November 27th and 28th Amboise

27 of November

Today we packed up our cabin and drove straight to Amboise and we saw the house that we were going to. It was very easy to find because it is called the blue door so it had a blue door. The place that we were staying at it is the largest inhabited island in France. After finding it we drove to the house where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life. We got to go around his house and see some of the inventions that he had made. I didn’t know how many things he had made like the first car, helicopter, parachute, machine gun, tank and portable bridge. We then walked through his gardens, we got to use some of the things that he invented and see how they work. We then went into the town for a short walk. There were some very cute and interesting shops around. We then went to our house that we were going to stay in. The lady who owns the house showed us around. It was a lovely house with plenty of space. We got settled in and then the boys wanted to sail their paper boats in the river. They didn’t really work because we couldn’t get them in the current enough. By the time we got the soggy bits of paper out of the water we had to go and buy dinner. After dinner we went to bed.

Amelia

28 of November

Today we woke up to croissants for breakfast. After getting ready we then drove to a chateau. This was the place where the idea for Tintins house came from. It was amazing to think that people live in this gigantic house. It was very beautiful inside and I do see why they like it. On the stair chase there is a set of prehistoric antlers and because the elk was frozen in Siberian they weren’t fossilised. They were very big and I don’t understand how an animal could have such big antlers. We then went into a Tintin exhibition. It was very interesting because it was interactive so we could open things and press things. They had also recreated some scenes featured in some of the Tintin books. When we came out of the exhibition and we saw the kennels for the hounds. The family was a hunting family so they had over a hundred hunting dogs. They were very big and smelly but beautiful. We then went back to the shop where I bought a tin of Tintin pencils. We then drove to another chateau. This one was on the water and was very grand. It has a maze in its grounds which we had fun playing in. we then went inside. It was very grand and was where for a while the French royals lived and ruled from. We walked around this grand place reading about its history. As we walked back to the car we spotted on the map a donkey farm so we went over and sure enough there were all these donkeys. They were very fluffy and soft and beautiful to pat. We then went back to the car and drove back to the town. We had hot chocolates and looked in the shops again. We then went home and josh and I watched the special doctor who 50th anniversary episode. I was glad we bought it because I could watch it over and over again. We then had dinner and went to bed.

Amelia

November 24th to 26th - Paris

24 of November

 Today we had a very big day and it would take me too long to write down in detail so I will give a summary of my day. To start off with we took the metro to the Notre Dame. We watched a service which was very interesting to see. We then went to a quirky book shop called Shakespeare and company. It was an amazing book shop where the walls were covered in books from floor to ceiling. We bought a couple of books and had lunch in the Latin Quarter. We then caught the metro again to the Louvre where we walked around the gardens where we found a fountain with boats which you can sail. Lachy and Josh had a go while mum and I sat and watched a French family. They were very cute. After that we went the Champs Elysees where we found Wendy, mum's cousin. She took us up the Arc de Triumph it was an amazing view at the top which made it worth the climb up the stairs. We caught a bus to the part of Paris where she used to live. We had dinner there and walked up to a beautiful spot. It had some cute little streets which were quite. This was nice after the big day we just had. We then caught a train back to the camping site. It was nice to have dinner and take our shoes off because we had walked so much and had blisters and sore ankles and knees.

Amelia

25 of November

We woke up late after such a long day before. We got out the door and caught the train to the Louvre. Mum had a great idea of going to the gift shop beforehand and choosing some post cards. We then went through the Louvre and found the paintings. It was amazing to see such amazing paintings. Some were really big some were surprisingly small and some were very thick in paint. We saw the Mona Lisa but she wasn’t that interesting compared to the painting behind her. It was an enormous painting which looked like a giant had painted it or at least an elephant. It was very detailed too. Full of tiny things that if it wasn’t so big you would find. We then walked around and saw paintings done by Monet and Van Gogh. We then went and had lunch outside where lots of birds (and a rat) came for our food. We then caught the train to Palais Garnier which is the place where the Opera Ballet dances. Mum and I went in while the boys had hot chocolates. It was very beautiful and grand inside. But I was surprised by how small the actual theatre was. We then met the boys outside where we then went to the Champs Elysees where they have Christmas markets. We met Wendy here and saw some beautiful markets. We then walked over to a big bridge which looked spectacular with its gold and copper statues. The copper had turned green and was a good contrast to the gold. We walked along the bridge and said good bye to Wendy we then walked back over the bridge. We then split up so dad could take photos and we could look more at the Christmas markets.  We walked to the meeting spot but dad wasn’t there because he had walked the opposite way and didn’t see us. We finally found him and after a big day we all wanted to go home. It was good to get home and go to bed.

