We have recently returned from a 26 day road trip to the UK, a journey we made to spend quality time with some of our family and friends over Christmas and New Year. Sadly although we were away so long we still did not get the opportunity to meet up with as many people as we had hoped.
Circumstances and weather were very much against us.
Although not strictly ‘News From Italy’ I have been asked to share some photos with you. So here then is a selection from our trip showing you not only the weather conditions we experienced but also some of the places we visited.
For those of you interested in viewing the full selection I have created an album on Flickr.com UK Road Trip Dec 2010 - Jan 2011
When we left home at 8.30am on the 15th of December it was minus 5C and it was no surprise therefore to hear from friends that the very next day there was snow in the Viterbo region. What a shame I was not at home to photograph it! We were however to see plenty of snow ourselves over the next few weeks, starting from south of the San Gottardo Tunnel and staying with us on our travels until almost New Year. In mainland Europe however the roads were kept clear, lorries were not allowed to move on the motorways and chaos did not ensue as it did in the UK.
Approaching San Gottardo Tunnel
Sunrise from our hotel in Luzerne, Switzerland. 16th December 2010
Lorries parked up in the fast lane due to snow conditions on the French motorway!
The Dorking Cockerel, a landmark in our hometown, Dorking Surrey.
I did take a lot more snow photos but I think most of you will have by now seen more than enough snow, so let’s move on! In fact I will skip Christmas lights, Christmas and New Year altogether. This time was spent with family and friends in Surrey and Salisbury. A planned trip to Wales sadly never materialised due to weather conditions but on January 4th we were able to travel to Suffolk to spend a few days with friends. It was extremely cold while we were there but at least all the snow had gone and it remained dry. While we were there we visited Diss and Norwich both just over the border in neighbouring Norfolk.
Frozen Mere, Diss, Norfolk.
Norwich Castle, rather imposing!
Norwich Castle Interior
View from slit window in Norwich Castle
Hay Hill, Norwich.
St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich
Finally homeward bound again, we once again stayed overnight near Luzerne in Switzerland, although the scenery was green rather than white this time.
View from our hotel room in Luzerne, Switzerland rather different scenery from last visit on the 16th/17th Dec!!
If you enjoyed this taster of our trip but still want to view some more photos my album can be found on Flickr.com UK Road Trip Dec 2010 - Jan 2011
Hi Linda ... Fantastic photos , thanks for sharing . I have not been to Diss for a long long time, I have a friend who's mum and dad used to live there and also my aunty and uncle used to live in Norwich. Cannot think how long ago that was. Never been to Norwich castle though, it looks super.:-)
ReplyDeleteReally happy that you got to see your friends too, and it wasn't so bad weather wise.. :-)
The big question one has to ask about a roadtrip: what music did you listen to? Every roadtrip needs a soundtrack! :) I know Dorking well, we lived in Epsom for many years. I hope you bought some refreshment from my friend John at the Vineyard wine shop on the High Street.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. At least you made it back to England, in view of the horrendous weather conditions on the roads. I loved the interior shot of Norwich Castle, and I will definitely have to try to get up there sometime. One of my daughters did a theatre tour of the U.K. a few years ago, and she liked Norwich very much.
ReplyDeleteCiao Lindy, I guess your road trip was really tiring, especially for the driver, but neither from a plane nor from a train you can't enjoy the same fantastic landscapes.
ReplyDeleteHow different Norwich looks nowadays!
I hope you're not getting snow again in Marta as I'm typing!
xxx
Thank you for sharing your road trip. It is a reminder to me of how compact Europe is. In the US it is a LONG trip to travel by car to another country (Canada or Mexico!) The thought of driving by car from Italy to the UK sounds surreal! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! Before checking out your Flickr album, I have to tell you that I really, absolutely love the pic of sunrise in Luzern! Wonderful colours! May I suggest you to rotate it a bit to get it perfect? You can easily and quickly do it with Picnik. Ciao!
ReplyDeleteOh WOW. i am totally living through your photos! AMAZING :) Snow is so beautiful and those pictures looked so peaceful and exciting at the same time! Glad you guys had a long trip and I'm headed over to check out the rest of your photos NOW!
ReplyDeleteWow, it was a road trip, huge!
ReplyDeleteLove the pics, thank you for sharing, Norwich Castle is charming.
SO you ARE near me when in the UK! I haven't done a road trip from here to the UK for about 11 years now, but would love to do it again if I can afford to. Would you mind telling me how much it cost in motorway tolls and how many times you filled up with petrol?
