4. Stockholm (Sweden) and Helsinki (Finland)- - 2000

From Stockholm's Arlanda airport we took the bus to the Port and joined the M/S Sea Symphony (Silja Lines.) for the overnight trip to Helsinki.  We set sail in the late afternoon and passed through the beautiful archipelago. 

We docked in Helsnki and took a cab to the Grand Marina Hotel.  In the evening we took a tram into town and watched a "Dragon boat" racing competition and then popped into a Cider garden for a quick drink.
In the evening we wandered down to the quayside to watch an impressive firework display.

On our second day we took a bus tour of Helsinki, the bus was and old London double decker. We stopped at an impressive church that had been blown out of sold rock. We passed the local Dry dock where a huge Cruse ship was being built and then visited a local flea market.

In the evening we took a dinner cruise around the local area and had a superb dinner of lamb and salmon. After dinner we visited a couple of local bars, Hemmingways and the Copacobana.

The following day we took a walk up to the local park and watched the Helsinki marathon that was taking place, all too soon it was time to board our ship for the trip back to Stockholm.












In Stockholm we booked into the Aldon Hotel and on a beautiful Summer's evening we wandered around the City, a local park  and even took in a sightseeing boat tour.

3. Weymouth - Poole (UK) and St Malo (France) -2000

We drove from Cardiff (UK)  to Weymouth on the South coast of England. Our base for this short visit was the Channel Hotel. On our first evening we took a stroll down to the harbour and then had dinner at The Old Ship Inn.














The next day we took the short drive to Lulworth Cove, we took a long walk along the surrounding coastal path that overlooks the famous Rock formation.

On our third day we drove over to Portland, we stopped off for coffee and scones and visited Portland Bill lighthouse, a stone quarry and an old abandoned Church. 

We then made a visit to Portland Castle with its interesting Maritime history.

On our fourth day we made our way back down to the harbour and hopped on the Ferry over to St Malo in France. Once in St Malo we spent our time wandering the streets of this old walled town before having lunch in a street side cafe. In the evening we set sail on our return journey and ran into some rough seas that threw the boat around.

On our fifth day we drove over the coastal town of Poole, we decided to take a boat trip around the impressive harbour and learnt that it has one of the largest harbours in the World, but not very deep, hence it never developed into a commercial port.

2. The Cotswolds- UK -2000

We drove from Cardiff (UK) to the Cotswold area of Southern England, Our base for our stay in the Cotswolds was The Frogmill Hotel.

Our first stop was the village of Lower Slaughter followed by Stow on the Wold and Braughton on the Water.

Next on our list we the beautifully kept gardens of Sudley Castle.

We visited Cheltenham racecourse and had a flutter on the Horses and managed to pick a few winners including "Upgrade", "Spanish Main" and "Holborn Hill".

On our way back to Cardiff we stopped of at Ross on Wye and had lunch at a pub overlooking the river.

1.We Begin in Sweden in 2000.

                                               Robert and Amanda

Our first meeting was in the Capital of Sweden, the City of Stockholm, with snow on the ground and freezing temperatures it was pretty cold walking around the harbour area.

We wandered the  streets of  the Old Town (Gamla Stan), stopping off numerous times for warming cups of coffee.