Amelia

26 of November

Today we woke up and caught the metro to the big bridge again. We walked over to the Musee d’Orsay. There was a big queue and dad was determined to get out of it. He asked a security guard and he said that there was a news paper stand selling tickets just next door. It was amazing that there was a queue about three hundred people deep and an empty newspaper stand next to it. After buying our tickets and getting straight in we went and looked at paintings done by Van Gogh, Monet and Degas. They were beautiful and interesting to look at. We did the post card game again but both of Lachy’s were in New York on exhibition. We then went to the Louvre and caught the metro to St Paul. This is where a hotel is named after dad - well that’s what he likes to think. There were some beautiful shops around and if I had more money I would buy so much. We had lunch in a beautiful park. There was lots of French school children playing with the pigeons they were very funny to watch. We then went and met Wendy and had drinks in a cafe. We caught a train to the Eiffel tower. It was very beautiful at night, we said good bye to Wendy and went up the Eiffel tower. It was very beautiful up the top. You don’t realise how high up it is until you are at the top. After dad took over three hundred photos we went back down but we walked it instead of going in the lift which is what we did on the way up. There are over seven hundred steps. We met Wendy again and she took us to some amazing Christmas window displays. They were amazingly well done. With moving teddy bears and colourful backgrounds. We then were all very tired and couldn’t wait to get home so it was nice when we got back on the train and went home.

Amelia    

November 23rd - Normandy

23 of November

Today we packed up our room and went down and had breakfast. It was a typical French breakfast with croissants and a fruit salad. After the breakfast we got in the car and drove to Pointe du Hoc. This is where a big part of the second world war happen. It was very interesting to see and hear about but I am not here to give you a history lesson. So after hearing ad learning about the cliffs and rangers we drove to Omaha beach which is also part of the second world war. It is one of two beaches with American names because they were code words used by the Allies. After walking on the beach and reading about what happened there we went to a museum about the vehicles, equipment and uniforms used by both sides in the second world war. It was very interesting to read about the vehicles and what they were able to do.   After the museum we went to the memorial for all the Americans who died during the fighting on D-Day. The white crosses look incredible because they were so precise in their placing. I understand that it was done out of respect to them but just the amount of crosses and their positioning was amazing. It really made you think about the many people who died fighting there.  There was so many cross and that was only the men and women whose families agreed to have their bodies buried there. We then got back into the car and drove to Paris! As we drove in we could see the Eiffel tower in the distance. This was one of the places I couldn’t wait to see. We drove to the camping site where we were going to stay. We got ready for bed and went to sleep after our big day.

Amelia

November 17th to 22nd - Ireland

17 of November

Today was a very slow day. It was raining nonstop and was very foggy. We drove to a town where we had lunch out at a pub. It was very nice and dad heard a man say “to be sure to be sure” in an Irish accent. He found it very funny and couldn’t stop laughing. We then went to a bay which was quite miserable. We then went back home and watched TV and had pancakes for dinner. The only reason was because they were easy. We then went to bed. Only three more days till my birthday!

Amelia

18 of November

Today we packed up the house and gave it a clean. We then drove to some spectacular cliffs called the cliffs of Moher. It was off the west coast of Ireland. We walked into the information centre which was built into the side of a hill with a sky light of the top. It was very well done inside with a virtual look into the wildlife of the cliffs. There is an island just off the cliffs where in the summer puffins live. There are also dolphins that live in the waters close to the cliffs. Because we are here during the colder months most of these animals have moved down south and will be back in summer. We then went on a walk along the cliffs. It wasn’t the safest walk because for a part of it there was no fence so you could be as close to the edge as you like. There were some people who weren’t as safe as was necessary. They were in high heels standing ten centimetres from the edge and my mum was holding lachy and josh’s shirts and not letting them within five metres from the edge. The two extremes in the same place. We then went to an old town set up to be in the same time as the castle part of it. It was like stepping back in time. We went into the castle which was set up like it would have been back then. It was very spectacular with great views and lots of rooms. We then went and looked around the town it was very interesting to see how the different people lived like a farmer would live with the cows in the same house and a black smith would live with all his tools but because he was a very wealthy man he had more room in his house. It was all very interesting but we did have to get to our house so after looking around we went to the car and driving straight to the home only stopping to get food for dinner. Once we got to the house we found that the owner had left the keys in the door so we let ourselves in. We found the owner and he went through a few things about the house. We then settled down had dinner and went to bed. Only 2 more days to go!

