Butlins, Fun & Disco with Steve & Michaela

 
Overflowing with excitement, we all met up and made our way to Butlins!  We ate lunch at a delightful country pub on the way down and chatted enthusiastically about the holiday ahead!

Our holiday was packed full of wonderful things, including fun and games in the glorious sunshine on the beach!  We strolled leisurely along the prom, eating ice creams as we went. One afternoon, we saw some wonderful horses on the beach and we got to pet them and have our pictures taken with them.  they were really friendly and seemed to like us!

 

 

 

 

 We had an amazing time at the funfair, braving some of the whirling, twirling rides!  Everybody loved the Carousel, waving as they went round on the lovely proud horses.  We played in the amusement arcades, collecting our tickets for some smashing prizes!  We tried our hands at crazy golf - everyone loved trying to get a hole-in-one! 

 

 

We spent our evenings showing off our moves on the dance floor, dancing along to The Beatles, Freddie Mercury, Michael Buble and The Drifters. We sang and clapped along to the ones we knew and on more than one occasion we were the last off the dance floor!

What a cracking holiday it was!

 

 

 

 

Mediterranean Cruise with Pat & Netty

 The Mediterranean Sea was calling our names, luring us onto its beautiful blue ocean.  We were brimming with excitement as we boarded our impressively large ship!  The port was buzzing with the sights and sounds of enthusiastic holiday makers and were thrilled to be part of it. 

 

Aboard the ship, there was always lots going on and we spent time exploring the amazing boat.   We spent time relaxing in the sunshine on deck, dipping into the swimming pool whenever we fancied.  There was always live music being played which created a vibrant atmosphere! 

 

Our first stop was Naples - the capital of the Nations region, Campania.  After disembarking the ship, we coached to Sorrento and were in awe of the stunning scenery along the way.  The Cathedral was breath taking and so rich in history.  We explored the charming back streets, alive with bars and restaurants. We were bowled over by Naples itself, with its 440 churches and 11 million inhabitants! We had a fabulous tour and took in the sights of the palace, marine centre and had a hill top view of the city which had a panoramic view.  It was truly beautiful.  We also learnt that the colour of a Margarita Pizza is inspired by the colours of the Italian flag!

 

An afternoon was spent in the city of Civitavecchia where we became a part of the hustle and bustle of this wonderful city.  The harbour had some spectacular boats moored and it was great to look at them all in their glory in the shining sun.   We sipped on drinks in the town square and watched the world go by.

 

We caught a land train to the Leaning Tower of Pisa at Miracle Square, which we found out was built in the 11th Century and not finished until 200 years later. It made us feel a little dizzy looking up at the great tower which leant to one side!  We explored the pretty cathedral streets and shops after our amazing Pisa tour.   We ambled around colourful markets and quaint back alleys. 

 

After breakfast one morning we caught the tender to the lovely Cannes where we had a beautiful stroll around the harbour and wandered around the huge flower market, full of every flower imaginable! 

 

 

 

 

Our evenings were spent watching the incredible entertainment on-board the ship. We saw The Blue Man Group, The Aussie Boys, Soul Satisfaction, Graffiti Art and many more!  What a wonderful holiday we had on and off board our brilliant boat! 

Painting & Drawing in France with Adrian & Tini

 

What a truly glorious holiday we had, painting to our hearts content in sunny France!  The smooth, calm ferry crossing was the perfect way to start our holiday, leaving us full of anticipation upon arriving at Calais! 

 

We were all bowled over by the accommodation - a luxurious Gite, typically French and extremely comfortable!  We made ourselves at home right away and couldn't wait to start exploring!

 

By the end of the holiday, we had transformed into accomplished artists, having had several lessons from our teacher, Monsieur Dominic Gaul.  He is a much respected artist with many books published throughout France.  We were taught how to mix colours from just the 3 primary colours.  He also showed us how to paint shade and light and our results were amazing!

 

 

 

Bathed in beautiful sunshine, we visited the lively market at Brocante, in the small village of Sorrus.  It had over 180 stalls bursting with goodies from handbags and plates to telescopes and records!   The atmosphere was buzzing and vibrant and some of us bought souvenirs to take home.  We also visited the pretty seaside town of Berck-Sur-Mer where we ambled along the promenade, ice-cream in hands.

 

 

 

Our trip to 'Nausicaa' - the biggest Sea Life Centre in Europe - was incredible and certainly captured our imaginations!  We were amazed by the sheer variety of species.  We saw a tank full of Moon Jellyfish, beautifully coloured marine fish, turtles and even sharks; one of which was over 16 feet long!  There were so many other creatures there, including sea lions, penguins and sting rays!  We then set out to explore the historic Boulogne where we learnt some facts about it's incredible past.

 

 

We were astounded when we visited the chocolate factory at Beussent - they showed us the entire chocolate making process from start to finish - it was fascinating!  We even got to sample some, which of course left us wanting more....

 

 

It was like being zapped back in time as we climbed aboard the steam train at Le Crotoy.  We loved taking in the breath taking scenery as the 100 year old train chugged and meandered it's way  throughout the countryside. What a day that was!

 

 

 

What a truly fantastic holiday it was, filled with lots of fun and learning.