Oarsome!

You may remember a blog post in January reporting on the arrival of James Castrission (Cass) and Justin Jones in New Zealand, after a 62-day journey in a kayak to 'cross the dtich' from Australia.



Geoff and I spent 2-months tracking the guys' on their website and a gripping final 12 hours fixed at our laptops as the guys paddled to shore.

Last Sunday, 60 Minutes, televised the guys' story. If you missed it, you can watch the program and read the transcript here.



See snippets of the journey including the sharks, the fights, the 5-10 metre waves, the sunsets and the amazing welcome they got when they landed on shore. The film also sneaks in the emotional reconciliation with the families and commentary by the guys as reflect on their amazing journey.

Finally, check out the new-look Crossing the Ditch website here.

Windsor and Eton

On the second day of Spring as we set off to see the little towns of Windsor and Eton, and to visit the majestic Windsor Castle, perched on the hilltop, its silver stone facade rising above the surrounding countryside.

When you get to Windsor, it looks like a promising English town, with small antique shops, independent cafes, and a cobbled pedestrian bridge over a misty river.



But as you near the entrance of the Castle, an explosion of chain eateries and stores buzzing with tourists brings you right back to reality.

We bypassed the chains and found the entrance to the Castle. One of the great things about visiting the Royal attractions is that when you purchase a ticket, it also grants you free access to the site for the next 12 months.



Windsor Castle is the home to the Queen and we knew she was home this very day as the flag was flying high on the mast.



We picked up free audio guides but also joined a tour conducted by the smartly dressed wardens who are a wealth of information about the Castle, the Royals and their history.



Here are some interesting facts we learnt on our trip to the Castle:

• There are 1000 rooms in the Castle, and every one of them is in use today;
  
  
• In 1992, a great fire swept though some of the Castle’s apartments and dining hall. It started by a lamp being too close to a curtain which was set alight and quickly spread a fire. Everything inside the area was saved except for one painting and a sideboard, both of which were too large to be moved;
  
  
• Some of the rooms we were able to tour are actually used by the Queen to entertain guests;
  
  
• The Castle’s library holds, not just books, but also 600 Leonardo Da Vinci prints.

My favourite part was Queen Mary’s doll house, on display in a light-controlled display room to prevent the deterioration of the priceless artefacts. The dolls house is the grandest of all dolls houses one will ever see. It even has fully functioning electricity and water.

(picture from Queen Mary's Doll House website)

The dolls house architecture and miniature interiors were commissions undertaken by some of England’s most famous manufacturers, architects, designers, artists and writers. Some of the house’s features include:

• A garden, designed by the famous garden designer, Gertrude Jeykell;
  
  
• A library with books contributed by famous authors such as Aldous Huxley;
  
  
• A grand dining table (which can be extended) with a place setting of real silver crockery and cutlery;
  
  
• A linen room with miniature linens that are exact replicas of linens used by the Royals;
  
  
• A miniature set of the Crown Jewels (yes, replicas of the real Crown Jewels housed and on display in the Tower of London);
  
  
• A wine cellar, with glass bottles of real wine.

(picture from Queen Mary's Doll House website)

After our tour of the Castle, we wondered back to the old part of Windsor town and picked up nougat and peppermint hot chocolates from The Wren Chocolate Theatre Café (highly recommended) which is right by the foot bridge that connects the town of Windsor to Eton.



We strolled along the small streets of Eton, home to the famous Eton College.



We didn’t have time to see the school close up, but had spied it’s chapel from Windsor Castle.



Eton is much quieter and quainter than Windsor, full of cosy restaurants, antique stores and a second-hand book store.



If you are after some old worldly English experiences, then Windsor and Eton are definitely worth the visit.

Durham on a Sunday

Just a 20-minute train ride from Newcastle is a little town called Durham, nestled in a misty valley dwarfed by the Durham Castle and Cathedral.



It was a cold but sunny day on Sunday when we decided to visit this quaint town, situated on the River Wear.



Walking along the river, we made our way up to visit the famous Durham Cathedral, as featured in the Harry Potter films.



The Cathedral is spectacular both inside and out, so it’s not hard to see why it’s featured in movies and is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside, but nothing beats directly experiencing the grand cathedral itself, and we both highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the North East of England.



After visiting the Cathedral and the surrounding grounds, we wondered down the cobbled Durham streets checking out the little stores and doing some shopping at the gorgeous Jack Wills store.



A late lunch ensued and we found a neat spot overlooking the River Wear in the Coach and Eight pub by the cobbled bridge.



Afterwards, browsing at some local second-hand book stores, was the perfect way to end a Sunday in Durham.

A Belated Valentines

Being in different cities often makes it difficult to celebrate special days together. Valentines Day this year came a few weeks late, but I have to say, my present- new iPod speakers and a delicious dinner at the Comfort Food Co in Newcastle, was worth the wait.



The Comfort Food Co is a tiny restaurant, located down a cobbled alley way in Newcastle City. The restaurant is always booked out on Friday and Saturday nights and serves up locally produced food (you can identify the suppliers on the back of the menu) in a humble and warm surrounds.



We enjoyed every course, but need to especially mention the restaurant’s chips- the best chips we have ever tasted. A week later, we still wonder exactly what it is that they do to make ordinary chips taste so good!