The Town of 1770 Seventeen-Seventy

After yet another marathon drive all the way from our friends home in Paradise Point, and a good night sleep in their lounge..! We reached the town of 1770. I would take the term TOWN lightly. It would in European proportions possibly pass for a small village… but that is being generous! Regardless of size this little gem is a Beauty, hidden away like a secret treasure. 

1770 or as it’s officially titled Seventeen-Seventy is said to be named so as it was built on the site of the second landing by James Cook and his crew of HM Bark Endeavour the year of… you guessed it! 1770

I had heard quite a few people rave about this place and especially Paul who visited about 8 years ago. I was excited to see it for a first time and Paul was intrigued to see how it had changed.

When I did a bit of research online everyone seemed to be talking about Cool Bananas in 1770 as the place to stay. We decided to check it out and although it looks like a cool place.. it’s NOT IN 1770…! Cool Bananas is located in the town of Agnes Waters about 8 km away… A lot of places seem to advertise using 1770 as its whereabouts but if you want to really stay in this tiny town DO check your map to make sure you get the real deal.

1770 really only have a few accommodation options a camp site with a small shop and then there is the essential meeting point the Pub! (or the Play ground which is now an essential in every park and on any piece of greenery in Australia.) 

The most noticeable change to Paul was without doubt this old Pub, 1770 Beach Hotel – The Tree. He remembered it as a shack with a pub and a caf/shop serving simple grub. But It’s a different story now… The pub and the now slightly fancier Restaurant are quite divided, mainly by the fact that you can’t sit on the cosy porch bit unless you are eating from the restaurant menu.. Which is fair enough. As we arrived late to 1770 we thought we’d grab a quick simple meal to go with our cider and beer so as we climbed up the stairs we made a left turn to the pub bar and ordered a surprisingly tasty plate of nachos for $10.

Paul and I stayed at the 1770 camping ground for 3 nights where I had my very first camping adventure in a tent! It couldn’t have been more perfect as we set up on the beach front and lit our very own bonfire every night, grilling corn on the cob as we watched the sun go down.

If you are about on a Sunday, Do make sure you visit the small market where you can mingle with locals and indulge in a cup of the best coffee around.

Over all 1770 is still the beautiful and very special place it used to be but just like Byron Bay or x amount of Thai Islands, commercialness and investment seekers have taken over… for Good AND Bad…

Nice-Dubai-Sydney in one go!

Current Location… Road side Motel Gold Coast Australia!

And how did we get here? Well… We took a flight with Emirates from Nice to Dubai.

That took roughly 6 hours. During the flight we had lunch and entertained ourselves with movies… We both watched The Bourne Legacy (2012) and we were both very disappointed. It is a bigger disappointment that The godfather three… to be honest it seems to not even have a plot.. Nor an actual ending… if I didn’t know better I would think that it was a bad reproduction of a Dan Brown fan fiction… The only thing that resembles the fourth film with the rest is the name…

So, we had an hour and a half at Dubai’s International Airport. I Enjoyed a Chai latte and a little sightseeing tour but saved the tax free shopping spree for our return flight.

Take two of our journey was long and a bit painful… 13 whole hours from Dubai to Sydney. However food was good, TV was bigger with more films to choose from, plane was newer and alcohol per usual gratis! But we didn’t have a window seat so nowhere to lean on for a few hours of sleep.

Finally arriving at Sydney airport 22.30 local time, we were worn-out… not looking forward to queues and bag scanning but fortunately it seems late arrival means no queues and because we were staying with Paul’s brother they seemed to trust us enough to let us go straight through. Australia, Sydney, Freedom!

Tips: If you have the opportunity to choose seats in advance with online check in this web-site can be very useful for guiding you to the best ones! Seat maps for all airplanes at www.seatguru.com . However you still have to check in early! Do it as soon as you are allowed! We didn’t think about it and didn’t have much to choose from… lesson learnt! 

The Anantara Riververside Resort and Spa Bangkok - Where urban and rural creates excellence

If you are in search for a high end, stylish and luxurious hotel with a rural warm and welcoming feel… This is for you. The Anantara is a place where you in peace could watch the sunset from your private balcony... where you could hide away and practically find anything you would ever need without leaving the resort... And at the same time be only minutes away from everything that signify tourism and big city madness.

After a taxi ride through the frantic midday traffic of the capital we arrived at the Anantara River Side Resort and Spa. Instantly welcomed with warm smiles and lovely chilled towels we were asked to sit down and relax while they brought over refreshing drinks and checked us in.

Our room with a lovely view of the river.

Our Bathroom

Our lovely comfy bed! complete with pretty flowers.

