a Thursday, we had a wonderful evening in restaurant Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons. It's only 10 miles East of Oxford, in the village Great Milton. We enjoyed an evening centered around biodynamically produced wines. The wine and food was absolutely amazing, and to hear about the secrets of biodynamics was fascinating. I'll never forget this evening at the two-Michelin starred "Manoir". Hopefully we can come back sometimes for lunch and see the place in daylight.

Our menu of the evening:

Ludlow and surroundings

Last weekend we stayed in a lovely cottage on Bircher Common, Herefordshire, and visited Ludlow (Shropshire) on the Saturday. Ludlow is a very pretty town with a church as big as a cathedral and with a great castle. See photos: De Grey's is a famous cafe. Croft Ambrey is an ancient hill-top fort where we walked to from the cottage. Bircher Common is a National Trust site.

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Llanvihangel Crucorney to Bryngwyn

start: Llanvihangel Crucorney [SO313198]
finish: Bryngwyn
distance: 60 km

I did this bike ride last weekend, as an alternative to going horse riding. The ride went basically from the B&B where we stayed overnight to the stables in Bryngwyn. The roads were very quiet and single track. Cycling up the Llanthony valley was beautiful and the ruin of Llanthony Priory is worth a visit, but I did that two years ago. Only at the end of the valley the road got steep, before reaching the Gospel Pass. The view just over the pass was great over the Wye Valley. We had lunch in Painscastle and after a curry I did another 20 km before meeting up with the horse people again in Bryngwyn.

Route map:

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Route photos:


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This route is also published on MapMyRide