Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

(posted by Elizma)

We woke up this morning to this...





(The last one was taken on my way to work.)

Marseille

(posted by Elizma)

No, we did not go to Marseille this weekend. We were going to, but we missed our flight. The one, yes the one and only time we've ever checked the traffic reports before we set of for the airport - and planned accordingly - seriously backfired. On the route we took to avoid the reported bad traffic, they closed the junction we had to take for the airport – not a sign of it in the traffic reports. We've decided never to check again.

We left for home very disappointed as the next flight was only the following evening which would have left us with almost no time in Marseille.

On the way home Leon suggested we take the ferry to somewhere else in France. By the time we got home it was already 20:00. It had taken us 7 hours to the airport and back - normally a three hour round trip. When we looked at ferries for the next day, they all were leaving quite late in the day so we resigned ourselves to staying home for the weekend.

Whilst Leon was out picking up our pizza - yes, we needed comfort food - I had another look at the ferries and spotted on that left 23:15 that evening to Caen in Normandy, France. We immediately booked it, wolfed down our pizza and 45 minutes later we were on our way to Portsmouth.

It turned out to be a fantastic weekend. The trip on the ferry was 5 hours which we spent in a cabin sleeping – much more comfortable than an airplane. We landed 7:00 the next morning and spent the next three days driving around Normandy and Brittany.

We spent some time at Omaha Beach – one of the scene of the D-Day landings of World War II. The rows upon rows upon rows of white cross tomb stones at the American Cemetery can not be described. And it’s quite hard to believe that the beautiful beach at the foot of the cemetery bared witness to such atrocities.



In Bayeux we saw the a thousand year old, 70 meter long tapestry telling the story of William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066.

We also visited the walled city of St Malo - pictured below.



But the highlight of our trip must be the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel. It is one of the most spectacular places we’ve ever been lucky enough to visit…



If you want to see the rest of our photos, click here.

A Visit from Leon's Aunt Molly

(posted by Elizma)

We went up to London last night to see Leon's Aunt Molly. She was on a quick stop-over in London on her way to Helsinki from Lusaka in Zambia. We had dinner with his two cousins, Shaun and Megan and Shaun's girlfriend, Candice at a very nice Thai restaurant in Fulham Broadway - Blue Elephant.

It's really nice for me to meet the family one-by-one and Leon enjoys catching up with his family - who are dotted all around the world.


But, we almost didn't make it. We had it booked in the diary and Leon was planning to go straight from work. I would've travelled in by train after work and we would've all met up in Fulham.

To cut a long story short, we forgot! Leon came home as normal, I prepared supper and had it going in the oven when Leon decided to quickly call his family. A chance remark by his Dad sparked a mad frenzy in our house as we realised that it was actually yesterday. We had to travel all the way into London (in rush hour) and we had to do it within an hour.

Luckily the travel fairies were smiling down on us and we made it in ample time. It did help that she was slightly delayed.

Windsor Great Park

(posted by Elizma)

Sunday was such a beautiful day, we had to go out. January is being its miserable self and weeks can go by without a glimpse of the sun. We should be used to it by now, but it sometimes still gets to me.


Windsor Great Park backs onto Windsor Castle. It is in effect the Queen's Gardens extending over some 14,000 acres of which 8,000 acres are forest. It's only 20 minutes drive from us and we love going there.

Happy New Year!

(posted by Elizma)

Happy New Year!

Just a quick note to wish all our friends and family from all around the world a wonderfully blessed 2007. We hope to see each one of you at least once this year... We can dream, can't we?

Lots of love,
Leon & Elizma.