The Road to Glory - title borrowed from a Freo Dockers T-shirt

What a journey.  What a story. What an ending.  

So where to begin.  For those who don’t know, I’m a bit of a Brisbane Lions fan.  I went to all of the GFs for the original three-peat in 01-03, and sadly also the 04 loss to Port Adelaide.  I missed 23 as I was in Spain on my little camino adventure, but listened in from Leon in the early hours of the morning. I was there in 24 and 25, and eagerly anticipated whether we would be back again in 26.

To secure a grand final ticket, members must first nominate to be in a ballot - the club only receives limited tickets to the GF, and with 80K members this year, tickets were heavily contested.  The ballot takes place before the preliminary final, so we don’t even know if we’ve made the final before we are committing to buy tickets.  You don’t pick where you sit or the price of the ticket you’re paying for - if your team wins the prelim and you are successful in the ballot, your bank account gets hit with the payment and you get what you get.  Tickets are allocated by team though, so most of the time you’ll find yourself surrounded by your fellow team supporters.

Because we have accessible seats, our selection process is a little different - we elect to sit in the first level and tickets are allocated accordingly.  We receive an email confirming we have seats, and have a payment link to pay for the tickets.  So it’s not such a surprise of how much is coming out.  But it can be a shock when you see that you need to pay $1075 to secure the two tickets you competed for in the ballot.

When we received our ticket allocation, we still weren’t sure we were going to go.  Kent and Sharon had only recently returned from a trip to Europe, and the cost of airfares and accommodation at the last minute are always exorbitant - the price gouging is eye-watering.  Last year, Kent and I paid almost $3000 between us for airfares, hotel and game-day tickets (and we had the cheaper seats last year!)

However with holidays approved at work, I decided to go.  Kent opted not to come this year, so I asked a few people if they were keen, and Jordy suggested a road trip as she is on school holidays and had the time off to drive down over two days and back over two days.  Quite confident my car would be reliable as it’s only 12 months old, and super-efficient with fuel as a hybrid.

So away we went - and to mix it up, we drove down via the Newell Highway and returned via the Hume and Pacific Highways.  First night’s destination was Coonabarabran.  In hindsight we probably should have pressed onto Dubbo as it made an extra long day on day two of driving, but there’s a certain Chinese restaurant in town that we have eaten at before that we were looking forward to enjoying.  Our hotel, the All Traveller’s Motor Inn, is directly across the road, and after 8 hours on the road we unloaded our bags and went for a walk through town and along the Castlereagh River to stretch our legs and work up an appetite.

After a satisfying dinner of chow mein (crunchy noodles of course) and honey chicken, we hit the hay.  Both of us were awake at 4.00am, so we packed the car and had an early start.  Was hoping to stop in Parkes at a roadhouse we usually ate at on our way to Melbourne in 01-04, but sadly, because the highway has been re-routed around town the roadhouse has moved, so we continued onto Forbes and had breakfast at Isabel’s Place.  

Enjoyed the travel to Melbourne after a late lunch at Shepparton.  If you ever want a great kebab, hit me up for the shop we went to - it was delicious.  Now while we were staying at Balwyn, about 40 minutes tram ride out of the CBD, Jordy was determined to get badges for her scarf from the Lions pop up shop at Fitzroy, so I had to take on the inner city tram tracks and traffic to satisfy her needs.  Not as scary as I thought, although pretty happy to get to the hotel afterward and leave the car in the car park for 24 hours (except of course we had to hit up the supermarket in the next suburb so a short drive then a park).

Saturday morning we enjoyed a French breakfast at Bon Matin, where we met up with Jordy’s father-in-law, Blake, and his partner Sue.  A delicious breakfast, lovely company, and a great distraction from my nervous gut, which had decided that Grand Final Day was as good a day as any to make eating anything after breakfast a no-go!  

Post breaking tram to Federation Square, where we waited for what felt like forever for the Lions supporters to walk to the G together.  Could not believe the number of Freo fans around town and at the game.  It was almost like they had bought up every spare GF ticket they could find, and it felt like there were ten of them for every one of us.  The town was a sea of purple!

