Blogadoon of the 9th month

Hello everyone.

Now, I know it has been a significant amount of time since my last blog, but I didn't want to blog just for bloggings sake. So I'm going to put a summary of all that happened in September here and that'll make it even more awesome than ever!!

HOLIDAY obviously!! Sarah, Tom and I spent a completely wonderful week in Croatia, taking in the delights of the ancient city of Dubrovnik and visiting some other places too - the most notable of these was Mostar in Bosnia. I find it so amazing that I can now say I've been to Croatia and Bosnia (though I've never been to Germany or Spain!!)

Every day of our Croatian adventure was packed full of new experiences and all sorts of fun. We walked the Walls of the Old City (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), visited the Cathedral, went to see the War Photography Exhibition (very poiniant considering the recent nature of the conflict in that part of the world), took a trip to the island of Lokrum: with its botanical gardens, crumbling citadel and gorgeous views. One day Sarah and I took a minibus tour to the city of Mostar in Bosnia. Not only was Mostar great to see and spend time in, but the experience of driving through Croatia and up in to Bosnia was wonderful.
The city of Dubrovnik is beautiful; steeped in history, with beautiful sea shore and coast, majestic buildings and fountains dating back to the 17th C and a wonderful blend of old and new as the bustling city spreads out from the walls and presents constant reminders of the all-too-recent war. We took a cable car (the cable car had only been reopened a month beforehand, having been destroyed in the war) up to the mountain that was a fortress in the war and has a museum up there.

When we got back, there was only a couple of days before Mum and I travelled to London for the Under London Blitz Experience organised by the London Transport Museum. Alydwich Tube Station (closed since 1995) was reopened for one weekend only and we went down to platform level for an hour or so.
There, they'd bought a 30s tube train for us to go on, decorated with all of the War posters they could muster, and many actors (dressed as a Spiv, a WVS woman, an ARP warden and a sheltering housewife) to give us a real taste of the war years. We took lots of pictures and they simulated an air raid overhead. Also there was a chance to buy lots of war related stuff and they made the whole thing even more authentic by parking an old style London bus (complete with old posters etc) outside the tube to add to the experience.

The following day was my great aunt and uncle's diamond wedding anniversary party. I feel that being married for 60 years is a blog worthy feat for sure! We had a pleasent afternoon where we nearly burnt a hole in my cousin's dining room table and got to hear all about the family travels to NYC and DC and had a great family photo taken (which I must see if I can get a copy of!).

All in all September was a great month for me. I hadn't been on holiday sinc we went to Morocco in 2007 and the memory of that holiday will forever be marred by the fact that my Mum didn't really enjoy it, even though I did!! So I can't really reminisce over that one in public, but with Croatia I can. I'll also always be able to look back through my passport and see the Croatian and Bosnian stamps there!

Now on to October and (brrrrr) November, for more awesomeness related to my life.