The Arctic Tour

Our trip to the far north including Sweden, Norway, Iceland, a drive-through in the north of Finland and a pitstop in home-town Orleans, France. 

There's a complete selection of photos now to match the commentary during our trip. An awesome trip, I hope you enjoy the blog.

The title image is the midnight sun in the far north of Norway. 

HOME!

We're back home and already back at work, Sigh.

It was a great trip and now that I have more computing power I've added some new photos to the posts below and will continue to add more - so keep a look out for these and more coming soon.

JULY 17th: SCROLL DOWN FOR RECENTLY ADDED PHOTOS - Currently working on Norway..

Paris - Singapore - Sydney

The flight from Paris to Singapore was uneventful - we managed exit row seats for the whole way home - so I have been enjoying the leg room (and no crushed knees). I managed to watch a few movies and get a few hours of sleep. One of the movies was 'Paris' which is very appropriate and topical given that my last post (prior to this one) was in the same kind of mood as the film. Good timing I say. There is a pool here in Singapore airport - (thanks Jamie & welcome home yourself!) and we even have our gear for a swim but you can't do laps and we've decided to take it easy until we get home. I'm not sure I'll manage to sleep as much as I want on the next flight - but a welcome home swim then is sure to wake us up on our return. But at the uni pool??

See you all at home soon - and to all of you who have looked after us during our travels - thank you very much!

Au Revoir Paris

I’m sitting in the airport in Paris – it’s a chaotic environment at the best of times, and today is no exception. There are kids playing soccer behind me at the gate lounge, our plane has been delayed 25 minutes, but I’m sitting here feeling particularly at peace for some reason. I’ve got the theme track to American Beauty playing on my ipod, which kind of takes me away from everything, like I’m an observer to everything happening around me but not actively a part of it. I often get this kind of feeling at the start of a trip when I’m on the plane as it cruises into the night, but today it’s a different thing.

The day has been one of saying goodbye to family, walking around various parts of Paris. Sitting at sidewalk cafes eating lunch or having coffee and watching the people go by. Paris certainly is a great place for people watching. I have been imagining all the different life stories of the people passing right by me, reading their expressions as they go about their day, even in the metro I was imagining the worlds of the people around me and how different they probably are from mine. We wandered through the Louis Vuitton store on the Champs Elysees and examining the Euro10000+ bags I realised there is a whole world of people out there about whom I have no knowledge. There is so much out there in fact that I don’t know, that the amount I do know seems insignificant. But I think that’s what really makes the world an interesting place. It’s a whole lot of fun finding out the little bits at a time that I do. While I may feel a mile away from everyone here right now – I know I’m just the same as everyone here, yet there are small things that make us all very individual. And I like that too.

Vive La France

Our first night in France I woke in the middle of the night to a big rain storm - a summery night, a breeze with the storm, I was in a room with huge ceilings, big shuttered windows and had absolutely no idea where I was! Was it Australia? Was it Sweden? (It certainly wasn't Iceland any more). Eventually it dawned on me that we were staying chez Baptiste & Fany in their new home (which is in fact an old and very grand home) in Jargeau. The house is great - Love it - and there is so much they can do with it too. We're looking forward to the changes they make as they make it their own, (it has 4 levels!!)

It may look small - but inside it's definitely not.

Baptiste, Marie-Françoise, Sacha & Sylvain in

Sacha's room! The perfect room for a child (or anyone really)

Here we've been catching up with family - eating loads of French delicacies, and occasionally swimming. Unlike the Icelanders, The French are TERRIIIIBLE with their lane etiquette. Firstly they don't use lanes most of the time, and this has resulted in at least one French woman being almost concussed by me at speed in the pool as she meandered out of a straight line. And a few near collisions with a man swimming with his glasses on, but obviously for no good reason. I could go on - but I will save that for another time.

The Goumand Estate... an escape from the everyday.

Our nephew Sacha has grown even more and today took his first few very tenuous steps on his own (I have photos! - Ed. see below) I expect independent walking within the week. I've been taking it easy back here in France - it's like home away from home, and I tend to do less photography and general traveling stuff.


Tomorrow we start our journey home. I'm normally looking forward to it by this time away - but I'd be quite happy to continue.

Last Day - Iceland

Having been here for about a week now, it seems Iceland has one of the best swimming cultures in the world. And we know that I'm obsessed with swimming. The fact that there are 16 swimming pools in the Reykjavik area alone is certainly an indication of the keenness they have, the fact that they are open from 6.30am to 10.30pm stamps it in bold ink.

Could I live here?

I think I could cope with summer, despite it being fractionally too cold, and I could deal with winter with the hot outdoor pools, at least for a while... but the darkness would kill me I expect after a while.

We swam at the Blue Lagoon today followed by the same local pool from the start of our trip - we're staying in fact at the Blue Lagoon (see here) for our last night. It may be a bit touristy at the lagoon, but to be here after hours is great, and the sunset just now (ie midnight) was just divine. Yeah - you'll have to wait a bit for more photos, sorry. (ed. update: see some now below)






Early flight tomorrow so must head to bed.