Getting into the ground proved problematic as there were not clear lines to get in, so it was just a bunch of people who were all pushing to get in at once.  After 45 minutes of waiting in a line that wasn’t moving as people were constantly pushing in in front, and an electronic machine that wasn’t working so was further slowing movement, we were directed to the next gate, and thankfully got in just in time for the absolutely fabulous Kylie Minogue.  What a vibe she created, a spectacle worthy of a Grand Final Day.  Sang all the hits, flirted with the crowd, soared above the ground and left us wanting more.

And then the reason we were there.  That one day in September.  Cracker game, but with 5 minutes to go and Voss kicking to put them clear by 17 points, I will admit I had my doubts.  I turned to Jordy and quietly said, this might not be our year.  Following his goal song, the inevitable happened.  Wharfie Time.  The bells chimed, the crowd roared and all hell broke loose on the ground.  The Lions breathed in the energy from the crowd and kicked four goals in four minutes to seal the game with 8 seconds remaining. 

My throat was stripped raw from screaming.  I hugged and high-fived everyone around me - strangers only moments before, we were all new besties celebrating an amazing feat - a come-from-behind win to hand Brisbane it’s second three-peat of the modern era.  

When we won the first one, my dad honestly believed he would never see another GF victory.  After all, we had seen three in a row while others were yet to taste the glory of premiership victory in years (I’m looking at you, St Kilda).  So to win in 24, it felt special.  To back it up in 25 it felt surreal.  To bag our second three-peat in the modern era in 26 from the position we were in with four minutes to go felt completely miraculous.

We stayed at the ground for a while to just soak up the atmosphere, cheer on the boys and collect posters and merch from the stalls outside.  Then a lovely walk along the Yarra, a bite to eat, quick catch up with friends who saw us in the street, and then back to the hotel ready to start the drive home in the morning.

Up early and off to Gosford for the night on the way home.  The Pacific Highway drive is a little greener and hillier than the inland way, and two lanes the whole way, so traffic flows beautifully.  Dinner at the Gosford RSL and early bed for the final day of driving.  

Once again we were up early and on the road by 4.30.  Rained the entire drive home, letting up just 10 minutes from Jordy’s house when I dropped her off.  Quick trip home, and I’m now settled in watching the replay, reliving the moment and taking the time to soak it all in.  Already dropped down to my folks’ house to drop off a copy of the Premier’s Record and the traditional Herald Sun poster.  

So now for some numbers:

5 days, 3954km - 8 tanks of Petrol - $465.91 (one tank to fill at the end for the next fortnight).  Most expensive fuel was in Brisbane on our return!

3 hotels - $641.98

26 cans/bottles of Pepsi Max

8 bottles of water

2 cans of Redbull/Monster

2 Maccas runs

1 KFC run

1 Chinese Meal

1 RSL meal

1 cafe breakfast

2 roadhouse diner meals

1 box of footy donuts

6 Spotify playlists

3 tram trips

2 Grand Final Records

2 Premier’s Records

3 Herald Sun Posters

2 3Peat stubbie coolers

1 Logan Morris Grand Final button

The Netherlands - the bicycle gold standard city

So where were we? Oh that’s right, my stay at the Generator Hotel in Amsterdam.  Did I mention it was a pod hotel?  For those yet to experience what a pod hotel is, imagine any science fiction movie that has some degree of space travel in it.  Visualise the little pods that astronauts sleep in - about 1.2m wide, 1m high and 2m long, with individual controls for lighting and air conditioning.  There’s a 7mm mattress, a doona and a pillow to sleep on, and a lockable door, so you are effectively sealed in a lit and ventilated “mega coffin” for your overnight stay.

My first pod experience was in Sydney about 10 years ago when this new novelty was introduced. You could hear every movement of the people around you, including snoring, tooting and talking.  This experience was a little better, as most of the individual noise was muted, however anyone talking outside of the pods, and the security door that slammed loudly each time someone buzzed in were definitely going to interrupt sleep!

After settling all my gear into my pod, I went out to explore the area - the hotel backs onto a gorgeous park and I walked the nearby streets to find somewhere to eat that didn’t involve burgers and fries.  I settled on a little Italian place, run by a couple of Argentinians!  The lasagna was next level, washed down by a refreshing Heineken (when in Holland!)

