Browsed by
Category: Family

family related blogs

Holiday on the Elbe – 21 to 30 June

Holiday on the Elbe – 21 to 30 June

Comments 0 Comment

We took a break from our cycle tour to spend some time with Elsbeth at the holiday home in Tespe. We picked up a rental car in Hamburg on 21 June and Elsbeth arrived from London on Saturday 22 June. Here are some photo highlights from our time together

First Beer in Germany – Grüner Jäger, Geesthacht
  • Lüneburg
  • Lüneburg Beergarten
 Scharnebeck twin ship lift 
  • Miniatur Wunderland Italy
  • Miniatur Wunderland airport
  • Miniatur Wunderland Germany
  • Miniatur Wunderland house fire
  • Miniatur Wunderland ship
Buxtehude
Hitzacher
  • Lauenburg yacht berths
  • Der Lauenburger Rufer
  • Lauenburg old town
  • The Elbe at Lauenburg
  • Lauenburg
  • Lauenburg gardens
Spargel at the Grüner Jäger, Geesthacht
  • Bergedorf
  • Schloss Bergedorf
Holiday home in Tespe
80th Birthday Celebration

80th Birthday Celebration

Comments 0 Comment

Dad’s 80th birthday was on 2 May. The whole family got together in New Plymouth on the following weekend to celebrate. Here are some photos of the occasion.

Mt Taranaki – looking stunning on our way to New Plymouth

Welcome drinks – William J, Bethany and Reinhard, Jenny, Kris, William

Party time with Housing Colleagues on Friday – Reinhard, Raewyn and Rod

Riding along the foreshore on Saturday – from one end to the other

Reinhard, Bethany and Kris hanging out in the apartment

We had a big celebration dinner on Saturday

Dad enjoying a champagne before dinner

(left to right – Dad, Jenny, Kris, William J, Reinhard, Bethany, Mum)

Birthday cake and candle

Cheese!  

Final family photo – Bethany and Reinhard, William J, Pam and William (Mum and Dad), Jenny and Kris

 

Wedding Anniversary Weekend (1 April)

Wedding Anniversary Weekend (1 April)

Comments 0 Comment

We celebrated our 27th Wedding Anniversary with a weekend away in the Hawkes Bay over Easter Weekend. We stayed at Palm Cottage near Havelock North. We explored the Napier Bike Trails thoroughly. On the Saturday we did a big trip to Napier and back.

On the Sunday we did a more leisurely trip through the vineyards.

The weather was beautiful and the apple trees were all fully laden.

Frohe Weihnachten

Frohe Weihnachten

Comments 0 Comment

Merry Christmas everyone!
We enjoyed our Christmas eve celebration with Owen, Aaron and Serena. Here are a few photos, starting with decorating the tree on Christmas eve.

Waiting for it to get dark…

Candle light and Christmas plates on Christmas eve

Lunch on Christmas day – still lots of ham to eat.

Goodbye group photo

 

 

21 June – 4 July – Break in Berlin

21 June – 4 July – Break in Berlin

Comments 0 Comment

We had a change of pace and break from cycle touring to spend time in Berlin and environs with Elsbeth.
Here are photos of some of the highlights.

Old East-West border

Bridge of Spies – Glienicker Brücke

 Fähre Caputh-Geltow (Ferry)

Caputh (Ferry)

Köpenick

Brandenburg Gate

 

Reichstagsgebäude

Remaining piece of Berlin wall

Wannsee river cruise (tour of 7 lakes)

Wannsee river cruise

East Side Gallery

East Side Gallery

Neues Museum – Xantener Knabe

Bergmannstrassefest – Jazz festival

Our apartment in Lichterfelde

24-29 July (Tuesday to Sunday)- Family time at Craon

24-29 July (Tuesday to Sunday)- Family time at Craon

Comments 0 Comment

It has been great to spend time with the family at the Gite. The house is large, with three bedrooms, a porch where we can sit outside and braai, a large lawn, a pond with frogs and waterlilies and a small splash pool for Liam.

We had a heat wave on Wednesday and Thursday with temperatures in the high 30‘s.

Highlights of the week include:

  • seeing the gardens at Chateau-Gontier – they are on the banks of the canal and are in different geometric shapes. I saw white lavender for the first time. Some of the gardens are planted to look like tapestries or paintings.
  • walking along the Mayenne canal at Chateau-Gontier with Elsbeth while the rest of the family ride along with the bicycles.
  • canoeing on the Mayenne at Chateau-Gontier – we spent an hour and went up to the first barrage and lock.
  • Visiting the Robert Tatin Museum at Cosse-le-Vivien. This is a unique place that the artist took 21 years to create – starting at the age of 60. He wanted to create a place for all people to come and tried to express ideas about a common visual language. The outside has concrete sculptures and a fantastic structure around a pond. Inside the structure are displays of the artist’s paintings and ceramics. Kris and I had a last cycle around the area – circling back to Craon after the visit.
  • Visit to the fortified medieval town of Saint Suzanne – the only stronghold to resist William the Conqueror. We enjoyed walking around the keep, the ramparts and the old town. The old town is beautifully kept with lots of flowers in front of the houses.
  • Seeing the Erves dolmen, near Saint Suzanne – a tomb built between 4700-4000 BC. Only the large megalithic stones remain – they were originally covered by a mound of stones forming a chamber. It is difficult to imagine how Neolithic people moved these huge stones. (we will remember Elsbeth being chased by a herd of cows on the move beside the dolmen).
  • Seeing the castles at Pouancé and Chateaubriant. Pouancé on the French side and Chateaubriant on the Breton side of the border.