Day 2 - Queenstown

Off to a ridiculously slow start today - kids still asleep, me farting around with the blog, Steve watching Netflix.  Then faffed around trying to set up phones for another hour - mine still isn't sorted 😖

So nice and early at 11am we headed to Kawarau River and hadn't gone far at all when we stopped to have a look at this

and this

and this was just a random road stop instigated by me that was met by a few whinges and horn beeps just as I was taking photos. A bit silly as I'm the only driver which gives me complete, ABSOLUTE and TOTAL scheduling control, not that the power is going to my head at all 😎

and then we had a bit of a look and a cheese sample here.  Steve and I tasted a goat/cow milk a cheese we both adored - it cost a bomb but was just so good we couldn't resist a small wedge.  Anyway - it's lost.  Bought it, put it down somewhere - gonski!  At least it wasn't me this time.

Perhaps we (as in Steve) lost the cheese because we ended up being in a rush to get here - Kawarau River...

So that Danny P could get ready

For this...

Whooo Hooo!

And then it was back to Queentstown and straight up the Skyline Gondola for some phenomenal views and 5 excellent luge rides.  I was a dumb dumb head and forgot to take photos of the gondola bit and just ended up with 3 very silhouetted shots of the kids whizzing down the hill.  More practice with the new camera required!! 😝.

And yes - I know you're probably wondering who was fastest.  Well ahem, cough, cough, it may just have been a tie between Jeremy and ME!!!

Turtlecoin Running Stickerfrom Turtlecoin Stickers

Day 1 - Sydney to Queenstown

4:20am - 2 leapt out of bed, 2 were a bit whiney but managed to get up and 1 was in total denial, tucked their head under the covers and rolled over.  I will not say who did what but Jeremy may have been yelled at just a bit.

And speaking of yelling - we had a vote yesterday on the drive up from Canberra on who was the most annoying.  Much to my disgust I got one vote and it was from Miss M for yelling.  "I don't yell" I yelled. Jeremy also got a vote but Steve took out the winning prize with 3.  Voted off the island before he even gets there 😂🤣

So - yelling over we set off with Timmy at 4:35am and drove for about 500 metres at which point the yelling re-commenced because I forgot my jumper.  Damn!  That's two delays because of me.  Extremely poor form 😡. And worse still - I was squished in the very back of the car so Tim and Steve went looking for it and they couldn't find the bugger.  Double whammy - delay AND no jumper. 

Anyway - got to the airport at around about 5:20am, proceeded to do everything check-in related ourselves (has anyone been to the airport recently??) and of course did it very efficiently and next thing - wha la - we're in the departure lounge window shopping.  I don't remember it being quite so upmarket...

with so many of these....

Spot the odd one out

The flight was just under 3 hours and was spent eating breakie and watching the very good pyschological thriller "Don't worry Darling" staring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.  

Flew over spectacular mountains before landing in Queenstown, picked up our car at the airport and headed on into town.

Here's our first look..

with a bit of swimming thrown in

and a visit to Queenstown Park

complete with my all time favourite...

and a stumble across an ice hockey game...

capped off with dinner

Not a bad first day 😀

Sydney - last sleep!

This morning we left the kids with a bunch of jobs whilst we did the Parkrun and had coffee, then fluffed around for about an hour before a reasonably on time 11am departure for Sydney.  I forgot to move my car off the street so caused a 4 minute delay.  Poor form! 

I had bagsed in advance not to do the Canberra to Sydney drive so it was a joint Daniel/Jeremy effort and they both did just fine! I did not one, not two but three cryptic crosswords on the way.  Finally getting the hang of them - it's only taken about a year.

We were all a bit zonked at Timmy's and flopped around until dinner - yummo Japanese at the Sushi House in Turramurra.  Then it was off to bed nice and early in an attempt to squeeze in a decent amount of zzzzz's before our 4:20 am start the next day.....

New Zealand 2023!

It's been over 9 years since my last blog post.  Can't believe I even remembered how to log on.  There's hope yet 😏

So - this is definitely the most significant holiday venture for the Prices since the epic, unbeatable 15 months in the UK.  The kids are bigger and have more opinions about things, not necessarily a good thing.  Steve and I are wrinklier and can't remember stuff, definitely not a good thing.  Lucky though we're both pretty fit and have managed, for the most part, to avoid middle aged spread - got to look for the positives!  

And we're all going to need to be reasonably athletic because there's some serious walking coming up, mainly because we've spent all our money getting there and finding somewhere to sleep each night so have nothing left for activities - so walking it is ☺!

Here's the plan...

16 glorious nights in the South Island, starting and finishing in Queenstown, heading up the west coast, nipping across to Christchurch and then back down the middle, zig zagging over to the east coast before cruising around the southern tip, then up to Milford Sound and finishing back in Queenstown, all of which looks like a bit like this...

We're pretty excited and all finished packing a couple of days ago except Jeremy - he's dragging the chain.  I have a sneaking suspicion this may be a recurring theme over the next 16 days.