Amelia

19 of November

Today we went around the ring of Kerry which is a drive around a peninsula. We drove firstly to a park near a beach. This was one of the best parks we have been at on the whole trip. After having lots of fun there we drove to a town where there is a craft shop full of things made by locals. We found these little people which are made of a clay.  They looked a lot like wizards. We decided to choose two each. They are very cute and will be great as souvenirs because they are small. We then drove onto an island which had some spectacular views. We drove up to the highest point on the island and looked down over the island and the main land. It was very beautiful and cold so we were very quick to hop back in the car and drive back to the main land. We then stopped at a chocolate factory where you are able to watch them make the chocolates as well as try some. It was interesting to watch how much chocolate they used and how they created the little wonders. We tried some and they were absolutely amazing they were bursting with flavour of all kinds. They were so good we spent 50 dollars on them!  After a very expensive experience we drove on to a town where we had lunch. We then drove on to the workshop of the lady who made the little people. We got to see some of her other creations and also meet her and her dogs and cats. They were very friendly and cute. One of our favourite things was the fairy doors which you put in the grass to make them look like little people live there. They were very cute and mum had to buy them. After that we then kept on diving till we came to a lake and because the sun was going down there was an amazing view of the warm sky and the reflection on the lake it was beautiful and peaceful. We then drove straight home where we had dinner and went to bed. I was very excited about tomorrow because it is my BIRTHDAY!

Amelia

20 of November

Today was my birthday! I woke up and got my presents. I got a ring with patterns from Ireland some chocolates and lollies and some hand creams. I enjoyed getting my presents even though mum forgot about the hand creams and I had to ask for them but we don’t talk about that. We then had croissants for breakfast and then went down to ride some horses. We first had to brush the donkeys and horses before saddling up the horses and taking them out for a ride. It was lots of fun especially when we went into a trot because you would bounce up and down. We then went back to the house where we had birthday cake. We then went out to a town called Dingle. At Dingle we looked in some shops such as a candle shop where the candles had two different parts to them a coloured see-through part and a white part. They had some amazing smells so we had to buy one. We then went on a drive where we found a man who creates pieces of art from slate. We went and had a look around and then he said would you like to have a try so we made a frame each which was very special we also bought a sign which said welcome in Gaelic to go at our front door at home. After that we went a pottery shop for tea. It was fun because we drank out of the cups they had made. They were very nice to drink out of. We then drove on and drove back to dingle where we had dinner in a very nice pub. We had it all to our selves which was nice. After a very filling dinner we drove back home and because of the big day I fell straight to sleep.

Amelia

21 of November

 Today we had to pack up our house and drive to the port where we would catch a ferry to France. Once we packed the car and tidied the house we drove to Killarney, of the major towns near where we were staying. We looked in some of the shops around such as one of the biggest souvenir shops ever. It had a whole wall dedicated to mugs plus there was more around the shop. It then also had a section for one brand called Guinness which is a beer.  Once we finished looking around in that shop we then went into a photography shop. There was some amazing photos but in the last ten years he has probably got only a hundred photos which are sellable. They were amazing photos which (if they weren’t so expensive) I would buy all of them. We then walked on to an ice cream shop - yes it was only three degrees but you can eat ice cream no matter what the weather. So we bought some ice cream, they were delicious! They were creamy and bursting with flavour I have only tasted ice cream that good once before. As we enjoyed our ice creams we walked down to a tourist information centre. The reason being that mum loves collecting maps of the places we have been so we have loads of maps to bring home I have no idea how they will all find but we will work that out. So after finding all the maps we needed we went back to the car and drove off to a place called the Gap of Dunloe. This is a huge valley with mountains either side and lakes throughout it. It was an amazing place and words cannot describe it. As we explored this place we found a spot to go down near a river which connects two lakes together. It was lots of fun jumping over the rock until Josh fell and got a thorn stuck in his head! It was a big one too but dad got it out and after a while he was back to his normal self. We then drove on to the port where we would catch our ferry from. We had dinner in a local pub then we drove onto the boat. It wasn’t the best boat in the world especially compared to the boat we took from Scotland to Ireland. Dad thought it would have more and was surprised. We went to our cabin and put our stuff down we went and got tea and walked around the boat. We then went to bed but because the boat was moving it was very hard to get to sleep.

Amelia

22 of November

We woke up to an announcement after not a very good sleep. We got ready quickly because we wanted to watch a movie but we had to have breakfast before hand. After a needed breakfast but a fast one we went to see the movie. We were the only ones in the movie so it was very nice. We watched the movie Turbo. After the movie we went back to the cabin where because we were at sea we felt sick we had to lie down. We all felt sick and couldn’t wait to get onto solid land. The announcement came to say that it was time to go to our cars. We got off the boat and drove to our next hotel in Normandy, France. We were greeted by the owner who showed us around. After we were settled in we went to have dinner. At dinner we had very big servings and I couldn’t eat it all. It was good to have a big dinner because we went to sleep very well.

