Our baby girl has arrived!

Tuesday started as another day wondering if this would be The Day. Caroline was 41weeks+2days and she was starting to wonder if this pregnancy was also going to be 2 weeks overdue, as Liam’s was. But in the late afternoon there were signs of some contractions and by the time Liam was ready for bed at eight, we were fairly sure this was going to be it. We decided it was best not to put Liam to bed and that he should go to one of our friends for the night. We called the second of the two midwives planning to attend and she came over to check the status of Caroline. When she arrived I packed Liam and his overnight bag into the car and drove him over to our friend’s house. He was very impressed with the drive in the dark and pointed out of the car window and said “night” over and over. He settled in very quickly when we arrived and was in bed before I left to drive back home. When I got back things were moving along and they had called Diane, our main midwife, and she was on her way. Diane arrived at about eleven and while she checked on Caroline, I put up the birth pool and filled it with warm water. Caroline was still unsure if she wanted to use the pool or not, but when the contractions got more intense she decided she wanted to try it. She got in the pool at about midnight and it seemed to help her find a position to deal with the contractions. It went quite quickly after that and at 00:53 a little girl was born in the pool. She had a good colour and a head of dark hair. Caroline was fantastic and both the midwife’s were impressed with her composure. We got Caroline out, cut the babies cord and let them relax together for a while. Soon they were in our bed and having a cosy cuddle. We weighed and checked the baby, 3650g and 51 cm long. The midwife’s packed up and went home after a quick photo session on the bed. Soon we were all in bed and settling in for our first night. The next day Liam came home in the morning and was pleased to see his promised new sister. He seems quite interested in her. We spent the next day trying out the names we had short listed and finally settled on Neela Louise Graham Holt.

Autumn Haga

Us boys were out in Haga park today for a walk and some football practice. Autumn is upon us and the sun is already low in the sky, which makes for good photo light.
Still no sign of the new baby yet!

Wow, some catching up to do on our blog! It’s been ages since I posted anything and loads of things have happened. Liam is now almost 2 years old and is such a big little boy now. He’s talking all the time in English and German, running, jumping and playing. He’s very much into his Brio wooden train set and his Lego at the moment. The latest addition is a Lego dustbin lorry with tipping bin holder on the back. It’s quite like the one he sees out of the living room window emptying the bins and he loves to look out and watch it. So having one himself is very important for him just now.
In preparation for No.2, who’s due soon around the first week in October, we put together a new bed for Liam last weekend. No.2 will get Liam’s old bed, which we will have next to our bed to start with. He was very helpful as usual in putting it together and was very please with it. It’s much like his old one but bigger and we’re keeping the sides on for now as he’s sleeping so well and we want this to continue, especially when the new baby arrives. More on that soon we hope…

Art in Stuttgart

While staying at Coraline's mums, we left Liam with her one day and went into Stuttgart. Its just 30 min away on the local train. We went to the Art Museum of Stuttgart which has one of the main art collections of German artists on display. The art displays were good and the building was interesting to. We had fine lunch on the top floor restaurant, with a great panoramic view out over the city.

No mountains but rain

From Orange we drove North in the rain towards Switzerland, hoping to see some mountains but the clouds were too low. We exited the motorway just South of Geneva and drove into the countryside to find a place to stop for the night. We came to a very small village on the side of a hill, with a large car park above the church. We parked and as we fixed dinner, the cloud came down to our height and we could hardly see a thing. The next day the cloud and rain persisted, so we drove through Switzerland and to the capital Bern. We went straight to the Paul Klee Zentrum, a big art gallery only exhibiting the Swiss-German artist Paul Klee.
The next day we went into the old town of Bern. It’s a classic old city, basically unchanged for ages and full of old town houses with vaulted passageways next to the street. We even got to see the city bears, which can be seen from the bridge and by the river side. The river Aare dominates the city landscape as it twists around the old town. It was also very full and flowing fast. We stayed a second night in the city campsite and then left in the morning for Germany. On the way we stopped at the famous “Rheinfall”, a spectacular waterfall where the river Rhein drops over rocks. There’s a place where you can get down the cliff to the water rushing over the edge of the fall, very dramatic. We then drove on towards Stuttgart and to Herrenberg, where we would stay with Caroline’s friends, Alfred and Anette and their three girls. They had friends visiting from Austria and we all had a really nice evening together with a great meal that Alfred cooked for us.

View to the old town of Bern.

The streets of the old town.

The Rheinfall.

With Alfred&Anette, his mum and their friends Chris&Christiane with 6 kids.

My birthday in Aigues Mortes

In the afternoon before my birthday we are driving from Canet-en-Roussillon a bit further North to the medieval town Aigues Mortes in the Petite Camargue. I was there almost 20 years ago (oh my, makes me feel so old saying this), during a bicycle tour in the Provence and Camargue with three girlfriends. We find a parking area for camper vans by the canal with a view to the old town wall.
In the morning I get lovely birthday cards from my boys and a present and after breakfast we set off to see the town. The old town is completely surrounded by a wall with several towers. It's possible to walk all around town on the wall, but we only manage one side as Liam seems to have a bit of a lazy day and wants to sit down on every occasion.
We find a really cosy little restaurant in a small sidestreet where we treat ourselves with a delicious three course lunch. It's warm and sunny and we can sit outside on their small terrace. We stroll through the pretty streets and eventually get back to the camper in the afternoon.
As we set off, we can see already big dark clouds full of rain in the North. We arrive in Orange a couple of hours later on a campsite full of puddles, to Liam's delight.
Orange is the northern gate to the Provence. I had been there as well almost 20 years ago, also in heavy rains which then stopped us from visiting the town and the huge Roman amphitheatre.
The next morning we drive into town to look at the theatre and the old town. As we find a place to park, the heavens are opening again and it's pouring down with rain. We sit in the camper and wait for the rain to stop, but after half an hour we give up and continue our journey.
Apparently it's not meant to be for me to visit Orange this time either...