Next stop Sydney tomorrow and then Timmy (bless him) is going to drive us to the airport at the crack of dawn on Sunday.  2 more sleeps!

My final post

Well I've done it - new colours, new title, new blog.  If you'd like a look - just click here.

I'd love to hear from you if you do venture over that way. It's a bit of a black hole in blogger land sometimes in terms of who looks at the blog and what you think. Please feel free to drop me a line at pricepoppets@gmail.com J

And one final word about "Going places" - I'm going to look at printing it - yep - all 300 odd pages of it.  It is such a good record of our adventure (and what an adventure it was!) and a nice coffee table version will be just the ending it deserves.

And some final words about our time away.  I loved it. I love the UK.

I loved seeing the relatives, soaking up the history and exploring the gorgeous countryside.

I loved sitting in English pubs and walking through snow covered meadows.

I loved our house and the green fields next to it.  I loved going to photography club with Ian from next door.

I loved the trees and the grand old country estates.

I love the hedges and old stone walls and the skinny lanes they lined.

I love the rugged coastal cliffs and the quaint old cottages.

I love London with its big red buses, the Thames and Big Ben.

I love Edinburgh and all is historical glory.

I love it and I feel at home there.

But most of all I love that I shared it with my family, who I know loved it too.

What next?

What to do with this blog?  It's been a big part of my life for the last 15 months and I already miss the idea that the adventure is over and that this won't continue, at least in it's current format anyway.

I love that I've got such a good record of what we've been up to and how the kids have skipped, laughed and thrived their way through our time away.  It has been such a fabulous ride, better than I could have hoped for and although the excitement of new and unchartered territory has gone, life certainly still goes on.

And for that reason I'd like to keep on blogging.  The posts won't be as exciting, the scenery not so stunning, but the people will be the same and this time round we'll be doing normal family day stuff.

I need to come up with another name - I think, sadly, that "Going Places" has come to an end.  I need a new beginning again, I've got a few ideas, just give me a few days and hopefully I'll have something up and running....

Watch this space J

Back home

We're back home, safe and sound.  It's been six days now and our time away almost seems like a dream.

Here are a few last shots from Vietnam...

The lovely staff from the Rising Dragon Hotel...

And here we all are at Mum and Dad's

The Old Quarter

When we weren't shopping (which wasn't for very long!), this is what we got up to...

Hanoi is busy and chaotic and while it seems the only rule here is there are no rules, things just seem to work, in their own hair-raising kind of way.

Again - got a plane to catch, last one for a while, so it's just photos.

Hanoi

After a very lazy morning and 10 glorious hours of sleep we were ready to head out shopping.  We had a bit of an explore yesterday and there was quite a bit that caught my eye - shoes and silk and kiddies clothes in particular J.

All was looking good, we were ready, refreshed and keen, only it started to sprinkle.  Nothing an umbrella wouldn't solve....

Got all of about 30 metres and then did a 180.  Back in the hotel room with Miss M who is watching a terrible cartoon on the TV.  Phew it just ended, the cartoon that is, not the rain, oh no, the rain looks like it's here to stay for quite a while L.

Venice

What better ending to our Europe trip than Venice.  When you think you've seen just about everything Venice reminds you that you haven't!  

The train crosses from the mainland through the lagoon area and out you pop, right in the thick of it.  Venice is incredibly popular tourist attraction, catering for an average of 50,000 tourists a day!  I don't know what the 270,000 permanent residents would think of that!

We walked most places, down tiny alley ways and over many of the 400 or so bridges.

and managed to squeeze in a 2 minute Godola ride from one side of the Grand Canal to the other. 

We window-shopped, crossed the Rialto Bridge and watched the lovely puppy below attacking a broom as his owner tried to sweep up (his owner had temporarily given up at this stage and there was a bit of a stand-off).

We found the San Marco Piazza

And then wandered some more.

Venice is a definitely a photogenic place...

This is a bit rushed - got a plane to catch!

Verona

Verona has its own Colloseum, it's not as big as the one in Rome, but it's older, is in better condition and is still used today.  

But that's not all this ancient walled city has to offer.  It is also the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and there is even a residence on exhibit that is claimed to be Juliet's home, complete with the famed balcony.

Middle Right - Juliet's house and balcony

Inside the walls surrounding the old part of town is a maze of paved alley ways linking large open piazzas.  It is a car free zone and while busy with tourists isn't frantic with cars.

We took a tourist train ride to see the main sights and then wandered around for a bit.

You won't believe what we had for dinner - yep - pizza.  Although I have to say - out of all the pizza we've been having the best has been...... wait for it..... in Germany! Soft, springy, elasticcy crust, slightly charred, fabulous not-too-salty anchovies, caper berries, oregano and mozzarella.  First bite and we were sold!  The restaurant owners were from Tuscany and I had a red wine from the Montepulciano region.

Will try to re-create said crust on return to Aus - as long as I can make one as good as (or better thanJ) Miss Vicki I'll be happy, just like Miss M below.