Ben's Barbecue Bash

I love a good road trip, so when we got a Facebook invite to Ben's going away barbecue in Bournemouth, we decided to hit the road.  Thanks to Rebekah's employment with Holiday Inn, a very nice cheap hotel was quickly sorted.  Unfortunately Kirsty and Kim weren't able to go with us but at least that meant we only had to take one car.  Also a little fortunate as due to Katy's accident earlier in the week (that's another story) we had a bit of room in the car for her to try and get comfortable.

Once again as we left Lancashire, the weather just kept getting better, and by the time we reached Bournemouth, it was glorious.

There were a lot of people at the barbecue and Ben was clearly having a good time.  The only people I knew were family, and I loved spending time with them.  Jim and Liz had also made the trip down and my big brother Len spent the evening getting very nostalgic for Burnley.  We kept telling him he shouldn't come back and visit because he would just be disappointed, but he's getting old and these kind of things start becoming important to old people don't they?  I'm thinking of going around and taking pictures of all the places he mentioned and sending them to him so he can see just why he shouldn't come back to see them.

Me with big brother Len and daughter number three

There was a whole Jamaican theme to the barbecue with decorations and reggae music.....and a volley ball tournament.  Not sure how Jamaican volley ball is, but Ben and Mark certainly got into the spirit of it. There were enough Hathaways there for us to have a team of our own and Mark tried to get one together, without success.

Ben and Mark enjoying the volleyball

Phil spent the whole night at the barbecue doing his best cheffing, which was much appreciated by everyone.

Head Chef

Two big brothers and my nephew probably talking about something nerdy

Sister in law Mary with her grandson (my great nephew) Oscar

Amelia, Oscar's sister, taking a break from chasing him around the carpet

The sun went down and the lights came on and the flying insects came out.  We were all standing outside chatting and increasingly scratching and flailing our arms around to fend off the insects, and were finally sensible and headed inside away from them after realising we weren't going to win the battle and had better just give up and retreat.

Those Bournemouth mozzies got me good and I now have a poorly infected foot, but it was well worth it.

Hadrian's Wall

I have had reason to visit Carlisle several times over the last few years, and every time I got off the M6 at junction 43 I saw the little brown road sign pointing right to Hadrian's wall, but I never had time to turn right, until two weeks ago.  Katy was away with friends so Robert and I escaped the torrential rain in Lancashire and headed north. 

I love the drive up to Carlisle, even though it's only a motorway, you pass some beautiful scenery as you go through the lake district.  However, I have never yet captured a decent photograph of my favourite part, so I can't show it to you.  I'll do better next time.  On the drive this time we drove through a flock of birds. Literally.  There's a part with a large grass verge separating the north and south bound carriageways and a flock of birds lifted off from the verge right in front of our car and we drove through them.  Didn't hit a single one, it was amazing.

When we got off at junction 43 I was so excited to be turning right instead of left.  A little sad maybe, but I had wanted to do this for years, and now I finally could.  We were heading for Housesteads which I had read were the biggest and most well preserved Roman ruins.  We passed through a tiny village called Twice Brewed on the way there.  You've gotta love some of these remote English place names.

When we arrived at Housesteads there was quite a walk up the hill from the car park, but I had been assured by trip advisor that it was worth it, and it wasn't wrong.  The ruins were mostly just foundations but I love the sense of history you get when you stand in a place like that.  And the views were incredible.

Himself sitting on the ruins

Part of the ruins and the view

Actual Hadrian's Wall

Roman Barracks

After Housestead, we decided to head back towards Carlisle and visit another sight called Birdoswald, which were much smaller ruins.  The guide in the shop told us there was an excellent view down the valley from the south gate of the ruins, so we headed in that direction, walking around the ruins and through the sheep.  There was a convenient large slab of stone, just right for sitting on.  I'm not sure how long we sat there, but it was so peaceful and calming we didn't want to leave.  I go back there in my head sometimes and can remember the feeling of tranquility we both experienced.