The walk back through the park was entertaining, with a drum circle doing their thing, alongside an African dance troop.  As expected, the sleep wasn’t ideal, but at least it was a week night, and the nightclub that operates in the venue on a Friday and Saturday night wasn’t in operation. The bathrooms at this place were split by gender (although the sleeping areas aren’t - the pods were mixed gender).  I woke up at 6am, and with no hope of getting back to sleep, I decided to pack up, have a shower and make my way slowly into the centre of the city to find somewhere to take my luggage while I did my bike tour.

Thankfully there was a luggage storage place at the train station, so after stowing my very heavy pack there, I started the walk to the bike rental store, while also searching for somewhere to have breakfast.  

Amsterbikes is only a short walk down from the train station, and in between were a number of cafes, but I wasn’t feeling a hot breakfast, so I opted for a supermarket bacon and egg sandwich and an orange juice.

Once at Amsterbikes, I was measured up for my bike, given some brief instructions and then introduced to my tour guide, Peter, a retired gentleman who took up guiding to give him “something to do”.  There was also a mum and her teenage daughter from Seattle in the group, a dad and his four daughters, and another American couple with their teenage son.  

Now I was more than a little nervous to be doing this ride.  Amsterdam is a biking city.  There are thousands of them on the road at any point in time, and the thought of riding in a bunch with people I don’t know, and who I have no trust in was a little daunting.  I was in the middle of the bunch, with just the dad and his daughters behind me, and the mum and daughter in front.  Mum wasn’t particularly confident riding, so I was going to be keeping a safe distance.

But of course, as always, when I get on a bike, after about 2 seconds, I felt totally at home and was in my element riding the streets of the most bike-friendly city I have every ridden in.  Our bikes identified us as tourists, so the residents of the city were patient with us and tolerated us sharing their bike lanes.  

For three hours, we rode together, exploring the city, hearing stories about the building of the city, the construction of the many canals and waterways and the history - both the good and the bad.  Sober moments spent at the Anne Frank house and holocaust memorial, inscribed with the name of every person lost in the purge.  Stories about the different suburbs and their histories, from warehouse districts converted to residences, Jewish communities rebuilt after arson attacks, affluent areas going through rebuilds and of course the famous red-light district.  

Made friends with the mum and daughter from Seattle, and shared a table at a cafe at the halfway point, enjoying a hot chocolate and chatting about our travels.  I realised how lucky I am to travel, when the mum noted how much I had travelled in the last two years!  She couldn’t believe my Yosemite trip, and how much of the road I’d travelled in the US on that visit. She was a much more regular traveller than me though, as she flew a lot for work, but I had her beat on two wheels - she was a very tentative rider!

We only rode 15kms in total, but wow, did we learn a lot in that time.  I even saw the Bondi Magnet Fishing guy throwing his magnet off a bridge to see what he could bring in from the canals.  As we rode back to the bike store I spied three bikes that made me think they had fun off-roading as they were caked in mud and leaned up against the railings.  It wasn’t til I was walking past them again to head to the train station that I realised they had been pulled out of the canals and that’s why they were covered in mud!

After grabbing a bite to eat, and snacks for the train, I picked up my backpack, checked in to the Eurostar counter, passed Dutch immigration, passed UK immigration and settled into my train seat for the five hour trip back to London.  The holiday is almost over, and while I can’t wait to get home, I’m also mourning the end of the adventures I was having.  

The train ride was uneventful - lots of beautiful countryside, pockets of buildings as we passed through towns, many old churches spotted and finally back at St Pancras Station.  Short walk to pick up my stored luggage, back to the bus stop and it’s not long before I’m getting ready to check into my final accommodation for the trip.  But more on that in the next (and final) blog for the trip.

Day 4 - All about Amsterdam

 Final day on the bus, and it’s all about discovering more about the beautiful Netherlands.  We collected a few new tourists today, including a young family of mum, dad and a 3 year old and a 1 year old.  After a day of travel with the family, I was pleased to be finishing the tour.  I’m not sure that keeping kids crammed on a tour bus for extended periods is the most ideal option with very young children.

With my bag packed and stowed under the bus, we were soon at Zaanse Schans - what I would call a historical village, built around a lake, and filled with windmills, cheese factories and clog-making shops.  The buildings are all repurposed from their original locations, and put together as a tourist spot - my parent’s visited the same place on their trip to the Netherlands.

We were treated to a clog-making display, where the clog maker showed how clogs would be made traditionally (about 3 hours for each pair), and then the modern method with a “clone” lathe - where a pair of clogs can be made in just over 15 minutes.  They even helped us get fitted for a pair, keeping in mind the need for a finger’s width gap between the heel and the clog for comfort.  

