Travelog

This diary tracks our progress along the Silk Roads, with episodes appearing in date order, most recent first.  You can get to earlier entries by turning pages at the bottom of the screen.

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Category: Travelog

Brought to you by yet another miracle of modern science, we're reporting in from somwthere in the English Channel.  We've swapped our parrots for a computer and our wooden legs for an internet connection (somehow) and can report that this stage of the journey is both wet and dark.  Pieces of eight bits.  We'll be in France by the morning, all set for a long drive down to Toulouse in time for duck.

Its great to be out of england at last, after what seems like an interminable wait, but now the stir-craziness is wearing off and being replaced with terrific excitement - we're actually going to do this utterly mad, fantastic trip!

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Woo-Hoo!  We are now proud owners of very groovy Russian visas, after having collected them from a peculiar flat in Islington.  Actually the company that arranged them for us (90 day multiple-entry) are cheap and gave a great service, and I can heartily recommend them.  We also picked up last-minute items in London including many $$$s (love you VERY long time indeed!).  We spent the evening with Amanda which was lovely, and ate in a most excellent burger bar in Notting Hill which not only did the best burger and fries ever, but had a total hold on Ellen's food intolerances.  I think it must be the first time I've been somewhere with a chef who understands and gladly caters for that stuff. Rubbish coffee though!

We're off over the water tomorrow and I'm very excited!  I did manage to break the car on the weekend though and the plans looked momentarily shakey, but Ken the God of Mechanical Things told it to stop misbehaving and we're back on track.  Thank you Ken! 

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Hello everyone

We are in TWells at the moment, with Bob.  We have eaten pizza (hooray, as I haven't had good pizza for years, but thanks to strange anti-intolerance chemistry  I have today) and made shortbread (awww) Bob has just pointed out that he hasn't checked the blog yet  - he was going to wait until we started travelling, but we have done almost 1000 miles so far, what with going to Cornwall, Norwich and now Kent, and that doesn't include train journeys.  Anyway, we went to the V&A museum yesterday to meet up with my dad, and we've booked our ferry tickets for the night of the 20th from Portsmouth to Le Havre as it chucks us out on the right road to head to Bruniquel.  And thanks you to peeps who have joined Hospitality club and given us feedback, we have our first accomodation offer, for 4 nights in Munich - fantastic! Anyway, shortbread is ready, byeee.

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Operation Grommit has successfully passed its first mission.  Cornwall was reached, excellent times were had with TnT, pasties were eaten and scenery was admired.  The North Cornish coast is a pretty incredible place and stirs me every time, in fact if the trip had ended there I wouldn't have felt let down at all.  We went to Tintagel and wandered down to the caves underneath the castle on what was a splendidly sunny day, before popping down to Port Isaac for a last pint in the Lion.  On the Wednesday we saw V For Vendetta at the flicks, an incredibly good, close-to-the-bone film that I would urge all who even vaguely despise our current vile control-freakish administration to see.  Several times.

As it is we did move on on Thursday, toasting leg 1 with an excellent lunch at Veggie Perrins in Plymouth - a Reggie Perrin themed vegetarian Gudjurati restaurant if you can believe it.  Smashing dhal, weird experience.  We're now with Ellen's family in Surrey until 20th  April when we pick up our Russian Visas and head off to France.  Much last-minute procuring of things shall be done.

Looking forward, feeling good.

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Hey, we've really left!  On Sunday not Saturday, but start as you mean to go on etc.

It was all very sad, especially leaving George (not that he noticed) and our house being all bare, but by the time we had finished doing stuff on Saturday - essentials like going to the farmers market and the Fleece, and packing, I was too tired to drive to Cornwall and Andy had handed his glasses to the opticians for a respite break.

Now we ARE in Cornwall, and it's very lovely in a lambkins and primroses sort of way.  I might even get inspired to take some photos this afternoon.  ttfn