Our Christmas was wonderful. Sarah and Jake joined us, John particularly was looking forward to his beautiful daughter staying with us for just over a week. Unfortunately it was not cold and no snow, we have been told it has not snowed for over twenty years in Mortimer. After the exchanging of gifts we had a lovely lunch at the Horse and Groom a local pub just up the road. And being Christmas it is mandatory to overeat and drink, so we all went for a walk in the muddy lanes to try and work it off.
Boxing day, we were up early to catch the euro star to France, it takes you underground for part of the way. When we were above ground it was foggy, so we relaxed and enjoyed the ride in first class, drinking champagne and eating food similar to plane food. All was well until we arrived in France. The train station was littered with years of trash, and graffiti was everywhere. I felt disappointed with my first impression. Well I know train stations everywhere are dirty, so I tried not to judge yet.
Sarah and Jake were keen to see all the tourist attractions, so we walked the streets of Paris frequently getting lost. You must watch where you step as doggy poo is every where as are cigarette butts. And it is not uncommon for men to spit in front of you, so here we are all tiptoeing through it. So far I was not impressed, every café had smokers, it is still legal to smoke indoors. And the other thing that offended me was the smell of urine every where, wee wee Pari. Jake and I saw a man in against a church wall relieving himself. I guess the toilets are so filthy they would rather pee any where else.
To our surprise the accommodation was clean and smoke free, we slept well after a great meal at a restaurant up the road, we had no idea what we were ordering as no one could speak English but we did all right, maybe it was best that we did not know what we were eating. The red wine was exceptional. Next morning after a coffee and a croissant in a smoke filled café we headed off on a tour bus. Yes we saw the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Musee du Louvre, Grand Palais all the usual sites, it was fantastic. The day was bitterly cold more than I had experienced in England as yet. We all enjoyed the fabulous buildings and we also would have liked a riverboat tour on the Seine but time did not permit. So back to the train and the queues were horrendous after the Christmas break. Sarah and I ferociously guarded our position in the queue as many tried to push in, we were not having that. Finally on the train we relaxed and enjoyed more champers. It took another hour by car from the train station in England to get home, and we were all very happy to get there.
Boxing day, we were up early to catch the euro star to France, it takes you underground for part of the way. When we were above ground it was foggy, so we relaxed and enjoyed the ride in first class, drinking champagne and eating food similar to plane food. All was well until we arrived in France. The train station was littered with years of trash, and graffiti was everywhere. I felt disappointed with my first impression. Well I know train stations everywhere are dirty, so I tried not to judge yet.
Sarah and Jake were keen to see all the tourist attractions, so we walked the streets of Paris frequently getting lost. You must watch where you step as doggy poo is every where as are cigarette butts. And it is not uncommon for men to spit in front of you, so here we are all tiptoeing through it. So far I was not impressed, every café had smokers, it is still legal to smoke indoors. And the other thing that offended me was the smell of urine every where, wee wee Pari. Jake and I saw a man in against a church wall relieving himself. I guess the toilets are so filthy they would rather pee any where else.
To our surprise the accommodation was clean and smoke free, we slept well after a great meal at a restaurant up the road, we had no idea what we were ordering as no one could speak English but we did all right, maybe it was best that we did not know what we were eating. The red wine was exceptional. Next morning after a coffee and a croissant in a smoke filled café we headed off on a tour bus. Yes we saw the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Musee du Louvre, Grand Palais all the usual sites, it was fantastic. The day was bitterly cold more than I had experienced in England as yet. We all enjoyed the fabulous buildings and we also would have liked a riverboat tour on the Seine but time did not permit. So back to the train and the queues were horrendous after the Christmas break. Sarah and I ferociously guarded our position in the queue as many tried to push in, we were not having that. Finally on the train we relaxed and enjoyed more champers. It took another hour by car from the train station in England to get home, and we were all very happy to get there.
On the 27th we headed into Reading for the Christmas sales and I bought a pair of boots, John got two pair of shoes and the kiddies got clothing, the rest of the day was spent at home organising the trip to stone henge the following day.
Stone Henge was very impressive, but I had not dressed appropriately it was a beautiful morning leaving Mortimer. Arriving at stone Henge a bitter cold wind had developed. It cut straight through my clothes, I ached with cold and just wanted to get back to the car out of the wind, so I did not appreciate the site as much as I should have. But we did get lots of photos.
Kurt ( my son) had spent his Christmas in Prague, he then went to Berlin and he loved Berlin. Kurt’s opinion of Prague is similar to mine on Paris. Kurt returned with his girlfriend Brooke and we had a houseful of young ones. Sarah Jake Brooke and Kurt all got on exceptionally well. They travelled together and played games it was a lovely atmosphere and they all thought it was fair game to pick on me, we had a wonderful time.
John Sarah and Jake went off to Canada to ski, and you know what I think of skiing. So I stayed home with Kurt and Brooke and cramped there style by tagging along with them on many of there outings. We found that Reading has a fantastic bowling alley, and that is where I discovered my bowling is crap. A four year old could have done better. Brooke left us to return to her work in Barcelona, so Kurt got serious and looked for a job.
After a week in the snow with Jake and Sarah, John went to America for his work. John rang me, saying we will be moving again, this time to France. Cardinal says it will have to be in May that does not excite me at all. He tells me the French countryside is beautiful and I will like it. I hope I do, there will be so many challenges to overcome. They say learning is good for the brain well looks as if I will find out first hand.
Kurt has found a job at Thatcham it is 20 minutes away, he is finding it very frustrating having been a manager, that he is now back to square one. This job is only temporary until he finds a job where he manages and gets a much better pay. At least something is better than nothing.
Stone Henge was very impressive, but I had not dressed appropriately it was a beautiful morning leaving Mortimer. Arriving at stone Henge a bitter cold wind had developed. It cut straight through my clothes, I ached with cold and just wanted to get back to the car out of the wind, so I did not appreciate the site as much as I should have. But we did get lots of photos.
Kurt ( my son) had spent his Christmas in Prague, he then went to Berlin and he loved Berlin. Kurt’s opinion of Prague is similar to mine on Paris. Kurt returned with his girlfriend Brooke and we had a houseful of young ones. Sarah Jake Brooke and Kurt all got on exceptionally well. They travelled together and played games it was a lovely atmosphere and they all thought it was fair game to pick on me, we had a wonderful time.
John Sarah and Jake went off to Canada to ski, and you know what I think of skiing. So I stayed home with Kurt and Brooke and cramped there style by tagging along with them on many of there outings. We found that Reading has a fantastic bowling alley, and that is where I discovered my bowling is crap. A four year old could have done better. Brooke left us to return to her work in Barcelona, so Kurt got serious and looked for a job.
After a week in the snow with Jake and Sarah, John went to America for his work. John rang me, saying we will be moving again, this time to France. Cardinal says it will have to be in May that does not excite me at all. He tells me the French countryside is beautiful and I will like it. I hope I do, there will be so many challenges to overcome. They say learning is good for the brain well looks as if I will find out first hand.
Kurt has found a job at Thatcham it is 20 minutes away, he is finding it very frustrating having been a manager, that he is now back to square one. This job is only temporary until he finds a job where he manages and gets a much better pay. At least something is better than nothing.
No comments:
Post a Comment