Heading away again...

Last year, Jen and I took off on the holiday of a lifetime when we headed to Europe for a few weeks by ourselves. The original plan was to take the boys as well, but with their own plans, work, sport, school etc, none of them wanted to come, so off we went.
We were nervous leaving a 16 year old ( who turned 17 while we were away) and a 19 year old, but as Sam (23) was around for one of those weeks before he too moved overseas, we were confident in their ability to:
(a) Feed and wash themselves
(b) Keep the dog and cat alive
(c) Clean the shower and toilet (at least to a hygienic standard!)
(d) Use the washing machine
(e) Not trash the house.
(f) Not crash any of the cars
We were pretty pleased to see that nearly all of these were achieved by the time we got back, although to what standard was debatable!!
Let's just say that it wasn't part of our plan to re-carpet a room upon our return!!

Anyway, one of the things that really struck us while we were away was that many older people were really struggling to get around the various cities that we visited, and that perhaps they could have taken these tours when they were more mobile.

Of course, for a number of reasons, this is not always possible, but it really stuck with us.

So much so, that a few months after we got back we thought "Stuff it, let's do it again while we can".
Don't think for one minute that we have won Tattslotto, we haven't. We have just decided to put off a few other things so that we can do this, and yes, we are leaving the boys behind again as they are not interested in coming. If it was America, then I'm sure we'd be paying for four fares.

And probably the main reason we are going is so that we can catch up with our son Sam who has been living and working in London since September, and has also been signed up to play soccer at a very good level. Hopefully we'll see him play while we are there.

We are really looking forward to seeing Sam and getting his spin on London, as well as seeing a few places that we didn't get to see last year.
After a few days with him then it's off to the continent to explore a few countries before a few more days in London with Sam.
As he is not sure how long he will be over there for, this will be a very special time for us.

That's Sam on the left.

A part of London I'm really looking forward to seeing again, I just loved everything about this entire area, so much history to absorb.

And something else I'm really looking forward to.

One of the best ways I've ever found to explore another place is to go for a run and check it out that way. This was our first day in London, so what better way to get my bearings than go for a dawn run through Hyde Park.

I just love soaking up the atmosphere of a foreign place, getting the smells, sounds and general vibe of the area, as well as the opportunity to stop and chat with fellow joggers, even if we don't share the same language.

On our next trip the language barrier will be tested even more than on our last trip, but this is what makes the whole experience so exciting.