Clare and Ross walk France to Spain

We are visiting Clare's bestie from when she was growing up in Berkshire, UK.  The locals erected a statue of her when she emigrated, aged 13. Maybe this was actually her house, in Sandhurst. We stopped in on our drive south to Port Isaac. Her school friend and neighbour now lives in the village made famous as Doc Martins adopted home. Wild, rocky, windswept ridges; steep, windy narrow lanes. Green cold and wet. Glimpses of the sun every hour or two are heartwarming. We saw the sites, met many family members and felt truly welcome. St Michaels Mount King Arthur's Castle ( possible site of) Nothing lasts forever. We reluctantly left Margaret and Sandy for middle England. The Cotswolds feel like quintessential England. Stone walls, slow flowing brooks, green everything. Scones with clotted cream on the lawn. We visited Oxford and rubbed shoulders with hundreds of students. A quick stop...

We spent a week in Poland and really loved it. Starting in Warsaw, we stayed in the old town, next to the main square. We did a walking tour, ate Polish food and drank beer. The old town is very new. It looks old, is partly made from old material, but was built in the 1960's. It's not fake or gimmicky. It's a statement of national pride. This is the old Old Town in 1944. This is the same street today. The Nazis destroyed the town to punish the people of Warsaw for the Uprising. When they rebuilt they added little embellishments to honour people who lived there. One door had pigeons engraved in stone above because the occupant famously fed the local pigeons. Krakow is a much older town, the original capital, it's main square is on a grand scale. Cafes lined the 4 100m sides and you chose where to sit based on the weather. When it's 5° but sunny you choose one side, 9° with a wind and ...