Birdoswald

Enjoying the peace and quiet

After our visit to the wall we went back to Carlisle where we were staying for the night.  We booked into a cheap Travelodge, which turned out to be the worst hotel I have ever stayed in.  It was an old 1950's office building that had been converted into a hotel, and when we walked into our room it really did feel like someone had just left a double bed in the middle of an office.  The ceiling was about 20 feet high and the window was so far up that I could barely see out of it.  No curtains, just a roller blind, and grubby white walls.  Still, it was cheap and we were only sleeping there one night.

We hardly spent any time there as we went out for dinner and then  a movie before crashing into bed around midnight. Excellent day.

Himself Turns 40

Turning 40 is a big deal, so I wanted to do something special for Robert to mark the occasion.  I thought about throwing a surprise party, but changed my mind when my plans started getting too complicated.  Next on my list was an evening out but I couldn't find anything on locally that fit the bill.  We had looked at going to Paris for our wedding anniversary this year which was in February, very close to Valentine's day, but the prices were ridiculous, and we just couldn't afford it.  I have never been and really had it set in my mind that I wanted to go this year.  I checked online just to see if it was still as expensive, and found that it was much more affordable now, so I just went for it and booked a very short two day break for us.

We were flying very early on 1st August which is his birthday.  Having got to the airport with time to spare we had a look round the duty free shops (like you do), and Robert was treating himself to some Jean Paul Gaultier.  He had gone to the cash desk to pay and the ladies were talking about how it was the first of the month so they should be saying "white rabbits".  Robert mentioned that it was also his birthday and they proceeded to make a fuss of him and gave him a large chocolate gold medal to wear round his neck.

The flight was uneventful, nothing much to say about it really.  When we got to the other end we caught the RER train into Paris.  About 10 minutes into the trip a rather scruffy looking man entered the carriage with an accordion strapped to his chest and started to play.  I can't remember everything he played but it wasn't typical French stuff, I seem to remember there were a couple of  old Beatles tunes in there and some film themes.  He came round the carriage with his cap afterwards, but I took some good advice from a friend at work and had already resolved that I would be avoiding all eye contact with these sorts of people while in Paris.

Thanks to Google maps we found our hotel quite easily.  Although we were too early to check in, we left our bags there and went off for a few hours.  First stop was Notre Dame cathedral which was just round the corner from where we were staying.  It was about 10:30 in the morning and already very hot. We didn't do an official tour as the line was way too long to stand and wait in that heat, so we went inside and soaked up the atmosphere.  I've seen more impressive cathedrals but it was just good to be there.

Me and himself outside Notre Dame

Have you ever watched Friends? Remember the episode with Phoebe's paintings that come out of the frame at you?  Well this painting in the cathedral reminded me of Phoebe's artwork because the crown was sticking out.

Phoebe was not original

After Notre Dame we decided to take a walk to The Louvre because although we weren't planning to go inside that day, I couldn't wait to see the glass pyramid.  We walked along the road by the Seine and seemed to find ourselves in the florist and pet shop district.  There were about two blocks where it felt like every other shop was either a pet shop or a florist.  Couldn't resist taking a look in one of the pet shops.  There were some beautiful kittens, but lots of them, and not kept in the best conditions unfortunately.  The glass cases they were in looked clean, but rather cramped.

We got to the Louvre (thanks to my excellent sense of direction and map reading, which I will say no more about), and walked across one courtyard, through an arch and saw the pyramid. The square was filled with visitors and a long queue to get in.  We were just about to step out from the archway, when suddenly out of nowhere there was a rather heavy downpour. All you could hear were screams and everyone ran for the nearest cover.  The square just completely emptied within seconds.  It lasted less than a minute but it took a while for people to be brave enough to move back out into the open.

Just after the downpour

The obligatory "make it look like I'm touching the top of the pyramid" photo

After the Louvre it was time to go back to the hotel for an afternoon nap before the evening activities.  The hotel room was beautifully air conditioned which was very much appreciated by the time we had walked back.

Time to venture out again for something to eat and then go to the Eiffel Tower.  We had pre booked tickets online and our allotted time slot was 11pm.  I am so glad we did this because when we got to the tower the queue to buy tickets was very long and would have taken hours to get it.  All we had to do was turn up 5 minutes before our time and walk straight in.  But before that we went in search of somewhere to eat.  Down a side street just past the tower were some bars and restaurants.  We stopped to look at one of the menus and the waiter very efficiently showed us to a table.  We saw him do this with several people while we were eating, he was very good at it.  He was a nice waiter, very friendly with a wonderful curly moustache.  I wish I had taken a photo of him.  The food was delicious, and it was lovely to be able to sit outside in the evening to eat.  It had cooled down a little by now but was still nice and warm.