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! I love that picture of the cockerel covered in snow. He looks ever so smart.
ReplyDeleteGreat to have you back blogging. I have friends in Norwich who I would love to see, but I think it will end up with them coming to France rather than me going there. The castle looks fantastic. Love that sunrise :))) Diane
ReplyDeleteLove that sunrise. We rarely fly and hope to drive most of the USA when Joe retires. Except gas prices here are getting kinda crazy so who knows we may stay at home forever. Thanks bunches for sharing your journey with us. ♥O
ReplyDeleteHow adventurous of you, to travel that whole distance in winter. Glad you shared it with us.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, Linda! Thanks for sharing. I hope you had a wonderful trip.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your holiday journeys with us! Sounds like more of an adventure than you anticipated but I'm very glad it all worked out. Great to see you back here. Wishing you a lovely, cozy weekend. – g
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your trip! It looks like it was quite an adventure. Do you still think of the UK as home? Does that ever change?
ReplyDeleteI have loved our two road trips to Italy so excited to see your reverse journey. Great photos and I'm so pleased you had such an adventure though I prefer my trip without so much snow.
ReplyDeleteThese pics are amazing, I love roadtrips! I just saw this great road trip movie called White Wedding, it's a South African romantic comedy, actually- but it really showcases the beautiful scenery of South Africa, it felt like I was on the roadtrip just watching it. Highly recommend it! http://www.whiteweddingmovie.com/
ReplyDeleteInteresting photos. They tell the story on their own without the need for text.
ReplyDeleteA belated Happy New Year to you.
Heiko@ Lots of Christmas music, plus a selection ranging from Enya to Genesis! What a small world, although I do not recall the wine shop you mention my husband does.
ReplyDeletePatricia@ It is a 1,000 miles/1,500km from our home to the French coast at Calais. I know not far in terms of USA but still seems a long way to us.
Dona@ I have never edited my photos before publishing but maybe I should take a look :)
Marissa@ I am delighted you enjoyed the photos so much:)
Charlie@ Exactly why I enjoy your UK posts! We have a diesel X-Trail left with a full tank and filled up twice en route to Calais. Tolls excluding Swiss Vignette were approx 80 Euros.
ReplyDeleteKatja@ Thankyou, Dorking is famous for it's five clawed chickens!
Diane@ I do recommend you taking a trip to Norwich if you can possible find the time.
Cheshire wife@ I achieved my intention of a story without words then, thankyou.
Wonderful photos! I'm heading over to see the rest of them!
ReplyDeleteJenny@ We always enjoy the trip as we take our time and do not feel rushed. Luckily we have 4WD so snow is not too much of a problem.
ReplyDeleteJamie@ Welcome and thankyou for your comments, I will look out for the movie you mention if it is avl here in Italy.
Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Love the photos - especially the Dorking Cockerel!
ReplyDeleteThere are few things I love more than a road trip! So I really enjoyed this. Thanks LL!
ReplyDeleteWhat a journey. Mammoth effort on your part. Interesting the roads were OK in France.
ReplyDeleteThere are some fantastic photos here in the post, and I'm glad your journey was pleasant.
ReplyDeleteSalut Linda, good to see you back in "blog land". Those photos are lovely, especially the first one of Luzerne... Norwich? Is that where you're originally from? I'm asking because I've lived there for some time and your photos all looked very familiar indeed ;-) Hope you're well and happy to be back in Italy, Love from London xo
ReplyDeleteYour photos give me the feeling that I was there too. The inside picture of the Norwich Castle (radiator and all) is about the most 'castlely' picture that I have seen. The textiles were very interesting. And palm trees -that was a surprise - I associate them with a climate a little closer to the tropics.
ReplyDeleteYes, may of us have seen enough snow to last a while. Great timing though - I am reading a novel dealing with man-made weather control.
Glad you are back safe and sound.
Hi, LindyLouMac and welcome back. I don't think any of us can ever see all the people we'd like to on a trip back home. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteSuch amazing photos!! We are planning on LOTS of trips when the weather warms up. It's just too miserable dragging a six year old around when it's this cold! At least the sun is finally back - wooo hooo!
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Jennifer@ I am delighted you found it interesting, thankyou.
ReplyDeleteIcy BC@ Thankyou for your compliment about the photos.
Welshcakes@ Thanks for the welcome back.
B E A U T I F U L !!! I will share these with my husband as well. Especially loved the snow sunrise and the giant chicken/cockerel?
ReplyDelete