A very big Adventure

This summer my husband and I went on a big adventure.
We did what we haven't done in over 21 years - a) went on a touring holiday on our bicycles together and b) went on holiday without our children. This also meant leaving our 18-year-old son in charge of the house for two weeks (when until now we've never left him alone for more than two days).

When we sat at the local train station, waiting to catch the train which would eventually take us to Harwich, I was filled with dread and anxiety of a level I've never experienced before.
My head was bombarded with the wildest array of scenarios which could occur when you leave the country and leave your son in charge of your home and belongings.

Mixed in with that were worries about being "just" a couple again. Would we enjoy each other's company? Or would we
get bored or irritated with each
other?

I just wanted to cry and it would not have taken much for me to abandon our plans and go back home.

Luckily I didn't and once the train arrived
and we were on our way, my anxiety lessened.

So how did it go? Read here to find out more about the cycling side of things.

As for being a couple again, it was wonderful spending time together.
I was especially struck by those moments of stress and minor crises -  like, when we stood wet to the skin in the cold wind and driving rain, waiting for at least for 30 minutes for the ferry across the Rhine. Or when we couldn't find find the hotel after a long day cycling. Or when it took hours to get out of Den Haag...
Those were the moments that brought us really close, knowing that we'd somehow get through this together. No time to blame each other or walk off in a huff! LOL

Here's one of my favourite pictures, taken by my mum.

 

And our son? Well, he was of course fine! So he didn't take the rubbish out, removed the furry things from the fridge or cleaned the  bathroom, but apart from that he was well and healthy. And the house is still standing. 😁

Here’s to many more holidays together!

Visiting Greenwich

A couple of weeks ago I took my daughter to Germany for a few days.
Now it was time to have a mother-son day with my 16-year-old. We decided to visit London and to go somewhere we had not been before - Greenwich.

The first thing you see when you arrive in Greenwich is the Cutty Sark, a famous tea clipper, which was once the fastest of its time and which has now been restored to its former glory. We did not go in, but here is a picture from the outside.

I also sneakily managed to take a picture of the two of us in the glass structure which surrounds the ship.

We visited the Maritime Museum and the old Naval College and then climbed up the hill to the Greenwich Observatory. We decided not to join the throngs of tourists who were queuing to have a picture taken whilst standing on the Greenwich Meridian Line. You can see it for yourself here.
The view over London from the Observatory is fantastic!

Then we treated ourselves to lunch in a noodle house and a trip down the Thames towards Westminster. In all my years in the UK have I never been on the Thames, so I really enjoyed the experience.
There is something very profound and spiritual about rivers ...

Having arrived in Westminster we had planned to head back towards Euston station and go home ... but there were severe delays on the Northern Line, which meant we abandoned our plan and leisurely waled up towards Euston instead.
We enjoyed the street artists on Trafalgar Square and Convent Garden.

Especially this guy managed to draw the crowds.

We finally arrived home in the evening, tired and ready for bed.
It's quite rare these days to spend quality time with my 16-year-old son, who can be quite surly and non-communicative.

So our visit to Greenwich was really quite special!