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2005

Some things need a little bit patience. So it took 14 years after our last visit to come back to England. Before we started  our journey there were some things to do. First of all: Special thanks to Chris, who found the right place for our staying in Cornwall. As you can see on the picture, I had much fun to find the best travellroute. Because of our very late decision, to spend our holidays in England, all important things happened "at las minute". So in the last week before we started, the children got theire passports. Also the confirmation of the booked cottage we got in the last week. The tickets for the ferry from Calais to Dover we got two days before we left home. So the preperations had been quiet exciting already.

Friday, 5th of August

We started at 6.30am from Marl and arrived the harbour of Calais at 11.30am. The ferry, we booked, went out at 2.20pm. so there was much time for a nice lunch in the harbour-restaurant.

                                           

While looking in which lane I had to go, I heard, that we could get a ferry, which went out, before that one we booked. :-))

                             

So we left Calais at 1.45pm with the "Pride of Burgundy"

I don't think, that I have to say, that we were very happy......

                         

                         

Many German people believe, that its raining all the time in England. Well, while we drove through Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France

it was raining the whole time. But, when we arrived the English coast in Dover the sky wasn't cloudless, but it was dry. ;-)

                                        

We left the ferry in Dover at about 3.00pm. CAUTION! We are now in England, so its just 2.00pm. ;-)

After a rest in Maidstone, where we took some food, I followed the advice of Chris, to take the north-route arround London.

Its very funny, to use the London-Motorway on a Friday afternoon. ;-) I didn't know, that there is a toll-road because of the tunnel under

the Thames. So at this region the traffic was quiet bad. But I didn't mind. :-) Finally at 7.30pm we could shake Chris' hands. :-)))

Here we are:

What is the biggest present, which you can get after a long journey???

Yes, this one:

Because of the very bad weather the trees in the gardens of London looks so funny:

(Sorry, that must be said to the stupid German people, who don't know, what they say ;-))

    

It was very nice, to see Chris' children after such a long time. I expected, that I woudn't recognize them. So it was.

Another member of the family is Crosby. We had much fun with him....

        

While Chris prepared the barbeceau, we enjoyed the cosy atmosphere in his garden.

        

The problem with the two forks is well known...... :-)))))

    

After a big meal we had time to drink another beer (ore some more).... ;-)

It was not really cold this night, but I think, Crosby needed a little bit warmth. ;-)

        

Saturday, 6th of August

After a very good night we waked up on Saturday morning, while Chris was preparing the breakfast already. It was in 1979, when we spent

our holidays together at Chapel Kerketh in St. Merryn and he showed me, what a real English breakfast is: BEANS ON TOAST!!

Thank you very much for this great dejavus, Chris! :-)))

                  

Also on the next day Crosby was our big friend. ;-)

Well, its time to say "good bye".

Just let me say one sentence to Chris: "Thank you very much for this nice weekend. We won't forget it! I hope to see you in October in Marl!!!"

Bye bye....

  

  

We left London at 10.30am. Our destination was Kestle Mill near Nequay in Cornwall. But instead to hear to Chris, to use the M4 and M5, I choosed

the A30. That was a mistake. But Chris told me before. Anyway. Short time, before we arrived our destination, we had a short rest.

So here are the first two pictures of Cornwall:

  

When we arrived Kestle Mill at 7.30pm, it was a little bit raining. But never mind. We were happy!

Special thanks to Graham and Ference for the nice welcome:

        

We expected a very nice cottage, but what we saw, was much more, then that what we expected.

                             

From the first moment we felt like at home...

                         

So after a long long day it was time to go to bed.

                         

Sunday, 7th of August

I waked up in the morning at about 6.00am. So I went out of the sleeping-room to go outside. That what I saw, was the typical English

weather, I know. The sun was shining! WELCOME TO CORNWALL!!! Sorry, that's not right. The Cornish people says:

"WELCOME TO KERNOW!!!!"

    

So while Heike and the children slept still, it was the right moment, to take a few pictures from the SUNRISE COTTAGE.

  

  

  

  

Chris told me, the cottage was build in the 17th century. I think, the people at that time were a little bit smaller than today.

Our youngest daughter, who is eleven years old, is the only one of us, who don't have to mind the head while going through the door. ;-)

  

Never mind. We enjoyed our first breakfast...

