Today I still have the day off. Normally, we would go to Gabi’s mother’s house the day after we got back and eat a box of donuts together. But right before the holidays, our washing machine broke and today someone is coming over to hopefully fix it. So that has to be cancelled, sorry. We are in luck: the mechanic identifies the heating element as [Weiterlesen]

Today we are driving home and therefore start the day a little earlier than usual. Apart from a Pret at the other end of the shopping centre, nothing is open yet. But that’s enough to buy a breakfast and sandwiches for the road. Finally our luggage and all the shopping is loaded. Wow! The car is quite full! We make good progress. There is little [Weiterlesen]

On our last day in the UK, Clare visits us. Unfortunately, we couldn’t meet her in Fleet, where she lives, because she and Dan were on holiday. Our trip was originally planned for a few weeks earlier. It’s great that we can still see each other. We walk together through the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, to which our hotel is attached. In the small [Weiterlesen]

Today we visit the “Portraits of Dogs” exhibition. And it’s really great! The paintings are by different artists. Many were painted by Edwin Landseer in the 19th century. He managed to capture not only his dogs and those of his relatives and acquaintances true to life. No, he often also hid a socially critical message in his paintings. It’s great how the panels next to [Weiterlesen]

Today we are recovering from the stress of the last few days. And I don’t mean the visit of Gabi’s sister, of course, but our unplanned move to the other hotel and the long time in the traffic jam. We slept wonderfully at the Premier Inn. After a late breakfast, we set off in the direction of central London. And make good progress on the [Weiterlesen]

Today we visit Kew Gardens, the Royal Botanical Gardens in south London. But before that, we visit the Newens Original Maids of Honour Bakery right next to the park. Here we buy a small picnic for later. Fun fact: tomorrow it will be exactly nine years since we first bought the Maids of Honour Tarts here, which are a bit comparable to Portuguese Pastéis de [Weiterlesen]

Today we leave Fleet and move to London for the rest of our holidays. On the way there, we stop off at the Westfield White City shopping centre to give LucY’s battery another full charge: Here it has the most central Tesla Supercharger in London. But where? There are no signs, and the several car parks are so huge and winding that you can’t find [Weiterlesen]

Today we drive to the New Forest, a national park on the south coast of England. In Milford on Sea we walk up and down the beach, again in beautiful sunshine. It’s just a bit windy – but that’s often the case at the sea. It is relaxing to watch the people swimming and enjoying themselves. For us, the water would be much too cold. [Weiterlesen]

Today we drive to Bath. Here we meet our friend Ollie and visit the Roman Baths together. But first she takes us to the world’s best fudge shop. And that doesn’t seem to be an exaggeration! We get to sample from the fudge being made right now and buy a nice selection. What a great selection of flavours! But now it’s time: we enter the [Weiterlesen]

Today we drive to the Cotswolds, a particularly beautiful hilly landscape in southwest England. In Oxford we recharge LucY’s battery again before we drive through dense forests and over ever smaller roads. We make our first stop at the Rollright Stones, a stone circle from about 2500 BC, also called Kings Men. According to legend, a king had encamped his army on the hill, encouraged [Weiterlesen]