This year's escape ....

Thinking about it a little longer it must sound like a weird title, but to me it's a real escape from daily life and at the same time having a great desire to make it part of my daily life onetime.

England has conquered my heart, just look at that (every time again) overwhelming view on our arrival after a only two hours boat ride ....

After a long drive we arrived at "our home" for our first week (in Devon) and as if we had stumbled into an episode of Escape to the Country  when we saw the surroundings of Crosslands Dairy .
With also the most gorgeous garden ....

Where obviously this lovely bunch came from ....

But also geraniums in almost every windowsill ....

And our wonderful view from the cosy living room ....

And this was our view from the kitchen window, as if I was home ....

Even managed to photograph my first ever swallow ....

And this summerly scene just around the corner, poppies as far as the eye reached ....

The next day we had our first of the only two rainy days on this holiday. And as we were still a bit tired of the journey we decided to make a short drive to the beautiful city Exeter and ended up at Bill's for lunch. Where not only the shop its appearance is gorgeous, so is the food ....

Next on our list was to visit  Dartmoor National Park where we were once before, four years ago, while visiting England as a family.
I've got sweet memories of our visit to the beautiful village Moretonhampstead so we took it along in our route....

And again visited the cutest tea room ever where it seems as nothing was changed, still as if you're in a cosy living room where everyone seems to know each other, The Gateway Tea Room ....

The lovely town is really the gateway to the High Moor because not long after we left the little town this was one of our many stunning views ....

And not only sheep on our way but also these beautiful Dartmoor Ponies ....

On our way through the park we also passed Two Bridges ....

And also here the beautiful foxglove which I encountered in almost every hedgerow on our way through England ....

And curious by the sight of this we visited the beautiful village Widecombe in the Moor ....

And its beautiful church also known as Cathedral of the Moors where I really loved the
roof bosses and the view through the windows on the rolling green hills ....

and the impressive cemetery ....

Another "must" being in Devon was a visit to the picturesque village Clovelly where the walk towards already was so very beautiful ....

And what came after didn't disappoint either ....

After our hike down on the cobbles we reached the small but lovely harbour, it really felt like a step back in time ....

Just had to take a picture of this man , which I think also was a tourist, but perfectly fitted in the whole setting of this gorgeous spot ....

We ended our visit on a terrace having Devon cream tea with this view, we easily could have stayed all day on this gorgeous spot ....

Being so near Cornwall I just wanted to embrace a bit of the Poldark scenery along our way so we went to the beautiful small hamlet Port Quin - with at the coast Doyden Castle , these days leased as a dream holiday location by National Trust ....

Just can't find the right words to express how I was impressed by its enchanting atmosphere ....

Standing there - just the two of us - in the middle of the overpowering forces of nature ....

 

How lovely it would be to have all this on your doorstep and stay in Quin Cottage , one of the

former fisherman's cottages ....

A lovely lady I met on a fair also in England and since then a dear friend via Internet gave us the tip to visit the lovely town Topsham. Not only I loved all the wonderful shops but also the beautiful and very dutch looking gables of these houses ....  

As it was such a sunny and warm day we decided to end our day on Sandy Bay Beach and it really felt as if we were at the french riviera ....

Our last day in Devon we spent again in Dartmoor and stopped for lunch in the lovely village Chagford also known as "the jewel of Dartmoor".

I couldn't agree more, a beautiful village with all kinds of small shops. Another thing I love about England - the small shops aren't, as with us, disappeared from the streets.

Don't you just love this beautiful storefront from the local bakery ....

Our week in Devon went much to fast and we'll definitely return because there's still so much more to explore.

Luckily we still had a few days left in West Sussex where we would be meeting so much lovely people so no goodbye yet.

The journey towards was already so worthwhile ....

So yes, there will definitely be a part 2 ....

Till then!

Anita

~xo~

A trip down memory lane ....

About two weeks ago we went together with my two sisters and their husbands on a four-day trip to Luxembourg 

Not just an ordinary trip, but one down memory lane.

When we were kids we went for a couple of years on holiday to the little village Beaufort , and now again one of the villages planned to visit. 

Now our parents are no longer with us it seems our bond only became stronger.

While you sometimes hear that families fall apart when the parents pass away, with us it's certainly not the case.

I think that as we - by circumstances - haven't lived as a real family that long, our close relationship and the few precious family memories is something to be treasured.

A collage of some pictures from our childhood holidays showing our - I now think - very cool transport, and the visitors during that years including my dear gran ... 

So not long after our mum died last May we planned our first holiday as adult sisters together!

We booked three rooms next to each other in a family hotel near the historic town Clervaux .

When we arrived two weeks ago and went up to our room this was our view ...

After unpacking our suitcase we went exploring the little town and its environment. After a walk and late lunch we walked to the end of the town towards the abbey. Not really knowing if we went the right direction we asked a resident who directed us further into the forest.

What happened next during our walk through the woods made me really feel the presence of my parents, as if they guided us on our journey.

Because out of the blue there was this - for us not really common in a until then completely silent forest - magical moment ....

After first thought we might have misunderstood the good man, the sound of the bells and this view through the trees made it clear that we were well on our way ....

And there it was the Benedictine Abbey Clervaux ....

And all the beauty around it ....

Surrounded by the scent of blossom ....

And such a wonderful new experience, walking together in nature ....

The next day we went to the capital Luxembourg ....

A beautiful historic city with so much flowers and greenery ....

This is the view from above to the lower situated park ....

A park designed by the landscape architect Edouard Andre as an English garden filled with all sorts of flower beds ....

There were all kind of rhododendrons but I especially liked this one ....

Because the park is much lower as the city there's no noise at all, only birdsong ...

We also admired the view from the promontory in the north-eastern corner
of Luxembourg's old historical district ....

And especially this fabulous located veggie plot ....

And still - in many ways - flowers everywhere ....

On our last day we visited the campsite where we stayed during our childhood holidays and
saw that little had changed.
Everything still so very lush and green, only much larger trees in the adjacent forest ....

I was determined to light a candle in the village church but unfortunately it was closed. So sorry that I couldn't go inside the church ....

My father was known for his rather vivid imagination and loved to take people fooled. All those years ago he made us believe that - in the castle just outside the village - lived a clown. He meant the character of a - in our youth very popular - television series. And of course we believed him and were always on the look for "Pipo de Clown" when we visited this beautiful castle  ....

My dad would be so very pleased to know his joke is still such a living reminder ....

Our next stop was the tourist town Echternach where we payed a visit to the beautiful abbey....

and lighted a candle ....

Our last stop on our trip down memory lane had to be the beautiful Mullertal also known
as little Switzerland ....

Where the waterfall seemed much smaller than I remembered as a child. But still impressive though as nature never fails to do ....

I think my mum and dad must have had a very satisfied sight from above , seeing how their daughters memorised their childhood together.
One thing is for sure, this was our first but certainly not our last trip together. New memories will be made and I know two people who will make that very happy ....


Anita
~xo~