We could have gone to Australia!

It took us 30 hours to get home, door to door. When we went to Australia it took us only 26! Joking aside, the journey back wasn't as smooth as the journey to Munich. There were some long waits between coaches and trains this time. Then, to make matters worse, our train from Limoges to Uzerche, where our car was parked, was initially delayed for 2 hours, before being cancelled altogether. Apparently it collided with a person on the line. The next train was also delayed and we would have arrived home 3 hours later than originally planned, around 2 am if we were lucky. The other passengers were going to Brive, we were the only ones stopping at Uzerche. A very helpful SNCF employee sprang into action when he found out the second train was still in Paris! He arranged for a minibus to take all seven stranded passengers to their destinations. 

We arrived home at 12:30 am. Pirate was nowhere to be seen, but Pirouette was incredibly happy to see us. We put the heating on and had to wait for the place to reach a bearable temperature before we could go to bed. That's our Munich adventure! I uploaded some pictures taken at the Olympia Park and Nymphenburg Palace.

Pause for cake: 

The grounds of Nymphenburg Palace :

People playing curling, skating or posing on the frozen river:

The wildlife:

The statues are shuttered in the winter:

All in all, it was a very white landscape! 

It was hard to say bye bye to Emilia...

Last day in Munich

We're celebrating Billy's birthday today, then we'll board the coach to Paris later on, at 9 pm. It will be another looong journey... I'll be back blogging on Sunday. 

Emi is a champion at making funny faces, she makes us laugh and drool in equal measure.

Bliss!

Emi had nice sleep on my chest. Only one day left to enjoy these smooches... Then we'll head home to some fresh snow, just as it starts to melt over here. We've been ok, as we were prepared for snow, but I feel sorry for the Greeks!

BMW!

I forgot to bring the memory card uploader for the iPad, so the photos taken with the camera will have to wait until we  get back home. We're going for a walk soon, to a huge BMW showroom. Little munchkin will come to take us there, then Sandra will go on one of her very long, very fast walks, we'll find our way back and meet everybody back home.

Ha! I took the iPad with me, so you can see the cars.

Pause for coffee and cake:

I'm not a car or motorbike enthusiast, but you-know-who likes boys toys! I enjoyed my fruit and nut cake with the nice cup of coffee... ;-)

Munich, here we go!

We're travelling to Paris right now and then we'll have an overnight journey to Munich, arriving there around 9:15 am. We decided to go by bus, as it's snowing a lot in Bavaria, we don't have winter tyres and can't afford them at the moment. Motorists who get caught driving without them get a fine and a point on their licence. The bus company is German and the buses look very cheerful.

We're returning on the 13th, arriving home late the next day, then on Monday we have to pick up my nephew from the airport. He's the one studying in Dublin, who was treated to a lovely meal and a Christmas party by our dear IrishGirl. His visa expires on the 17th, but he has an interview at end of February at a college he'll attend next September, so he'll be staying with us until March.

Busy days ahead, but what I really really really want is to give this little person loads of smooches!

I will blog when I can, yes? Be good, peeps!  ;-)

She's here!

Today at 9am (Central European Time) I became a grandmother! Emilia Rosalie weighs a healthy 3,06kg (6lb 12oz) and Sandra and Billy are incredibly proud, bursting with love. We had a video call about an hour after the birth and we noticed that the little bundle of joy is a chatterbox. They said she doesn't cry, just chats and complains when she wants a feed. Sandra needed a cesarean section because the baby was in a sitting position and wouldn't budge, despite attempts to turn her last week. We have a very determined granddaughter! Peter and I are totally in love with her already. I'm very emotional. Everytime I picture Billy with his own little baby girl, I well up. Billy has always, always loved babies, and he's a natural with children. Without further ado, before I flood the iPad with tears of happiness, here's the lovely family:

[I've been adding photos as they come...]