Happy Birthday!

The city wall of Aigues Mortes from outside.

The view from the North side of the city wall.

Finally at the beach in Canet-en-Roussillon

After a day of stormy Mistral keeping us from the beach, we are waking up the next morning and its almost windstill and sunny. So we finally get to go to the beach!

Two days with Dalí

The town of Figueres is home to the renowned Salvador Dalí Theatre-Museum and was the next stop on our trip. The museum building sits in the centre of the town and occupies the remains of the old theatre, which burnt down during the Spanish civil war. Dalí created the museum and designed and painted most of the exhibits before he died in 1989. It’s a fascinating place, filled with some of his best paintings and surrealist creations, including the Palace of the Wind, Rainy Taxi and Galeatea of the Spheres, to name just a few. In the afternoon we drove to the coast and stayed in a site next to the beach. Unfortunately it was cold and windy so we couldn’t use the beach.

The Theatre-Museum from the outside.

The courtyard of the museum.

Very Dalí.

Former stage of the Theatre with a huge portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

The next day we drove 70km North to the small fishing village further up the coast called Port Lligad, where Dalí lived most of his life. This was a great drive over the tail end of the Pyrenees and down a very narrow winding road down to the small village. His house was recently opened to the public and you have to call and book to see it, which we did. It’s well worth the visit and provides a fascinating insight into the artist’s private life there with his wife Gala. The almost Greek looking white house with is medley of rooms, studios, terraces and art is really interesting to see, and has great views over the blue sea and the bay. Liam was super patient and again pleased to find fountains and a pool in the grounds. This would be our last day in Spain and we drove North over the rest of the Pyrenees. This was to be the most winding, narrow twisting road we have experienced on the trip. It was full of great views of the rugged coastline, high mountains, sheer drops and steep winding descents and climbs that never allowed us to get out of 3rd gear. Well worth the drive. Then all of a sudden, there at the top of one of the steep hills was the French boarder. We stopped for a photo, even though the rain was now getting worse, and then drove on down the French side to find a place to stay.

Dalí's house in Port LLigat.

The Master's work place in his studio.

View to the bay from the terrace.

More eggs ;)

Back in France and back in the rain.

Girona

We had a really good lunch in Girona. We picked the place by chance and it was a very nice place overlooking the river. The staff were so friendly and they even had a sort of booster seat for Liam. He also received crayons and colouring paper, wow, a first on this trip. Liam was so good and ate well and even paid the bill ;-) The city is interesting with its narrow winding streets and small squares. It was preparing for a flower festival and people were busy all over the place arranging and planting flowers. In the afternoon we drove to Banyoles and camped near the lake, which is known for its rowing.

Crossing the river to the old town.

Flowers and plants everywhere.

View over the old town from the fort.

To Barcelona

Now at the end of our third week away and what would be our most Westerly point on our trip, 5o36’54 East to be precise. The next day we put some serious km on the clock and didn’t stop until Zaragoza, a drive that passed Madrid, the great high planes of Spain and several mountain ranges. We spent just the night there and then headed on the next day, destination Barcelona. The weather had turned on the way across Spain and it was raining when we arrived in the campsite in Mataro, just North of Barcelona. Liam liked it because you could see both the sea and the passing local trains.
The next day our first outing into Barcelona was with the free minibus from the campsite. It was raining almost all the day. Our plans to take the open bus ride round the city were ditched and we had lunch then went to visit the aquarium in the harbour area. The next day the weather was better and the sun came out. We took the local train and then the metro to visit the famous La Sagrada Familia Cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudí. Still unfinished, the place is a building site, but anyway impressive for its striking design and soaring spires. Some Tapas then on to stroll the city’s streets and look at the other famous Gaudí designed buildings and fine city boulevards. Sadly no chance of a beach day due to the return of rain in the evening, so we moved on the next day to visit the old town of Girona.

In the Aquarium


La Sagrada Familia


Scaffolding outside and inside

La Pedrera (1905)

Ignacio in Salamanca

Salamanca had not originally been somewhere we had planned to visit, but as this was where we had arranged to meet Ignacio, there we were. After a bit of driving around town, we eventually selected a campsite. We had some nice neighbours there, a pair of storks nesting on a little tower.
The next morning it was cloudy and not so warm, but we decided to ride the 4km into the city, where we had arranged to meet Ignacio in the Plaza de Major. He was most impressed with Liam’s bike trailer and pleased to see us. As his home town is not far away and Salamanca is the home of his brother, so he knows the city well and made an excellent guide. It’s always better to have a local show you around, you seem to see it all in another way. For my money, Salamanca is one of the best old cities we have seen in Spain. It’s full of fantastic old buildings, palaces, courtyards and churches, all covered with intricate stone carvings. We ate lunch together and enjoyed his local information and discussions about Spain. The sun had come out by then and we enjoyed a coffee as Liam took a nap in his trailer. We said our goodbyes to Ignacio, happy to have met him in Spain and cycled back to the campervan for dinner and bed after a long day.

Plaza de Major in Salamanca

Lunch with Ignacio.

Palacio de Monterrey