After we got back, we decided to travel to MPP so we could pick up a few puzzles from James, visit with a few friends, and just have a few days of time alone together without guest, help, and workers.
First though, a bit more fun with Tanner. He made an amazing aged tomahawk dinner for us. Turns out he's a pretty good cook.
The next day we decided to go visit a few antique stores, one of which ended up being closed but Tanner was able to pick up a few gifts and we found a few more display cases.
On our way back to the castle we decided to stop off at Orvieto so I could show him the beautiful duomo there. I'm pretty sure I did a ZTL violation. We shall see when I get back home.
I took Tanner to the airport on Sunday so our trip really started then. He and George spent the morning working on the 3D printers while I packed the rest of our bags for our trip the following day.
Around 1 or so we took off for Rome. The trip was uneventful but we did manage to have one good last day of chat. It was a real pleasure having him stay with us. I can't wait until he comes back with Jesse and Geneva.
We got home around 7, had a late dinner and packed the car for an early drive.
Our first stop was Aosta where we stayed at the base of Mount Blanc. What a beautiful area we chose! We have decided that this will be a goto spot on future trips. We really enjoyed this route. It has stunning scenery, and the drive is an easy one for me. I finally worked out how to divide the trip into three parts. I'm becoming more continental now. I don't want to drive more than 6 hours a day with a nice leisurely lunch picnic (and a nap) in the middle.
The next day we drove to Reims and stayed at a F1 hotel. Nice name. Sparse hotel. I received an email just before arrival telling us we needed to get our own towels. Too funny. But for €48 a night, what can one expect. Seriously though, it was a comfortable bed, a very tiny shower and a loo. It was all that was needed for a nights sleep.
We arrived at Calais a bit early as usual, and I'm guessing because it was a Wednesday and there weren't many travelers, we got on the train 2 hours earlier than planned without having to pay an extra fee. Surprise! This put us in the UK at around 11 am. We then drove to the North West of London to spend a bit of time with one of George's friends. Apparently, the three of them climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro together. We had a nice walk through the commons where we bumped into some cows, then we headed off to a local pub for a traditional pie and fish and chips dinner. They were lovely people and I look forward to going back for another visit.
On Thursday we woke up and headed for Honiton where we stayed with James and picked up a few more white puzzles, some magazines, and a few other odds and ends of puzzles. Lindsey thought me how to make avocado soup and I remembered how much I love heated blankets. I must remember to get one for our bed in the castle.
While at James' we had a discussion about Berrocals which lead me to do a bit more hunting, which in turn lead to a purchase of 4 more prints. Just when I thought I had them all, more show up. The collection is getting much bigger as we speak. At the same time, I discovered yet another outdoor work in Italy that I simply must go see. Turns out, it's not that far from our home so I think on the return we will stop by and take a look.
Oh, and James has cows too!
We had a lovely dinner together and discussed the return of some of the kept puzzles to the collection. All in good time they will be returned. For now, we have obtained the cricket bat yet again and I've given James a list of those puzzles that I purchased from the ones he kept. I don't want him to be completely puzzleless. Although, he has been doing a great job of repurchasing many more puzzles since we cleaned him out. His shelves are once again filled.
Friday after lunch we took our leave as the car didn't have internal dash lights so I didn't want to drive at night. We came up with a temporary solution of led nightlights that I could turn on when necessary, but it wasn't ideal. We stayed again in the Westmead Hotel. We had a nice dinner in and an early bedtime. Tomorrow is MPP.
whew! so much work. I'm just barely thinking about our two trips this fall. Heading to Montreal to cruise back to Miami in a couple of weeks. We are spending Halloween time in Vegas and Sedona and then back to back for the 9 month world cruise. Glad to see you guys out and about. Are you coming to Florida for a visit? We are gone by Dec. 10.
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