We made it home …

We arrived home early on Friday 5 August. Our housesitter Jacqui met us at the front door, and so did Sammy and Bella. They’ve been so well looked after while we were away that they probably didn’t even notice we were gone!

We found the travelling quite tiring this time but once again, we have seen some amazing things and met some wonderful people. When we get home and talk about our trip, it is always the people we’ve met along the way who have made it so memorable.  Thanks to everyone who has followed our blog, we sincerely hope you enjoyed coming along with us.

The J. Paul Getty Museum

… and in the afternoon we went to this stunning complex, donated to the city of L.A. by the oil billionaire Paul Getty and the Getty Foundation.  It sits atop a hill with a commanding view of L.A. and it houses permanent collections of famous art works, as well as hosting temporary exhibitions.  There are also buildings devoted to art conservation and research.  A very modern tram snaking up the side of the hill takes all visitors to the complex, and it’s all free, including entry.  What an amazing gift to the city.  We were extremely impressed not only with the artworks, but with the design, elegance, the beautiful gardens and relaxing spaces.  Highly recommended.

the L.A. touristico

In the morning we were taken on a tour of the usual attractions …

Heat, freeways, vehicles, buildings, mountains and smog, welcome to L.A.	Traffic islands, LA style	Through one of the buildings on Hollywood Blvd you can see that awful sign	Who else would you want to find sitting on the pavement?
And who lives behind this gate?   Of course… Ringo Starr (next door to Jennifer Aniston)	The highly decorated ceiling of the famous El Capitan Theatre	Wilshire Blvd and the hotel where Pretty Woman was filmed	If you is in Rodeo Drive baby, you gots to look goooood

The flight from London to L.A.

Couldn’t help myself – it was a clear day and the view was amazing, so here’s a few pics from seat 43K at 36,000 feet up

Greenland

A closer look at icebergs

Canadian agriculture

A miniscule section of the L.A sprawl

Piccadilly Circus

With a mere 24 hours in London, we only had time to drop our bags at the hotel, find a bus to get to the tube so we could get to Piccadilly Circus to meet up with Amber for a few hours. We had a great time – we managed to score an outside pub table for 3, right amongst the action, so we supped our beers and ate dinner while watching the crazy world and Catherine Tate go by (she’s starring in a Shakespeare play on Charing Cross Rd at the moment).

Saturday evening crowds in Piccadilly Circus	Mind the gap	Newest store on Leicester Square… 4 floors selling M+Ms
Di and Amber	This was about the 5th Hen Party that went past us	Latest London fashions

Bluebles

Another collection of things we’ve seen along the way …..

Nantes

We had a 2 night stay in the busy port city of Nantes before heading back to Heathrow.  Nantes is built over the Loire river but we were surprised that the riverside areas are rather unattractive.  It would have been a tiring walk around the city, so we opted for the mini tourist train to see some of the sights, but that meant few photographs because it was too difficult at speed and over cobbled streets.

Central shopping area	Spotted from our train ride – it’s a huge people carrier
The best shot of the river we could find, and even that’s not impressive	Cafe city

Fontevraud Abbey

Linz and I visited the Abbey in 1999 and loved it, but my photos weren’t digital then.  We visited the town of Fontevraud again last year but didn’t go through the Abbey because we didn’t have time.  As it houses the Plantagenet tombs, it is an important part of Linz’s teaching so we took the time to go through it again and enjoyed it once more.  For those of you who are wondering, the answer is no, I haven’t taken my new camera out of the box yet, so there’s a good excuse to have to come back and photograph the Abbey all over again next year!

Abbey entrance & tomb area	Eleanor of Aquitaine and hubby Henry II	The fantastic kitchen building
		Richard The Lionheart, son of Eleanor & Henry

Livin’ It Up On The Loire

Bits ‘n pieces from our 5 days in a much loved area of the Loire Valley.  We had a great time, and leaving this time was quite emotional for both of us.

Typical houses in town in Saumur

With our heads down and our …

Top end of Saumur city

Linz would not let me buy this house

A favourite building in Montsoreau