  

Well, after breakfast we wanted to go to Newquay, which is the nearest town at the coast from Kestle Mill. Its just 5 minutes to drive by car.

But when we went into Newquay, there was so much traffic because of a surf-festival, that we thouhgt, its the best idea to choose another

destination. "So let's go to Porthcothan Bay", where we stood last time in 1991. OK! On the way to Porthcothan Bay we stopped at

Watergate Bay, to take some pictures...

              

After this short rest we arrived Porthcothan Bay. The hotel, where we stood in 1991, doesn't exist anymore (the picture in the middle), but

the telephone, which I know since 1980, is still on the same place. ;-)

     

Before we leave the beach of Porthcothan Bay, we don't want to forget a speciality of Cornwall:

The next rest should be in St. Merryn in the lovley pub "Farmer's Arms", where I've been the first time in 1979. But when we came to St. Merryn,

it was overflowed, so that we didn't got a place on any carpark. Never mind. Let's go to Padstow.

    

Padstow is my favorite place in Cornwall. Enjoy the pictures.....

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

Well, we recognized, that we had the wrong colthes on. So after we went back to our cottage, we changed the long with the short colothes and

and looked for the shadow, because the sun shined very strong....

       

So after our bodys got fresh air in the shadow, we wrote the first postcards and Heike provided the plants with water.

 

After that we went out, to have a look at the seaside. We agreed, that the bay, you will see on the following pictures, should be OUR bay. ;-)

   

 

The last three pictures are from the bay next door....  

     

After an eventful first day in Cornwall we had a last view out of the windows of our nice cottage.

          

Monday, 8th of August

After a very good night the children enjoyed the armchairs to get awake, while Heike cooked the rolls for our breakfast.

     

So we had a wunderful breakfast in a wonderful world!

     

Well done. Now it was time to buy some food, to fill the fridge. We were very surprised, when we reached the carpark of the next discounter.

Why? Because its name was "Lidl"! That's the shop, which is about 300m from our home (in Germany). ;-) And it looked like the same.

Also the sign of the fastfood restaurant next door is not unknown in Germany.....

         

The time is always running fast. That must be the reason, that's time for lunch again.

        

And after every lunch you should relax.....

         

Relaxed we agreed to take a bath in the sea on that bay, we discovered the day before. First of all we should have a look to

the naturally carpark of the beach....

         

.....and the beach next door.

         

Yeah, but this was our beach:

     

Well, what's the best, you can do after enjoy the waves on the beach? Right: The best thing, you can do, is to make a barbeceau while drinking a lager ;-)

        

And what's the best thing, you can do, after having a barbeceau and drinking a lager?

Right: To drink some more lager in the only pub of the village: WILLOWS!

         

After coming back home,.....

         

we had much fun with the fuse for the lights in the house. Suddenly it was dark in our rooms. The great question was: Where are the place,

where the fuses are? We were lucky, that there was a torch in the cottage, which helped us to find the place of the fuses.

Ahh, here we are:

 

So lets open the box, where is written "FUSES". But.... what's that????

I never saw such fuses before...... Ok, lets take out the right one, which is responsible for the lights.

MMhhh.....wire.......fuse......that should work....

         

YEAH!!! It works!!! ......for about 5 minutes..... NEVER MIND: try again! After the second attempt it worked the whole time.

Well done. Let's go to bed. ;-)

Tuesday, 9th of August

The wether was fine, we all were happy. We had no other idea, than go to the beach - like yesterday. Not really like yesterday:

Before we went to the beach, we bought a surfboard. Such of them, we saw a lot of them the day before on the beach.

And we had luck: the waves were very high this day, so we had much fun with the board. :-))

Well, after the fun there is a lot of work in the cottage. So while Heike cleaned the floor, I watched over the garden... ;-)

         

Every evining we could see the snails on the nice white walls outside:

     

Wednesday, 10th of August

The weeks before we started our holidays, I looked to the internet, wether there are some interesting places in Cornwall, which I don't know.

So I often read about the fishing village "Mevagissey", where I haven't been anytime. It was not so far from our cottage in Kestle Mill.

Just about 29km. So let's start to Mevagissey and enjoy the pictures of a cosy harbour on the southside of Cornwall....