In our free time we were encouraged to explore the village further and I discovered the cheese factory, complete with the cheese making demonstration and free tastings.  Unfortunately I couldn’t buy any cheese to take back to London, as there is currently an embargo on meat and milk-based products from Europe due to an outbreak of mad cow disease.  

After buying some samples of mustard and sauces, I walked the length of the lake to discover each of the windmills (they are all individually named) and indulged in freshly squeezed orange juice being sold of the back of a cargo bike by the “Bike Juice Guy”.

Daniel, our new tour guide was pretty awesome at the start of the day, advising us not to buy anything souvenir-wise here.  He guaranteed that anything we saw and wanted in the shops at Zaanse Schans would be available at our next stop would be just as available but cheaper at our next stop - Volendam Fishing Village.  Daniel gave us a comprehensive education on the history of Volendam and the construction of the lake and islands in the area.  We had a traditional Dutch meal in a local restaurant, and I had herring for the first time (as well as my first green vegetables in quite some time!)  Also enjoyed a glass of the local beer - yep, a pint of Heineken!

True to his word, the souvenirs were cheaper here, so I loaded up with wooden tulip bunches for my mum, and a range of quirky chocolates, lollies and biscuits for the family.  

Final stop for the day was Amsterdam.  We enjoyed a flat boat ride through the canals, with a commentary on the history of the city and an explanation of all of the things we were seeing.  The final stop before I got dropped at the Centraal Amsterdam train station was Royal Coster Diamonds.  We were treated to a demonstration of diamond polishing and given a presentation on the four C’s of diamonds, finishing with the chance to be locked in a secure room with some very expensive diamonds.  I even had the chance to have a 150,000 euro diamond on my hand - there were some nerves when handling that little sparkler!!!

Time to say farewell to my tour group, and I boarded the tram to my hotel for the night - the Generator Amsterdam, a pod hotel nestled on the edge of the Oosterpark.  But let’s leave that particular adventure until the next chapter!

Bus Tour Day 3 - Frankfurt Am Maim to Amsterdam

With a bit of travelling today we had an early breakfast and onto the bus by 7.  First stop Bonn, where we breezed by the Beethoven museum and admired the main square, which had been rebuilt to look like it had prior to the ravages of war.  The pièce de résistance in Bonn is the University of Bonn, which is based in the old royal palace, a building that takes up multiple city blocks. It is currently being restored and is potentially the nicest centre of learning I have seen!

Next stop Cologne, where there is once again a cathedral to admire and an “old town” market square to explore.  We had a little more time to explore this town, so I walked across the river on yet another love-lock bridge - this time with thousands and thousands of contributors.

We have a constant stream of people joining and leaving the tour as it runs in a circuit and joins the other tours offered by the company.   There’s a pair of  ladies from the Phillipines who are travelling together following the death of their husbands. Both lovely and friendly, but one has a selfie stick that is constantly in use and they have to stop to be photographed in everything.

There’s a Malaysian family with a mum and dad and teenage daughter - the mum and dad are very friendly and ask lots of questions about Australia, but I don’t think the daughter spoke in front of anyone the whole time we travelled together.  

Then there’s Abood and his wife (I forget her name).  He is an ENT surgeon in Bahrain and is familiar with PA hospital as he has worked there!

We were joined today by a family from India (who I enjoyed talking cricket with) and there have been some other solo travellers who have kept to themselves.  Everyone is friendly and it has been nice to chat and learn more about how they learned English, as it was a second language for all of them.

We finished the night in our Amsterdam digs, ready for the next day’s exploration of the Netherlands.

Bus Tour Day 2 - Luxembourg to Frankfurt am Maim

Not to early start for day 2 and a great hotel breakfast to begin the day. The one thing I forgot to mention with yesterday’s room was that the mini-bar was completely complimentary! Two different flavoured waters, a bottle of sparkling water and a bottle of still. No alcohol, but still, free anything in a hotel is unheard of!

Our first whirlwind stop today was Trier, a German town with an old church (go figure) but also the remains of an old Roman walled fortification, known as the Porta Negra and home before his expulsion, to Karl Marx.  A lot of the towns we will be visiting suffered heavy bombing in the Second World War, and while they look old, they have been rebuilt to look the way they previously had.  Many of the German towns we visited also had Holocaust monuments erected - the German people seem to have a lot of shame in that regard and do a lot to acknowledge their part and the importance of owning it and learning from it.

