Before I leave

Hi folks

I'm back!

The Wattle train is back on the rails. This time I'm going back to Europe, but am adventuring out on my own.

I'm starting in Paris, then catching a train to Angers - the Mother House of the Good Shepherd Sisters. As I teach in a Good Shepherd School, I've been exposed to the Good Shepherd charism and have wanted to see for myself where this Order started.

After that I travel to Isle de Noirmoutier, where Rose Pelletier (Sr Mary Euphrasie) grew up. She was the foundress of the Good Shepherd Sisters, and they have conveniently bought the house Rose grew up in and rent it out to visitors!

After one more night in Angers, the fun begins because I am going to rent a car and drive around France. Pray for me!

My plan is to visit Normandy, including the D-Day beaches, the Bayeaux tapestry, Honfleur and then travel to Villers Brettoneux which is famous for its love of Australians who helped save the city in World War 1. Then I'm off to Lille which is on the border with Belgium. I can then breathe again as I hand my car in and rely on train travel for a week or so.

After 2 days in Bruges and 4 days in Brussels, I'm off in the Chunnel train to London. I've rented an apartment there, so I can cook for myself and have purchased a London travel Pass for 6 days which gives me free travel and admission to most of the historical places in London.

Then I'm back on the road as I have booked a hire car to drive around England. I hope to start down in the South, including Cornwall and Devon (Doc Martin - here I come!) then wend my way through the Cotswolds to Leicester - the birthplace of my maternal grandmother. Then I'm off to York and Whitby - home of Captain Cook. The next part of my journey takes me to Scotland and I hope to visit Aberfeldy and Pitlochry before making my way north to Glencoe and staying a few days with the Josephite Sisters near Fort William, at the birthplace of Mary MacKillop.

I fly out from Edinburgh to Dublin to commence the final leg of my journey - to drive the Wild Atlantic Way. This road follows the coast of Ireland right around so I will be going from Dublin up through the North, across to the West and along the entire coast hopefully.

So that's the plan! There are still some details to tidy up but half the fun of a holiday is the anticipation and planning.  Hope you enjoy the journey with me!