Amelia

November 12th to 15th - Scotland

12 of November

Today we woke up and we had chickens and the dog call Fern visit us. It was lots of fun because Fern would bring us a rock and want us to throw it for her. It was very cute and enjoyable. We then walked up to a fort which is right next to where we were staying. We found out that this is where Scotland began. We were able to see where they would make kings and we put our feet where kings put theirs. It was a lot of fun because Fern came with us and was trying to round us up! It was very windy on top of the fort which was lots of fun to play in.  Once we got to the bottom of the fort we went back home and hopped into the car and drove to a spot where there are some standing stones and a burial spot where about ten people were buried. As we were looking at them hail came pouring down so we ran back to the car. It was very funny because dad was scared of the rain and was the one running the fastest (note from Dad - not scared - just wanting to keep us all dry). Once it stopped we tried again to look at the burial site and the standing stones.   It was amazing because we were able to touch them and walk around them. On our way back to the car it started to rain again it was very cold and wet. We then went to a bridge where we played pooh sticks - it was lots of fun. We then went to a town called Crinan where there are canals for boats to travel up. Here there is a very clever way of getting boats to higher parts of ground. They use things called locks where they change the water level in one part of the canal so you can sail through. After exploring how they work we went home and had lunch and at three thirty we went beaver watching. This might sound strange but beavers live in Scotland and you are able to go and watch them. We walked around being very quiet hoping to get a glimpse of them. We did see the ripples of one in the water which was very exciting but other than that we didn’t see anything. It was still fun to go beaver watching and to see the scenery around the dam that they had made. After the adventures with the beavers it was nice to be home and have dinner.

Amelia

13 of November

Today we woke up early to catch a ferry to an island off the coast of Scotland called Mull. There was hardly anyone on the ferry which was quite nice. We went past lots of smaller islands on the way. I did think it would be fun to own an island because you could do whatever you want on it and have a boat to get to and fro from it and the main land. Once we got to the Isle of Mull we went on a scenic road around the island. It had some amazing country side and giant mountains. There was golden yellow grass on the mountain sides and in the wind would make it look like it was rippling like waves. There were sheep all over the mountain sides which gave you some perspective of how big the mountains were. We stopped at one point where Josh wanted to climb one of the mountains so we started to climb not knowing that it was the biggest on the island! We didn’t get to the top but we got a fair way up it. It was quite a climb but worth it because the views were beautiful. Once we got back down we drove on to a town on the other side of the island. On our way there we spotted some Highland calves. They were very cute and big. When we got to the town we hopped out and looked in a few shops. We found that because it was so small everyone knew everyone and we would have looked like tourists. We bought some chips and drove back for our ferry home. We were all very sleepy after our day so once we got home we had dinner and went to bed.

Amelia

14 of November

Today was a very slow and laid back. We got up at 8.30 and walked up to the fort. Mum, dad and I went out and looked at some towns. It was very interesting to see the different types of shops and how there were lots of the same types of shops. I wonder how any of them could get any business because there was hardly anyone around. We then drove back to the house. The boys had lots of fun and were alright. Fern came out and started to play with us which was lots of fun. She loved rounding us up and catching stones that we threw for her. We then had dinner and watched a movie. It was called Bruce Almighty and it was about a man how thought god was trying to do wrong to him so god gave him his powers. He realised that there was more to life than himself and he can’t make everything good for just one person. After that we went to bed for a needed rest.

Amelia

15 of November

Today we drove to a ferry and went over to Ireland. On our way on to the ferry a security lady asked “could the female please step out of the vehicle for a body search.” Mum was a bit nervous but dad just stood there and laughed. Once we got on to the boat we got out of the car and went upstairs. It was a pretty fancy. It had a spa, cinema and spots to play Xbox and IPad. It was very nice. Dad and l went to the shop and I spotted some lovely hand cream which I really wanted. When I talked to mum and dad about buying it but they kept saying not to buy it. They ended up telling me the reason why the didn’t want me to buy it was because they wanted to buy it for my birthday. It was very funny but I then understood why they didn’t want me to buy it. Once we got off the ferry we drove to the place where we were going to stay. Once we got to the place the manager showed us around and we got settled down. We then sat down and watched Chile vs England in soccer and then went to bed.

Amelia