From Trier we drove to Koblenz, where we enjoyed a traditional German meal of pork knuckle, tomato soup, and ice cream, before catching the cable cars across the Rhine to the fortifications of an old castle.  Back across the river you can see where the Moselle and Rhine combine (hence the town name - Koblenz) with a giant statue of Kaiser Wilhelm looking out across the blending rivers.  Just behind his statue is an art installation commemorating the Berlin Wall and the history behind its rise and fall.  I also tried a soft drink only available in Germany, Austria and Belgium - Mezzo Mix. It’s a blend of Coke and Fanta. While I didn’t mind the flavour, I’m not upset we can’t get it at home - it was ok, but not Jaffa-like enough without a chocolate taste in the mix.

Final stop for the day - Frankfurt am Maim - where I discovered the first of my lovelock bridges - with thousands of padlocks paying tribute to relationships that won’t be broken!  A beautiful old church or two (St Martin’s was my preference this time), and an old town square that again had been through a pretty big rebuild. 

Interesting that we were there on a Sunday, which is typically a day that most shops and stores would close.  They had warned us a fair bit, but I did think it was funny that the places that were open were pretty much the tourist traps - and they were effectively full!

No dinner options near the hotel tonight so they stopped the bus at a truck stop and we had a choice of KFC or Maccas.  Now in Australia those two are considered fast food. My KFC order took 20 minutes to process as there was one person taking and fulfilling all orders while one was cooking.  Thankfully I ordered first - some of our group waited 40 minutes for their meals.

Nice enough hotel again, although as this was an official airport hotel,  it was huge and my room was right at the back - it was a five minute walk from the elevator landing to my door!

Tomorrow we are off to Bonn, Cologne and finishing in Amsterdam - all new towns for me and I can’t wait.

Bus Tour Day 1 - Paris to Luxembourg

What a way to start the day - checked out of the hostel and walked to a local boulangerie for breakfast - orange juice and a pain suisse - a delectable morsel and a sugar hit to get the blood pumping.  I took my breakfast to go as I was walking to our meeting point and there was a park nearby that I could sit and eat. Just as I was finishing off my sweet bread, I heard a rustling in the bush behind me and turned to see not a bird or a dog, but a human foot emerging from the hedge. Needless to say I got up and got out of there quickly!

Found my tour group and our guide Aleks, loaded my pack onto the bus and we were off to our first stop in Reims, France.

To give an idea of how the tour worked, each place we stopped had a short orientation walking tour (usually 15-20 minutes) followed by an hour or two of free time, so of course each night I was checking the next day’s itinerary to mark the things to see in the towns we visited.

Reims is home to Notre Dame de Reims - yep your girl has only just realised that the full name of the church in Paris is Notre Dame de Paris - the Notre Dame is French for Our Lady.  We found many more Notre Dames throughout our tour!

Also found time to get to the Porte de Mars - the remains of the widest Roman Arch and discovered a local food market where I got myself a classic pate baguette for lunch. Note: I do not like classic pate as it’s not the smooth, savoury treat I spread on my toast back home - this was more like brawn and did not have the flavour I expected.  

After Reims we moved to Luxembourg and Luxembourg City, where we found another Notre Dame , aquaducts, ruined fortresses and the best ice cream I’ve ever had!

The only drawback of the tour is that all of the hotel stays are around the airports, so if you want to enjoy a bit of nightlife in the city, you have to cab or uber to go back in. Probably would have done that if I had a buddy with me, but because I didn’t, I just stayed in my room and sleeted myself for the next day.

I really liked Luxembourg and would definitely return and spend a couple of days exploring the old city. I even practiced my French (amazing how quickly that came back compared to my Spanish!)

Our guide is lovely, although we only have him for two days as he is going off on another tour. The company runs these circular tours where you just get on in a city and can choose how long you stay or if you want a full circle, then they connect with other tours as well. One of the families is doing four of the tours all interconnected across Europe. I think I’ll wait before deciding if that’s the life for Bren and I when we do Europe.