     

     

         

         

         

         

         

     

It was really a nice day in Mevagissey. We turned home to the cottage with a happy feeling and had another barbeceau. After that we played some

games while having also much fun...

         

Thursday, 11th of August

This was the first day in Cornwall, that the sky wasn't cloudless. But the sun won the game against the clouds. ;-)

We decided, to visit another place, which we didn't know yet. St. Michaels Mount. Its a little island on the southcoast,

which you can reach at low tide by foot. At flood you can take a ferry to the island. Well, we came to St. Michaels Mount at

low tide and spent the money for the ferry. ;-) Just enjoy the p........

         

         

         

         

When we arrived the carpark after visiting St. Michaels Mount, we thougt about to go to Mousehole, the nice fishing village, where we've been

the last time 14 years ago. But it was to late already. So we decided, to drive back to the cottage, while having a little rest in St. Yves by the way

St. Yves is another well known place in Cornwall, which I never saw before. Its quiet nice there. But its also very buisy.

I would say, its "St. Tropez" of Cornwall...

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

on the way back to the cottage....

         

After this exciting day we played some games as every evening. Some people looked quiet funny....

     

So after this wonderful day, its time time to take some romantic pictures from the cottage....

     

Friday, 12th of August

The last whole day in Cornwall.... Is there anybody tired???

         

Well, before we came to England, I thougt, the most time we will spend in Newquay, because its just two miles from

Kestle Mill. But our first real visit in Newquay should be on our last day, we were in Cornwall. That's Newquay:

         

         

After a nice day in the buisy town Newquay we turned back to the cottage for a last dinner. Afterwards we walked last time

to Willows, the pub in Kestle Mill, to have a last drink.

  

     

By walking back home you can see the small lane, which goes up to the cottage. ;-)

         

 

Now its time to say good night for a last time. ...

         

Saturday, 13th of August

We had a great time in Cornwall. The wether was fine, the people were nice (special greetings to the very kind people from the Post Office

in Quintrell Downs), the cottage was superb, and....and....and....

But every holidays have an end. We were quiet sad, when we put the suitcases into our car....

         

We were sad, to leave this beautiful place, but we were happy, to spend such a nice time here!!!

BYE BYE SUNRISE COTTAGE!!!!!!!

This was the route, we had to go through UK, to get the ferry in Dover:

Well, we left Kestle Mill at 8.15am. And it should take more time as the 6 hours, you see above, because of some rests and a

little bit bad traffic.The first jam we had between Weston Super Mare and Bristol. But it was not so bad. So I used the jam for a

pitstop. With this full tank we should come home. The little rest... (all carparks were overflowed until London. And funny: On the

navigation-system Bristol is called Kingswood)

    

Between Bristol and London we took a diversion because of a jam on the M4.

In the south of London I had a last rest for a cigarette....

We arrived the port of Dover at 5.00pm. So it took from Kestle Mill to Dover about 9 hours. This time we had also luck.

The ferry, we booked should leave Dover at 6.55pm. That one, we got, left Dover at 5.30pm. :-)

Waiting for get on the ferry....

When I saw the waves in the harbour, I thought, it will be a very funny feeling, to pass the channel. ;-)

Our luck was, that we got the Pride Of Kent, which is a very large ferry. So it was quiet allright, although the sea

was not really smooth. ;-)

         

         

    

At about 7.00pm we arrived the horbour of Calais. Sorry, that's the English time. Its 8.00pm now. ;-)

The last pictures from Calais....

    

At about 8.40pm we reached the border of Belgium. In Belgium we took the last pictures of our journey, while having a little rest.

     

After 432km from Calais we arrived home at 12.30am.

Actually I was very tired. But I knew, when I go to bed, the "English holidays" are all over. So I took 2 beers, to keep the

feeling high. ;-))

 

Now its time to say THANK YOU to some people, who made this unforgetable week true:

Thanks to my mother, who made these holidays possible,

Thanks to Chris for finding the cottage and the great weekend in London,

Thanks to Graham and Ference for staying in theire lovley Sunrise Cottage,

Thanks to Helpful Holidays for the arrangement,

Thanks to my family for having much fun that week.

 

   At last: Hope to see Chris in Marl in October!!! :-)))

And: Many greetings to the whole family of Chris!!!