The Anantara is a grand resort hidden away on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The beautiful buildings of the resort are embraced by an exotic landscape of majestic palm trees and greenery. The beautiful oasis that is the pool area could not be more attractive. Unfortunately we only spent one day down by the pool... Shopping and exploring got the best of us this time! However we both agreed that we should return and make sure to spend a few days just relaxing and enjoying the facilities of this tranquil gem.

I would highly recommend a visit! You can find The Anantara Riverside resort and Spa Bangkok website HERE. 

Thai Reminiscing

In the middle of planning a long and well deserved winter holiday I stumbled across a bunch of photos from our latest trip to Thailand. I was immediately struck by some serious Holiday nostalgia! 

Earlier this year in March, My man and I took three weeks off to defrost our sun deprived bodies in the East Asian sun. We were at the time working on two different yachts in two different countries so after spending weeks apart it was a real treat to finally have some time to ourselves.

We flew to Bangkok where we spent three busy days shopping and street food feasting before heading off to the beaches and tranquillity of the Island Koh Chang.

It's been a while!

Its been a while!  sorry we have been eh.. busy!?

But gratefully now two years later we have made a pact to not be slaves to the money nor anything or anyone… Time to enjoy life a bit more and most important! TIME TO TAKE OUR TIME.

The short version of the long reality is…

We drove the motor-home which Paul had built.. (a project he started long before we even met!) all the way to France.. Well.. on to a ferry a few miles from where we lived that took us to France!

We then drove through France on a little road trip… 

and in the middle of that road trip I stopped writing this blog.

I could tell you that it was caused by the constant struggle to find food and survive without a job on the ridiculously expensive French Riviera… Or the struggle to survive living two people with enormous personalities…not to mention egos! (and the fact that we didn’t even know each other all that well!) under the same roof in a box of approx. 4 square meter.

And yes.. even though all of the above mentioned is more or less true.. The main reason was because we didn’t have Internet… so that is that.

Anyway!! We made our way down to the French Riviera. Struggled to find work as we didn’t speak French but finally managed to gain employments working on luxurious motor yachts! A funny and quite unexpected turn in life!

After working on separate boats for over a year we agreed to get serious and take a job on the same boat… Relationships are hard if you are in Italy while your man is in ST Tropez… So Paul left his 100ft Sunseeker and I said goodbye to my beloved crew on 68m Triple-Seven and in April this year managed to land a gig on a Princess as Captain and Chef/Stew.

This has now been our home for more than 6 months.

Oh.. I mustn't forget to tell you about the motor-home! 

She lived happily hanging around on the Riviera and Paul took her skiing in Italy with his son

 and our friends Elio and Sash took her on adventures to Spain and Portugal 

and everything was working fine … and then one day Paul decided it was time to let go of the wooden made shell that she was… He had a vision… for something bigger, and better, and METAL!  She was taken to pieces in February RIP and the truck was sold to Paul’s brother.

Yet no long lived mourning took place as Paul quickly bought a black Vauxhall Vivaro with extended wheel base which he is now in the progress of converting into a camper van... It is taking a lot less time than the motor-home once did..! It will be a new and much improved box on wheels to live and travel in.

We are already whispering plans about going around the world in it and possibly send a photo when completed to the TV program Amazing spaces…

So come a long and follow us on our adventures and in our projects of creativity, life and travel! 

Monday 12th of July 2010

We left the beautiful spot in Le Fountain Bleu and headed to Dijon.

Quickly confirmed that mustard is probably what they do best, and knowing we had a pot in the cupboard, we did not feel the urge to stick around. Half way to Lyon how ever, we did find a muddy place in the dripping rain by a lake. We decided that it was time to stay, rest have some pasta carbonara for dinner and hopefully get going again early morning!

Sunday 11th of July 2010

The first day of a minor motor home disaster...

The motor home feels rather hot when we wake up and as Paul gets up to open the door he walks by the fridge.
For some reason the fridge is pumping out hot air into the motor home and not out the vent.
Something has made it over heat and it would now be more suitable as an oven than a fridge(!).

Paul who can fix anything,
he was even the one who made the fridge into an oven by blocking its airways with foam.
This was although to stop the warm air getting into the m-home and force it out the vent so the thought was great it just didn’t work.
Anyway Paul who can fix anything did after 3 tours to some shop similar to B&Q fix the fridge.
He made two new vents, bigger and better placed.
He worked hard and determent until the little fridge was a fridge again.

The End!

Saturday 10th of July 2010

A Very chilled out day by the river. Paul got treated a well needed haircut in the sun, and a new set of hooks sank AND most importantly a float was bought.
A nice boat with a Swedish flag sailed by.
Le Bistro Valldri offered a mushroom risotto with chorizo for dinner, and loud midnight entertainment by the local youngsters.

