2002 Cabo with Ted and Linda Cox, Al and Ellen Gomez and Shippys

Lots of fish tacos and tequila and nice walk up hill to our hotel

Senor Ted loved the entertainment

                                          

  Todos Santos.  Hippy heaven

Teddy loved this garden

This was view from a lovely restaurant that became know as Linda's leap after she took a scary swan dive into the large fountain and went for a little swim.

Belize and Tikal Guatamala in 2002

               We went for diving and snorkeling and it was cold and windy so had to change plans

                          Flew over to Guatamala to visit Tikal.  and that was a highlight

                           Pretty impressive       Makes one wonder where they all went

History part 2 Barge trip 2000

One of our favorite trips where we learned the truth of " Il dolce far niente".  It took a week to cover 59 kilometers.  It was also the pivotal trip in an evolution in our travel lives.  We had been doing incredible glamorous trips to Europe.  The Orient Express, luxury cruises,  Private balls in elegant palaces, a dinner on HMS Britannia.  Each one more fabulous than the next but increasingly we had been going off on our own.  Doing things more local and leaving more opportunities for serendipitous things to come our way.  A week after we were manning the lines as we sailed our own barge up the Nivernais canal we were at a private ball at Hampton Court.  That is when we realized we would rather be on a barge than at a ball.  Sounds strange but for the next years we have been travellers not tourists.  The following year we went around the world for the first time on our own.  More of that later.  Here is the glory of the French coutryside.

 

                       I WAS CREW AND DISHWASHER.  LOWEST OF THE LOW.

JON WAS NEXT RANK UP

                                      ON BOARD DINING     LUNCH   AND SUN DOWNERS

                                    David was the Captain and Jen first mate

Early morning, wrapped in a warm sweater, a cup of steaming hot coffee, stepping out on the deck.   The canal covered in mist as sunbeans shot through the air.  Completely peaceful,  the sounds of birds and then roosters wake the day.  A reason to get up early every morning.

The locks as they started fo fill and slowly we would rise up to the next level and the next vista.  Nothing hurried.  Each day was the routine of making our few miles and exploring the picture perfect villages that lined the canal.

                                              
                                                             FRENCH DRIVERS

                                             
                                      We fly the flag and we made friends with locals

                 
                      The trip ends in Paris and Jen and I go to Notre Dame for Mass on Sunday