Touchdown Uganda, the Pearl of Africa

Here I am, hanging out with the amazing Gordon family, at their new home in Entebbe.   My time has been spent mixing home school teaching with interior wall painting, digging gardens, sightseeing at the zoo and botanical gardens and surrounding area, a visit to the local market, and a couple of trips to visit projects in the area.  It hasn’t been as hot here as I thought it would be, so is a welcome change from the heat of Europe and South East Asia.  A good 4 hours of rain made the flower garden preparation for the girls so much easier to dig, with the soil here red clay- hard and dusty when dry, heavy and sticky when wet.  Still wet was the better option, I could put the pick away!

camel riding at the zoo

The Gordon family

Uganda's national bird, the grey crowned crane

Helping Lily with her schoolwork

walking through the park ... and this is a really good road by Ugandan standards!!!

Termite hill

Zebras at the zoo

mum and her baby at the botanical gardens

And onto another continent ......... Farewell Europe, hello Africa

There was a notable difference as the bus went from the roads of Romania to the roads of Hungary, smooth and without potholes, and then journeyed through into the early hours of the morning to Austria, where Vienna was my next stop.  The city is beautiful, friendly and a place where I felt, as a solo female traveller, safe.   A short train ride into Germany took me into Munich, where I ventured out to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle and the Dachau Concentration Camp. as well as the centre city sights via a walking tour.  Definately a way to find out some interesting details and local insight into what the city is all about.

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

Biking out for a swim in the alpine lake, Neuschwanstein, Germany

Monument at Dachau Concentration Memorial, to remember, honour and to learn from.

St Stephens Cathedral, Vienna

Garden area at Schoenbrunn Palace, Vienna

Vienna Riding School future stars

Schoenbrunn Palace Gardens, Vienna

Back to Austria to the small alpine village of Schlitters, where I joined up with an Oakhall Christian Tour Group, and explored the mountain areas, the Zillertal valley and city of Salzburg, famous for the making of "The Sound of Music" movie.   Was great to share the experience and hike the trails with other people, and spend time making new friends.  An 18 hour bus trip which included travelling through the Euro tunnel by  train (double decker bus and all!) brought me into the U.K. where I stayed at Oakhall Manor in the Kent district.  This was my first taste of Britain, and I enjoyed visiting the city of Canterbury and looking over the many hillside and forest trails in the surrounding area.

Then onto Heathrow Airport, back on a plane, and off to Uganda for a month.  The adventure continues .......

Edelutte, Mayrhofen

Lake Achensee

alps above Fuggen, Zillertal valley, Tirol, Austria

Lake and Mountain views, Zillertal Valley

Lake Achensee

Bottom of Krimml Waterfall

Schlitters neighbourhood

mountain hike, Mayrhofen, Tirol

Krimml Waterfall

The Sights of Romania

Having spent most of my time in Tirgu Mures, I managed to take a few shots of the local iconic buildings before travelling on the bus on some roads that needed some serious repairs, to the beautiful town of Sibiu.   Luckily we headed off early in the morning, because with no air conditioning, a crowded bus with people standing, and an extremely hot day, the three hour trip could have been long suffering!!  Instead it proved interesting and very scenic, with views of Romanian cottages dotting the road sides through villages, fields of crops like corn and sunflowers growing, and areas of forest trees with patches of windy roads up the hillsides; a very beautiful display of Romanian countryside.
Sibiu shows itself to be another example of amazing historical buildings that fill European countries, with the Old City cobbled streets lined with buildings and churches dating from the 13th Century and the Astra Open Air Traditional Folk Civilisation Museum showing buildings prior to that.

It would have been nice to have had time to see more of the Transylvanian area, and the forests, mountains and seaside areas that are also part of this beautiful country.

Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Tirgu Mures

Tirgu Mures city building

Sibiu, in the old town area

Ceiling in entranceway to Orthodox Church, Sibiu

part of the remaining fortress wall, Sibiu

Some great renovation projects in the old city, Sibiu

Piata Mare

Bridge of Lies, Sibiu

Windmill at Astra Traditional Folk Civilisation Museum, Sibiu

Shed for farm wagons

Tradional housing

Astra showing traditional housing

Tirgu Mares on the side of the road into town

fields of sunflowers

Casa Kiwi, a wonderful home for some great kids

It has been a privilege to meet the team at Casa Kiwi in Targu Mures, a home where children who have not had the best start to life through no fault of their own, now have a loving, caring and well equipped home to see them grow and mature and have opportunities that they didn't have before.  A first hand look at the renovation project on the go at the moment and time visiting the temporary home each day has given me such an appreciation for the work, time and funds that numerous generous people have put into making Casa Kiwi all it is today.  With Sonia and Carol from the Hawkes Bay here visiting as well, us ladies had a great time taking the kids out and generally just hanging out with them and enjoying their company.  What a great bunch of kids they are, so caring of people and one another, helpful and well behaved.  Such an awesome time and meeting these kids has put the work of the foundation here into fresh perspective.  The last two weeks has certainly been life changing and hats off to the wonderful people here in Romania who are having such an impact on the lives of many children.  May God continue to open doors, bless and protect you....

having fun with balloons

the sheer excitement with bubbles

visiting Casa Kiwi

and the poses.....

fun on the swing

we love to swim

the Kiwi team

Spain

Barcelona would have to be the most vibrant city marketed for tourists, with large side walk areas, street artists of all kinds, stalls, an array of cafes and restaurants, and people strolling around till late at night.  The metro would be the best that I have seen in a city, well signposted, clean, and foreigner friendly, with elevators and lifts for buggies and luggage, a good ticketing system and comfortable airconditioned trains to travel in.  Cyclists, rollerbladers, runners, and walkers come out to make use of the waterside avenues and at this time of year in particular, the city is a hive of activity.  I linked up with a free walking group called Discovery Tours (pay by tipping)  where a local showed us the old city area (Bari Gotic) and gave some interesting  insights, and a tour past some buildings in the new city area where there was an era of architectural competition (1880-1920's) and some amazing facts given about them as well.   A great way to learn about a place that is interesting and cost effective!!   Here are the works of Gaudi .....

the ongoing construction of theSagrada Familia church showing the towers of the 12 apostles

Sagrada Familia

Casa Batllo

Guell Park

Guell Park

La Pedera (Casa Milo)

Fountain at de Montjuic

Magic  Fountain with music, colours and fountain sequences

From the top of Castel de Montjuic in the park

Then out of the hustle and bustle to experience a little of mountain life, suck in clean air and marvel at the views up in the Pyrenees.  So much more could be seen of this great mountain area that stretches over to the Atlantic coast and into France, so really all I managed at this point in time was a brief encounter with nature here by way of a mountain train and a magnificent walk back through the mountain pass.  Peaceful, beautiful and so serene!

Walk from Nuria to Querelbs

mountain flora

Through the trees to the river

walkway by the river

view over the valley

Mountain view

Outlook from Queralbs

Streets of Queralbs