Less than 24 hours in Paris

Flying into Paris with only a singular plan - secure Vincens Torrens nougat.  Can you believe I was on the hunt for the only store in Paris that sold Spanish confectionery after being in Spain for a fortnight? 

I discovered this brand when I was in Madrid in 2023 and it’s only sold in a number of stores outside of Madrid - one of which was in Paris. So after dropping my backpack at the hostel I walked through the 13th seeking sweet goodness!

The shopkeeper was quite taken aback when I told him I was from Australia and they I had deliberately sought out his store. He was so happy with the money I spent that I even got a free bag with my purchase. It has been a challenge over the last five days not to crack them open - but I’m saving them to share with the family so I’ve been strong.

With my one Parisian purpose fulfilled I decided to do a Seine walk and just walk the bridges back and forth across the Seine. So. Many. Bridges!

I paid my respects to Our Lady of Paris (Notre Dame) and was more than a little excited to see her rising proudly once again into the skyline.  Hayden and I visited her in 2018 just before the fire that destroyed the old structure, and she was well on her way back to glory when I was there in 2023.  Now they are doing a lot of work around her as well, so I can’t wait to see what she looks like when I’m back there again in a few years (just putting that out into the universe!)

I walked about 12k following the Seine and finally called time just before the Eiffel Tower - I was close to the bus stop I needed and my knee was starting to ache so I hopped a number 83 which dropped me right at the door of my hostel where I had a private room booked.  Bonus - it was air conditioned.

The neighbourhood I was in even had a mini-mart so I was able to grab some snacks for lunch and then went in search of dinner. I settled on a delicious Thai meal from a non-tourist street and enjoyed a pad Thai at a table for one. I ordered a fresh coconut juice and was pleasantly surprised when a whole shucked coconut was presented with a straw to get the water from inside - it was so refreshing and cool and perfectly complemented the meal.

Back to my hostel and I sat out on my balcony for a bit just listening to the sounds of the city before settling into my bunk bed for the night. Weirdest bathroom ever - it had a blue light, an item I’m not sure is really needed in a bathroom, but you get what you get as they say!

Tomorrow I jump on my first bus tour to see a little more of Europe.  Just enough time in each space for a taste of the area before moving onto the next.   

Farewell to the Camino

My last two days on the Camino were relatively uneventful, with a bus and train day from Caldas de Reí to Padron, and the next day onto Santiago de Compostela.  In contrast to the earlier days, the closer you get to the finish, the more commercially driven everything becomes, with multiple souvenir shops and more industrialised towns.   Padron was nice with its obligatory churches and con vents, and I was excited to find two sequoia trees in their botanical gardens.  Had the weirdest tacos in town (just meet and taco shell, no salsa or salad) and a comfy three floor walk up apartment for our final night on the trail.

Easy train ride to Santiago and I was surprised by how much it was still so familiar, given it was three years ago I was here last.  Still not terribly impressed with the city, but that may be because I have never treated my visits there as any sort of pilgrimage - religion is really not my thing unless we are talking history! Also amazing to think it only has a population of 100k - 20k of which are students at the university and then a lot of tourists!

Spent an enjoyable morning riding the tourist train, walking up and down the familiar streets trying to avoid buying tourist stuff, and then settled into the square to wait for my travel buddy to arrive.  It really is fun to watch people filter in - the solo walker who falls to their knees in front of the cathedral, the groups hugging and cheering their final day, the school groups singing and dancing as their 100km slog is done.  It’s like an airport lounge and my favourite ones are the unexpected family waiting to greet their pilgrim.  Then there are the Instagrammers getting the perfect jump photo or draping themselves over the architecture to get the perfect pose. And sometimes you will see the poor folk who think there will be a reception waiting for them with 76 trombones, only to realise that the achievement and recognition comes from within.

Welcomed Jyai into the square and then found my way back to my hotel room, which was waiting for me - a welcome, air conditioned room out of the sun and in a quiet pocket just off the square. The reception staff were lovely and had already transported my bag upstairs to me room.

Final meal with my travel buddy in a pilgrim’s bar and that is the end of my second Camino - pretty safe to say there will not be a third! But each journey has brought new towns, new sights and sounds and new food to try (although the pulpo has been smashed more than anything else).

Tomorrow morning I jump on a plane to Paris for a quick overnighter before a four day bus tour.  I only have a week left of holidays - I can’t believe how fast it has gone, but still so much to see and do.