Saturday, April 21, 2007

Cantebury

For our last road trip in April we took Gabi for a car ride down to Canterbury. Gabrielle LOVES going for a car ride and travels very well. The car ride was about 2 hours and Gabi used that time wisely to rest up before we got there.

Gabi chillin' in the back seat

After we arrived in Canterbury (about 1pm), it was such a beautiful day we grabbed some take out, found a park, had a nice picnic and played ball with Gabi.


Gabi in action!

After we ate we walked through the town which was an interesting mix of old and new. We could also tell tourist season was upon us because you could barely move! Of course it may have just been all of the English people out and about enjoying one of the few sunny days we get in London.

Canterbury

This is the view on the way to the cathedral. When we got to the cathedral we couldn't go in, 1. because we had Gabi and 2. because it was Sunday and they were conducting Mass. But the grounds were really lovely.

Me, Sammy and Gabi in the cathedral grounds

On the way to Canterbury we saw a sign for Ramsgate and I had read a book or saw a movie, I couldn't remember which, that talked about Ramsgate and WWII. There was a similar boat movement from Ramsgate to the one in Dunkirk (we looked it up online). So we got into the car and drove over. But there wasn't anything in the town, no museum, plaques etc..., telling about the towns involvement in WWII, but it was a pretty little town.

Sammy on the coast at Ramsgate

After we arrived in Ramsgate we took a walk down the coast and we discovered that they have white cliffs like they do in Dover. Which by the way we've been meaning to go to but haven't got around to it yet. After our walk down the cliffs, we took Gabi down to the beach and we had so much fun! Sammy took a video with our camera and I love it! Of course I haven't figured out how or if I can load it on the blog site. But she was running and barking and having a grand old time!

I figured out how to upload video - this is one of my favorites of Gabi. She's having such a good time on the beach, she doesn't get to play in the water as much as she use to in Texas so it's fun to watch her splash about now.
And she slept all the way home!

And as you can see - Gabi had an excellent time on the trip, she slept all the way home.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Spa Weekend

At the beginning of April we went to Switzerland for a long weekend of rest and relaxation. We stayed at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Lausanne which I absolutely loved, http://www.brp.ch/uk/navigation.htm .
Our hotel had a few bars and cafe's but my favorite was the English Bar. It was our favorite spot to have a drink in the afternoon before dinner. I loved the wood paneling, the whiskey and their chopped steak burger was to die for! It was the next best thing to Texas Beef. The bar was also very comfortable and relaxing.

Sammy and Judith in the English Bar
Our hotel was right on Lake Geneva and the weather couldn't have been better. It was sunny and warm everyday we were in Lausanne, a nice change from the cold and rain in London. The hotel had an excellent Spa which I took full advantage of, I had massages (yes plural!), a facial, body scrub, a mani, pedi and a Japanese bath. I was so relaxed I could barely stay awake.

Sammy also enjoyed the spa facilities he came down to the Spa had a pedicure and enjoyed the pool.
Sammy waiting for his Pedicure
When we weren't enjoying the Spa or pool facilities we were exploring Lausanne. One day We took a paddle boat out on the lake and it was incredible. The water was very smooth and inviting looking but when you dipped your hand in it the water was freezing cold.

Sammy and Judith paddling on Lake Geneva

The Alps around the lake were so majestic they didn't look real. Some days you could hardly see them from the haze but on the day we were paddle boating we had a good view. We could see the Alps from our hotel room, but even when it was hazy the view was so beautiful you just wanted to sit, drink coffee, and quietly enjoy it.
The view from our hotel room

We also wandered around the old part of Lausanne visited a flea market and walked around a cathedral they were restoring. We stopped in a small sandwich shop while we were walking around and we had the best sandwiches I'd ever had. I don't know if it was because we were so hungry or if it was the homemade bread, but they were good.
Judith and Sammy at the Cathedral

Sammy and I also went to the Olympic park and museum, it's only a short walk from the hotel and it was very interesting. They have old tickets and programs as well as sporting equipment from the 1800's. They also had a collection of all of the Olympic torches which had been used and they displayed Olympic inspired art. My favorite was this statue of a man and his umbrella was a fountain.

Judith with Man Fountain

We walk through the parks (there were a few interconnected parks around our hotel) to the lake and one of my favorite Self Portraits Sammy snapped in the park right next to the lake. You can just see our hotel in the background.

On our last day in Lausanne we took a walk along the waterfront before we caught the train to Geneva. In the picture below I think we look like what we feel, very relaxed and happy.
Our last walk on Lake Geneva before going back to London

We didn't see as much as we could have while we were in Switzerland - we didn't even explore Geneva. But we didn't care because we had such a good time relaxing and strolling around Lausanne. I would highly recommend it to anyone who needed to unwind and anyone who enjoys having a Spa vacation.