Friday 9th of July 2010

We leave the forest and head towards Disney Land. As we see the sign it strikes us that tomorrow, the day we had in mind for our visit is a Saturday.
A Saturday at Disney Land most certainly involves extra queues and extra kids.
The same goes for a Sunday.
For Hanna who has a bit of a problem with patience, queuing is unbearable and for Paul who every so often makes it very clear that he hates kids… well lets just say it wouldn’t be ideal.

Without hesitation we then turn around.
Leaving the magic world of screaming children with ice cream spilt all over themselves and hours of sweating in long hot queues. How ever much Hanna loves Disney, she will just have to wait for another day. Preferably a Monday far away from school breaks and public holidays.

We find our new back garden by a river in Le Fountain Bleu. After a Successful food shop including a lot of wine and everything we would need for a riverside tapas feast Paul tries his fishing luck which unfortunately ends before it has time to begin. The small fake fish with all those small hooks on it now rests peacefully on the bottom of the river, well hidden in the sea weed. But who cares about that when you have tapas for ten and five bottles of wine to cure all your sorrows.

Thursday 8th of July 2010

We wake up by the same nice spot in the forest,
but decide to skip the jog today and head straight in to Paris.
On the list of things to do is
Le Louvre.
We Park the motorbike on the pavement where everyone else parks their two wheeled friends and walk over to the museum.

The visit was tiring but interesting.
We got a shot of The Mona Lisa, which seem to be the main target for 95% of the people visiting Le Louvre, except for Paul who had been there once before and seen everything but one of the most famous paintings in modern time.
At least he can tick it of his list now. =)
We both agreed that the state rooms of La Louvre Palace were what we enjoyed the most, and it had the least people! Double luck.

Finally out in the hot Paris air again Hanna feel a sudden urge to jump in the water and play in the fountain but Paul stills her childish mind and she agrees that a quick photo in front of the fountain with water up to her ankles will be good enough.
Obviously grown up men don’t make scenes nor do they like to get wet so Paul has a photo on the dry.

First morning in France 7/7 2010

Our first morning in France!
A fresh start welcomes a new improved lifestyle!

Paul- “We should start running when we get to France baby, I am brining my trainers.”
Hanna- “But I do run already and I don’t think I ever stopped?”
Paul- “Eh yeah well”
Hanna- “But I am happy for you to start running too! Then we can run together.”


So here we are, in the Le foret de Versaille running together.
How great are we!
After not too long my (Hanna’s) Ignored cold makes it self reminded and I decide that it is probably better to walk around than suffocate from my own euwy gue.
Paul slows down too and we start walking back to the M-home.

After twenty two “I think this must be the right way” we agree that we are lost.
We meet a old man who ask us for the lake or “se pool” as he calls it and we tell him we haven’t seen any lake.
We then ask him for the directions to town and he laughs out loud before he ask us what town? “sthis is sa very large foret! sit could be four sdifferent town!” He laughs again and shakes his head.
I think all of us can imagine what he was thinking.
This makes us realize just how big this forest is but after a long hill climbing session and a few turns we find ourselves on a road we recognize.
All though very far from home!

After the rather exhausting morning we take the motorbike in to Paris. Thank god for motorbikes! The capital of never ending queues is no match for the BMW.

We have lunch in the shade by the Eiffel Tower and Paul cracks the brilliant idea of following tourist busses. That takes us to the beautiful Cathedral Notre Dame.
Even better is that it takes us to a piano bar-boat with a great view of the master piece where we can take in all that culture and history while sipping cold beer and rosé!

Tuesday 6th of July 2010

Two rather tired youngsters’ wakes up by the sound of an alarm going off in their brand-newly-finished motor home. (I don’t know if something that has been worked on for 3 plus years can legally be called brand new so brand-newly-finished is a more honest description)
They take in a deep breath of fresh morning air as they step out on to the tarmac of Portsmouth’s largest Tesco car park and abruptly they both realize why they are there.
This first Tuesday of July 2010 is “THE DAY”.

After a quick ferry ride involving sleeping, nice coffee, two completed suduku’s by Hanna and an unfinished Crossword by Paul, (And Hanna but for which she does not wish to take blame for the incompletes since she is a foreigner after all.) the Motor home drives off the ferry and on to French ground in Le Havre.

Our first stop is Versailles. We find a parking in the forest with a sign that says no overnight parking but since it is in French we choose not to understand it and take the risk. We park our home and drive off on the motorbike to soon find an Italian restaurant where we have Real Pizza and watch a bit of world cup football.

En Route!

Suddenly the adventure begins.
It has taken slightly longer than planned…
I know that you are laughing in agreement reading this and it is ok!
A lot of people doubted that it would ever happen and some might still think it won’t, but here comes the announcement loud and clear.
We are En Route! And we are happy for you to follow us on this site.

Let’s take it from the beginning.