The Barnes Family

One of the world’s great photogenic places.  Extraordinary beauty, and a quiet sense of isolation make it a great place to visit.

I was there in May, following a conference. May is a good time to visit. It was hot, but not unbearable, and I did a lot of walking. The roads are tiny, and I imagine that in summer it must be very crowded, but it was quite empty when I was there.
Lots of pleasures to be found - the landscape, the architecture, the food, and of course the blue sea, all around.

It’s great to be back in our house - even though there’s a great deal of work to be done. It was very sad saying goodbye to all our friends and family in Europe, and I am looking forward to the opportunities I will have to visit them again.

Having been in a rented house for three years I now realize meant we lived with a sense of impermanence that didn’t motivate us to really create a home. Now we’re back we seem more interested in working out what we really want in our home - not just things, but the atmosphere and style of the place.

The lesson I have learned is that home is something that must be created, invested in. It could be anywhere, and it doesn’t have to be a house you own, but perhaps it’s easier that way. The key is to treat it as a special place and plan and implement together. That way it becomes a reminder of the relationships that make up the family. In a good way (just kidding).

I’ve posted the first set of pictures from Barcelona. Topics include:

• La Sagrada Familia
• Park Guell and Gaudi’s house
• Exploring the city

I’ll have more as and when I can get them processed. Still to come are Casa Millo, and some of the cathedral and Tarragona.

Enjoy.

tim

What a place! We just came back from a week staying in an apartment in the Gothic Quarter - easy walk to the Metro and many of the sights.

I took lots of pictures - I’ll post them as I get them processed. But if you get a chance, it’s the most wonderful mix of beaches, restaurants, architecture, town planning, art and culture.  We visited Gaudi’s buildings, saw the Picasso and Miro museums, and explored the shops and restaurants. It was warm enough for the boys to swim (not me!).

I was a bit surprised to see everything in both Catalan and Castillian - the two languages seem quite similar to me, although of the two, Catalan seems more closely connected to French (not surprising, I guess…).

We took a day trip to Tarragona - on the coast south of Barcelona. I had wanted to go to see where Dali lived, but it proved difficult with public transport, so we went to explore the Roman remains at Tarragona instead.  There’s a Roman ampitheatre dating back to 200AD, and a cathedral from the 12th century. Most of the city walls are also still in place. The town is quite spectacular, set up on a cliff above the sea.

We’ll be going back - I don’t know when, but we will.

When my family first came to England (I think at the end of 1959?) we lived in a small coastguard cottage in Swanage. Last week we visited Swanage for the first time in many years, and showed our children where I lived when I was younger than them.

On this trip, we stayed in a beautiful cottage - a restored mill cottage with history going back hundreds of years.  With us were my parents, and Marina’s parents, visiting us from California.

We also went to Lulworth Cove - an extraordinary formation where the sea has broken through the coastal rocks, and hollowed out an almost perfectly circular bay.  I was aware of the cove from reviewing coastal charts, but had never had the opportunity to visit.

This was a walk over a period of four or five days in 2004 - our first year in the UK.

A group of Marina’s friends came over, which was nice, and they walked across the hills, from pub to pub.

These are not new pictures - just moved from the old site for your amusement.

I had been to Moscow once, but the rest of the family had never been to any country that was once part of the USSR until our trip to Budapest. It’s an interesting mix. Still lots of Soviet-era buildings, but the people have removed all the statues reflecting the brutalist style of the Soviet years. The city is now being re-vitalized, with great shopping and restaurants.

Of course they have always had their own culture, based on their own language, music, and theatre.It’s a good city for walking - up to Buda with its castle and museums; down and along the banks of the Danube; through the tree-lined streets. And of course good restaurants and pleasant bars along the way for refreshments.

We found the people friendly and relaxed.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures, but here are a few.

I just posted the pictures of our visit to Cornwall. This was a birthday present from Marina - a big secret, well kept. We dropped the boys off with my parents, and took off westwards. It was a real thrill to find ourselves right out on the point of St. Andrews, finding our way down a narrow path on a windy night, and arriving at a beautiful lighthouse, with fantastic views out over Falmouth Harbour and towards Brittany.

We also spent time in Padstow (yes, we did eat at a couple of Rick Stein’s places, and in fact we stayed at a hotel he owns: the St. Petroc’s). We also visited the Eden Project, as well as spending a few hours enjoying a cup of coffee and a snack at an excellent coffee / antique shop in Exeter down by the river.

Marina found the lighthouse through Rural Retreats. If you haven’t stayed in a lighthouse and you love the sea - you must.

Just re-posted the pictures of my trip to China and Hong King in 1986, and our 2006 trip to France: Paris for the marathon and Disney World, and a taste of Brittany and Normandy - our first visit.

The trip to China took place just before I moved from England to California - it was part of a round-the-world trip that began in England, and continued to California, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong/China, and finally back to England.

I enjoyed Hong Kong - especially all the water, and the opportunity to explore some of the islands around Hong Kong. I really liked Lantau, but I am afraid it must be very much changed now that there’s a road bridge and of course the new airport on the west side.

So far I can’t find any pictures from that part of the trip. I have a lot of negatives and slides filed in boxes somewhere…

A spring trip to France, taking in the Paris Marathon, Euro-Disney (yuk!), and a few days exploring Brittany and Omaha Beach and Bayeux in Normandy.

Paris by Eurostar

I love Eurostar. It’s so much more convenient than flying. We can take the train in to Waterloo Station in London, and walk across to the Eurostar terminal in the same building. Through security, and then onto the train, which whisks us into the centre of Paris - the Gare du Nord - from where the Metro quickly takes us to our hotel. It’s not quite that easy - because we’re using public transport we end up with a taxi from home to the train, and then a bit of a walk between Gare du Nord and the Metro because of the line we’ve chosen - but still, we get it done with kids and luggage and no disasters. Read more