Back at the tower we milled around with all the other people in the Champs de Mars while waiting for our time slot.  There were hundreds of people having picnics and enjoying themselves.  It was a really nice atmosphere.  We took loads of photos of the tower, but here is a simple one.

The Eiffel Tower

Going up the tower was an amazing experience.  We took the lift to the second floor and then paid to go up the rest of the way to the very top.  The second floor felt very high and I got quite nervous as we made our way to top.  The lift was crowded and we were standing near an Australian couple who were also looking nervous.  We all decided we weren't quite sure why we were doing this because the thought of going up so high was quite scary.

Once we got to the top, we felt very safe as everything was well enclosed and very solid under foot.  The view of Paris at night was of course amazing but very windy.

The Arc de Triomphe

This photo of the Arc de Triomphe from the top of the tower really doesn't convey just how high it was.

Me and himself at the top of the Eiffel Tower

We caught the lift back down to the second floor and then decided to walk down the steps the rest of the way.  I'm glad we did this, but my leg muscles are still complaining about it now.  674 steps in total.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at The Louvre again to get a photo of the pyramid lit up at night.

The Louvre at night

After a good night's sleep and a decent lie in we made our way out for the second day. First stop was breakfast in a little cafe (omelette for me and crepes for himself). Then on to the Pont des Arts via a road side stall to buy a padlock.  There are a few places like this around the world now where couples put locks with their names on as a symbol of their love.  There are hundreds of locks on both sides of the bridge, it was quite a sight.  This has to be one of the most romantic things we have ever done.  We wrote our names and the date on the lock, then chose a spot to place it.  Once it was secured we each threw one of the keys into the Seine.  A part of us will forever be in Paris now.  The lock actually came with three keys and I said that we should bring the third one home as a reminder that the lock is there.  Actually, I figure as himself is now 40 and can no longer be described as a toy boy he's living on borrowed time, so I need that key just in case.

A part of us forever in Paris

Next stop was The Louvre to go inside this time.  This is an impressive building on its own, never mind what is housed in there.  Of course we saw the big stuff like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, and although you know what they look like, it's quite an experience to stand in front of them and look at them for real.  There was so much to see that we didn't have time for everything.  I was glad that we got chance to see the apartments of Napoleon.  Very impressive.

Our time was up and we had to come home.  We had to catch the RER back to the airport, and I saw a sign pointing to it that was a different way to the way we had come, but it looked like a closer route so we followed it.  French sign posts are not great, and we got a little lost.  Time was running and we were both getting rather anxious that we wouldn't get to the airport in time.  Robert asked some locals who were very helpful, but the station entrance that they sent us to was closed.  Fortunately I saw another sign across the road so we headed for it.  Down a tiny side street was a lift.  That was all, just a lift down to the RER.  It was very odd but we got in and went down to the platform.  There was a ticket machine at the bottom that was out of order so we couldn't buy a ticket.  The train was arriving and we didn't have time to go and find another machine, so despite my reservations about getting on a train without a ticket, we got on.  At the other end there would be a barrier where you would have to put your ticket in to get through, but Robert just said that we would explain when we got to the other end so I trusted him.

Well, we got to the airport and the barrier, and there was no one about to help.  After a few minutes we saw a security guard and called him over. He didn't speak much English so we couldn't really explain what had happened.  He directed us to a help point that just had a button and a speaker/microphone, and disappeared.  No one answered when we pressed the button and still there was no one else around to ask for help. Eventually an old man in a scruffy airport uniform and a high vis jacket saw us and asked if we needed to get through the barrier.  We said yes and he just used his pass and let us through.  Thank you whoever you were, your help was much appreciated.

So that was our trip to France.  It's surprising how much French you remember from school. Not enough to form full sentences but enough to get a good idea of what signs are saying, although it was nice to get home and read English signs again.  It was all wonderful, and we want to go back to see all the things we didn't have time for.

Happy Birthday Mr Taylor.